Rodney Nelson

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Rodney Nelson

Work

About

Rodney Nelson

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Headie

An online glass shop catering to the connoisseur. Intended not to just sell products, but also serve as a showcase for some of the best and most high-end work by well-known artisans.

Challenge

What shipped

Unique treatment for unique items

What shipped:

Drops with countdowns for limited releases, artist-specific color and pattern treatments carried through buttons and cart, signaling that no two pieces were the same.

Showcase the art and artist

What shipped:

Dedicated artist portals with their own discover and catalog pages, images given priority over text, artist names highlighted with individual patterns.

Educate would-be buyers

What shipped:

Dedicated artist portals with their own discover and catalog pages, images given priority over text, artist names highlighted with individual patterns.

Make the price tag feel worth it

What shipped:

Zoom, functionality videos, and a dark gallery-like presentation layer, giving buyers the same confidence evaluating a piece online as they'd have in person.

The process

Scope

The heady experience existed within a larger glass shop experience. Customers were initially dropped on a general portal page, which could then take them to an artist's profile, a filtered shopping experience, or an educational article.

01

Discovery portal

02

Artist profile

03

Filtered shop

04

Articles

05

Drops

06

Just looking / Gallery

Layout

The heady section was separated from the more "standard" glass shop surfaces, and served as a portal for the customer to explore the world of heady glass. It switched to a dark background to give the impression that it was something different and special.

The art and the artists were the star of the show, so a lot of attention was put towards highlighting stand-out works and individual creators.

By surfacing different paths of exploration, such as sculptural or blacklight glass, customers were introduced to niches they could explore, and potentially find something specific that they were really into.

Layout

The heady section was separated from the more "standard" glass shop surfaces, and served as a portal for the customer to explore the world of heady glass. It switched to a dark background to give the impression that it was something different and special.

The art and the artists were the star of the show, so a lot of attention was put towards highlighting stand-out works and individual creators.

By surfacing different paths of exploration, such as sculptural or blacklight glass, customers were introduced to niches they could explore, and potentially find something specific that they were really into.

Headie project website
Headie project website

Elevating the art

While we were happy to elaborate on details, the art still needed to speak for itself.

Images were placed on a background darker than the page background, and given less margin than text content, to call more attention to them.

Artist names were highlighted with a pattern unique to that artist. Buttons related to an artist also utilized an artist-specific color. This was a small way we could represent the unique, and one-off, nature of these high-end products.

Elevating the art

While we were happy to elaborate on details, the art still needed to speak for itself.

Images were placed on a background darker than the page background, and given less margin than text content, to call more attention to them.

Artist names were highlighted with a pattern unique to that artist. Buttons related to an artist also utilized an artist-specific color. This was a small way we could represent the unique, and one-off, nature of these high-end products.

Drops

For high-profile heady pieces, artists will often make a run and release it as a drop.

These releases tend to go fast for well-known artists, so we gave users the tools needed to prepare in the form of a countdown, and a notification reminder.

By placing this element at the top of the page, we also gave users a reason to check back in to see what was new in the glass world.

Drops

For high-profile heady pieces, artists will often make a run and release it as a drop.

These releases tend to go fast for well-known artists, so we gave users the tools needed to prepare in the form of a countdown, and a notification reminder.

By placing this element at the top of the page, we also gave users a reason to check back in to see what was new in the glass world.

Details

Giving the option to explore at a high level, each path could still ultimately lead to a conversion.

Tapping on an artist highlight card would take the user to the artist's catalog, which then could take them to a product detail page, and then finally into their cart.

Each artist had their own discover page in addition to their catalog. Much like the heady portal, artist portals allowed the user to explore under the context of their chosen creator.

Details

Giving the option to explore at a high level, each path could still ultimately lead to a conversion.

Tapping on an artist highlight card would take the user to the artist's catalog, which then could take them to a product detail page, and then finally into their cart.

Each artist had their own discover page in addition to their catalog. Much like the heady portal, artist portals allowed the user to explore under the context of their chosen creator.

Education

The main portal had links out into educational and editorial articles, letting first-time users dip their toes into a new world and learn about what makes heady glass so special.

Through these articles we would highlight historical backgrounds, techniques, and top-of-the-line artists.

By sparking the flame we could grow novices into collectors.

Education

The main portal had links out into educational and editorial articles, letting first-time users dip their toes into a new world and learn about what makes heady glass so special.

Through these articles we would highlight historical backgrounds, techniques, and top-of-the-line artists.

By sparking the flame we could grow novices into collectors.

Delight

I wanted to represent the qualities of high-end glass art and the subculture, which can at times be kitsch, with some smaller details in the design.

Buttons were given some shine, and when a heady item was in cart, it would have its own highlight treatment, again emphasizing the uniqueness of the piece being sold.

Delight

I wanted to represent the qualities of high-end glass art and the subculture, which can at times be kitsch, with some smaller details in the design.

Buttons were given some shine, and when a heady item was in cart, it would have its own highlight treatment, again emphasizing the uniqueness of the piece being sold.

Delight

I wanted to represent the qualities of high-end glass art and the subculture, which can at times be kitsch, with some smaller details in the design.

Buttons were given some shine, and when a heady item was in cart, it would have its own highlight treatment, again emphasizing the uniqueness of the piece being sold.

Impact

Buyers could evaluate high-value pieces with the same confidence as browsing in a gallery. They could zoom in, watch functionality videos, and shop with trust, knowing that the artists themselves partnered with heady.

The educational aspect of the site allowed newbies to grow into fanatics, and gave reason for even those who were just browsing to keep coming back to the site.

Impact

Buyers could evaluate high-value pieces with the same confidence as browsing in a gallery. They could zoom in, watch functionality videos, and shop with trust, knowing that the artists themselves partnered with heady.

The educational aspect of the site allowed newbies to grow into fanatics, and gave reason for even those who were just browsing to keep coming back to the site.

Next steps

With the heady collection now live, the next phase focuses on validating with real usage data: conversion rate on high-value listings, time spent on products, drop-off points, and repeat purchase rate among collectors. Early qualitative signal will also help identify where trust still needs reinforcing before scaling the category further.

Next steps

With the heady collection now live, the next phase focuses on validating with real usage data: conversion rate on high-value listings, time spent on products, drop-off points, and repeat purchase rate among collectors. Early qualitative signal will also help identify where trust still needs reinforcing before scaling the category further.

Challenges