UX Writing in Action: Redesigning the Shopping Journey at Big Bad Toy Store

Highlights

Role:
UX Writer & Content Designer (solo project)

Context:
Solo redesign of an e-commerce site for collectors and casual buyers of fan merchandise, focused on trust, clarity, and emotional usability.

Challenge & Opportunity:
Users were bailing before checkout. The content was doing more harm than good, with users bandying around the words “overwhelming” and “dealbreaker.” I saw a chance to rewrite the journey using content design and UX writing.

Key Stats:
100% task completion in final prototype
All users reported increased trust and ease
One said, “I don’t feel like I have to fight it anymore.”

Deliverables:
New content structure + voice strategy
Rewritten homepage + checkout flow
Clear microcopy, labels, and user guidance

Key Takeaway:
Words don’t just inform. They reassure, guide, and convert, especially when the stakes are low-key chaos.

Collectible Chaos

A Hero’s Journey That Ends Before It Begins

Big Bad Toy Store is an e-commerce site for collectors and casual buyers of fan merchandise. It’s the kind of place where users should be able to scroll, click, and joyfully part with their money. But instead of excitement, users were leaving the site with frustration and doubt.

As a UX writer and content designer, I led a full-scale content-first redesign of the homepage, product listing, product description, shopping bag, and checkout. My goal? Rebuild trust, clarity, and flow using intentional language and content structure.

The original experience was fraught with chaos. Users didn’t know where to focus, what to trust, or how to complete a purchase without anxiety. When the content confuses or overwhelms, the journey ends early. I set out to rewrite that journey.

1. Charting a Path Through the Chaos

Redesigning the Journey So the Hero Could Forge Ahead

This wasn’t about applying a fresh coat of UI. It was about understanding where the content broke down and how better writing, structure, and voice could hold the experience together.

2. Confronting the Chaos

Crossing the Threshold Between Confusion and Clarity

I conducted:

  • Usability testing of the current site with 3 users — confusion, distrust, and zero completed checkouts

  • A heuristic evaluation to identify UX and content violations

  • Competitor task flow analysis to compare language, checkout logic, and IA structures

From these findings, I created a user persona: Alex “The Collector” — detail-oriented, deal-hunting, and very reluctant to enter a credit card number without seeing what’s being purchased.

Problem Statement:
Alex needs a seamless and trustworthy shopping experience to find and purchase competitively priced authentic fan merchandise for their collection.

3. Taming the Chaos

Giving the Hero the Means to Regain Control

This phase was about translating research into narrative clarity — using content and microcopy to make the site not only usable, but trustworthy.

Checkout Redesign — Content Decisions That Built Trust

What did I do?

  • Wrote a new guest checkout path with clear CTA language and system feedback

  • Reordered the flow to show the full order summary before asking for payment

  • Simplified error messages and labels to reduce user doubt

Why did I do it?

  • The old flow created anxiety — users called it a “dealbreaker”

  • Rewriting CTA labels and confirmation text aligned with what users expected and needed to feel safe

  • Content strategy = trust strategy. The words needed to do emotional work, not just transactional work

Homepage Redesign — Clarity Through Language

What did I do?

  • Created a strong headline, sub-headline, and CTA to clarify the value prop: Build your collection with us! From retro classics to the latest drops, we have just what you’re looking for.

  • Wrote focused section headers: Featured Sales and Deals, New and Trending, to support user intent

  • Added pricing and review videos with explanatory microcopy to build credibility

Why did I do it?

  • The original homepage was a wall of images with no narrative

  • Every content decision was made to reduce visual fatigue and build instant understanding

  • The goal wasn’t just organization, it was orientation. Content gave users a map

4. Chaos Conquered

The Hero Gains Confidence and Clarity

I tested the high-fidelity prototype with returning and new users. For the first time, 100% of users completed their tasks without friction. The feedback:

“I’d shop here.”
“This feels legit.”
“I don’t feel like I have to fight it anymore.”

That last quote said it all, the site wasn’t just clearer. It was trustworthy. The new content design created emotional calm and functional clarity.

5. Order Restored

The Hero Returns With a Cart Full of Loot (and Shipping Confirmation)

The redesign didn’t just reduce friction, it rewrote the entire user journey through voice, structure, and strategy.
Users completed tasks, felt confident in their purchases, and said they’d come back.

Shopping felt less like shaking a Magic 8 Ball, and more like a site that actually wanted their business, without selling their data to the highest bidder.

But the biggest transformation? Mine.

I learned that great content isn’t decorative. It’s directional.
It builds trust, reduces overwhelm, and makes room for joy.
And in this case, it turned chaos into a checkout.