Sneakershyllan · Project story
Making second-hand sneakers and streetwear easier to discover through evidence-led UX, accessibility, and practical Shopify improvements.
- UX/UI design
- Accessibility
- User research
- Front-end development
At a glance
- Shopify optimisation
- Practical improvements within theme and budget constraints
- Evidence-led
- Hotjar recordings paired with a manual review
- Better discovery
- In-stock and shop-by-size filters
- Three-stage plan
- Immediate, collaborative, and specialist work
01 · Context
Background and constraints
In autumn 2023, I was asked to review Sneakershyllan’s newly launched Shopify store. The Gothenburg retailer sells second-hand sneakers and streetwear from selected brands, both in its physical shop and online.
The business had already invested heavily in the store and needed improvements that delivered value quickly. My task was to identify usability and accessibility problems, explain their likely impact, and make a clear proposal covering scope, effort, and expected value.
I had no direct access to moderated user testing, and Shopify’s theme architecture limited what I could change safely. The work therefore had to separate quick fixes I could implement from changes needing deeper Shopify expertise.
02 · Contribution
Highlights
The work connected observed customer behaviour, WCAG evidence, commercial priorities, and the technical realities of a small Shopify store.
- Reviewed a newly launched Shopify store within a small retailer’s budget and platform constraints.
- Combined Hotjar recordings with a manual customer journey review to identify recurring friction.
- Used PageSpeed and WAVE alongside manual WCAG checks on agreed key pages.
- Introduced in-stock and size filters so customers could find products they could actually buy.
- Improved contrast, product alt text, keyboard focus, and form labelling.
- Turned detailed findings into a three-stage roadmap balancing value, effort, and technical ownership.
03 · Research
Evidence-led review
I first walked through the store as a customer: browsing categories, filtering products, and moving toward a purchase. I formed hypotheses about points of friction, then checked Hotjar recordings and behaviour data for repeated patterns.
This made prioritisation more grounded. I considered both how often a problem appeared and how strongly it could affect a customer’s ability to find and buy an item, then aligned that evidence with the retailer’s business goals.
The resulting review focused on verified problems rather than a long wishlist of possible enhancements.
Evidence chain
- 1Walk through the journey
- 2Form usability hypotheses
- 3Check Hotjar patterns
- 4Prioritise by frequency and impact
04 · Accessibility
Accessibility audit
I ran PageSpeed and WAVE on agreed key pages, then manually reviewed the landing page and product template. Automated tools helped find code-level signals; keyboard use, focus visibility, reading order, and context still needed human judgement.
The audit uncovered contrast failures, missing product alt text, incomplete keyboard support, unclear focus indicators, and form controls without adequate labels. These barriers also weakened search visibility and the clarity of the buying journey.
Some fixes were possible in Shopify settings or CSS. Others were embedded in the theme and needed developer or specialist involvement.
05 · Product discovery
Findings and fixes
The biggest commercial friction was simple: most shoes were available in only one size, yet customers could not filter by size. There was no in-stock filter either, so people spent time opening products they could not buy.
I introduced in-stock and shop-by-size filters and reduced clutter in the filtering experience. These changes made the catalogue better reflect the reality of second-hand inventory: unique products, limited availability, and a strong need to narrow quickly.
Alongside these discovery improvements, I fixed high-value accessibility issues including contrast, alt text, and visible keyboard focus.
06 · Roadmap
Prioritised action plan
Immediate: I handled high-impact, lower-effort changes in Shopify settings and CSS, including contrast, alt text, visible focus, and the new product filters.
Mid-term: Changes such as stronger keyboard support, clearer tab order, better labels, and performance work required theme modifications and additional developer involvement.
Long-term: Structural HTML and ARIA improvements, plus larger navigation and filter changes, were documented as a roadmap for Shopify specialists.
07 · Outcome
Impact and learnings
The action plan gave Sneakershyllan a clearer basis for deciding what to change now and where future investment would have the most value. Immediate fixes and several mid-term improvements were completed; deeper theme work remained an explicit roadmap.
In-stock and size filters, clearer filtering, and accessibility improvements made relevant products easier to find and created a smoother path toward purchase. They improved conversion potential, but no measured conversion figure was available and the outcome cannot be attributed to one intervention.
I also learned that a technically thorough audit can still fail its audience. My first reports were too dense for a non-technical client. Reframing findings around customer impact, business risk, effort, and next steps made the work far more manageable.