ryan luce
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Dansko

Dansko had a loyal customer base and a strong reputation for comfort and quality—but their ecommerce experience wasn’t keeping up. Years of relying on in-store shopping had left the site outdated and difficult to navigate. Complex product categorization slowed discovery, and the PDPs weren’t supporting conversion. On top of that, the brand’s unique story—and the passion of its customers—was either buried or missing altogether. The goal was to modernize and reimagine the site from the ground up: creating a digital experience that could drive sales, improve usability, and better reflect the heart of the brand.

 
 

Role: Lead Creative (UX Strategy, Visual Design, Design System Development)
Client: Dansko
Scope: Full-site redesign, Shopify replatform, UX architecture, Design system build-out

My Role

As the sole creative on the project, I led the redesign from strategy through execution—working closely with our Shopify dev team and senior product manager to scope features, test enhancements, and align every decision to timeline, budget, and client goals. I also collaborated directly with Dansko’s internal team, including their design director, who provided valuable historical and cultural insight as we worked to bring the brand to life online.

  • Leading a full-site UX and UI overhaul, including navigation, architecture, PDPs, and category pages

  • Strategically introducing brand and user storytelling into the experience—an opportunity I identified and brought forward

  • Designing new components and reworking OOTB Shopify modules to elevate the look, feel, and usability

  • Improving product discovery through intuitive navigation and simplified categorization

  • Building out a complete, flexible digital design system to guide ongoing growth

  • Supporting added functionality like gift-with-purchase modules and merchandising enhancements

 
 
 
 

The Work

This project was a ground-up rebuild—focused on functionality, conversion, and reintroducing the brand’s personality into the experience.

We worked from a Shopify theme, but instead of relying on the default OOTB elements, I designed custom components and re-styled key flows to feel intentional, polished, and on-brand. Navigation was restructured for clarity. Filtering was refined to support smarter browsing. The PDPs were redesigned to better support purchase decisions and drive conversion.

One of the biggest shifts was surfacing Dansko’s story—from their legacy of comfort-focused design to the real people who wear their shoes every day. That direction wasn’t part of the original brief, but emerged through early strategy work and deep collaboration with the client team, including research into their brand archives and values.

 
 
 
 

The Results

  • 25% increase in revenue following the Shopify replatform and redesign

  • 8% increase in conversion rate, driven by improved PDPs, filtering, and navigation

  • 16% reduction in average page load time, contributing to faster, more seamless browsing

  • 33% Shop Pay adoption rate, supporting a smoother checkout experience

  • Clearer product discovery and stronger storytelling contributed to better engagement across the site

  • A flexible, design digital system handed off for long-term internal use

This project was about more than replatforming—it was about reconnecting a beloved brand with its customers in a meaningful, modern way. Working closely with a thoughtful client team, we transformed Dansko’s digital experience into something that reflects not just what they sell, but who they are—and why their customers keep coming back.