Mini Study: REI.com
Website Redesign

Client: REI
Project: REI.com redesign

Responsibilities: Research & Discovery, Competitive & Comparative Analysis, Task Analysis, Site Architecture, Wireframes, Best Practices consultation
Challenges: REI was in the midst of a brand refresh and visual identity update that were constantly changing and impacting our timeline and design deliverables.
Ultimately we provided a design strategy document for REI to utilize when they were ready for full implementation.


The problem:
Recreational Equipment Inc (REI) is known for the quality and character of its brick-and-mortar store environments, sales associate (aka "Green Vests") knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for discovering the outdoors, and its passionate community members. Like many online retailers, REI had come to the realization that what made them special was not mass product and lowest prices, but brand integrity, service and expertise. REI wanted its website to better reflect the in-store environment, Green Vest expertise, and community experience without interfering with the shopping funnel and purchase process.

Discovery: Comparative/competitive analysis

As part of the discovery process, I conducted a comprehensive audit of REI competitors ranging from large sporting goods suppliers to niche retailers: Cabela's, Dicks Sporting Goods, Backcountry, LLBean, Sports Authority and Amazon. Each site was rated on a scale of 1-5 (5-Best) for the following: 
  • Discovery and browsing, scheming
  • Pre-sales guidance
  • Post-sales guidance
  • Localality
  • Cross device
  • Brand differentiation
The goal of the audit was understand the landscape and determine where REI had opportunities to excel in their customer loyalty, knowledge and product superiority.

Defining design patterns

The project followed an agile approach, with design patterns developed through collaborative whiteboard sessions with REI’s UX and Content teams, then translated into high-fidelity wireframes and delivery-ready files.

Balancing expertise & product

I helped define one of my largest content strategies at the time: establishing the right balance between outdoor expertise content (e.g., “selecting a tent”) and product gear (e.g., “tents for families”) across the shopping funnel, directly informing page templates.

User exposure

Once the expertise-to-product ratio was defined, we mapped user entry points and exposure to visualize expertise and product touchpoints across the site, ensuring journeys remained logical and flexible regardless of entry.

High fidelity wireframes 

The work was refined into high-fidelity wireframes that defined content hierarchy, product exposure, and critical decision points, informing page templates and supporting scalability across the experience.

Final deliverables

The final outcome shifted from delivering a responsive website to creating a detailed e-commerce strategy and implementation guide, enabling REI to build its future e-commerce experience following the brand refresh.

Status update: 2026

The current REI experience retains much of the information architecture, content strategy, and UX/UI recommendations and designs created by myself and the team.