Built For Better

Role: UI & UX Designer

An online shopping destination that makes it easy for customers to identify and shop for products that are built better – for them and for the planet. The Built for Better shopping experience helps Walmart customers discover items promoting personal well-being and reducing our impact on the environment.

Search data shows consumers are searching for environmentally friendly products more than they were just a few years ago. Customers have always trusted Walmart for the low prices, but they also want to know that the products they buy are good for their families, the people who made them and the planet. It was important for Walmart to build out a shop page for these consumers. 

The design process started with introducing icons to help consumers identify the sustainable products on the website. Taking inspiration from the circular-economy concept three icons were created by transforming an infinity symbol into recognizable items to showcase ‘good-for-you’ and ‘good-for-the-planet’ and ‘good-for-the-community’.

Using this icon I was able to experiment with variations of color, text layout and size. Ultimately, landing on the white outlined circle badge that is used today. These badges serve as a call-to-action for eco-friendly product, streamlining navigation and making it an easier shopping experience for the sustainably conscience consumer. 

User interface design required finding solutions so that pages wouldn’t be too overloaded with data and how the information would look on mobile. The challenge here was that each page was to be different shopping experience but I only had a few regulated modules that provided space for storytelling copy.

The initial launch was very copy heavy, but stakeholders found that to be necessary as they launched this new shopping destination. Keeping the brand pillars and icon badges directly after the hero POV garnered more click-throughs before the scroll and helped make the shopping experience seamless.

Including recognizable badges, such as Energy Star Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, and EWG Verified in the product description and search led to more page visits. Also adding community shop pages, such as “Black Owned Brands”, “Women Owned Companies” and “Made in America” catered to a new audience and brought in customers that wouldn’t necessarily think to shop Walmart for these items.

As a eco-conscience consumer myself, I was very happy to work on this campaign and proud of the outcome. I think Walmart has a long way to go, but they are one of the corporate giants on the forefront of making change and I’m excited to watch their journey.