The challenge
01
A 3-sided puzzle
transformation needed,
ASAP
Alba, a unique Danish kids' apparel brand with a retro, sustainable charm, was growing fast. The catch? Their online-only e-commerce setup was creaking under the pressure (not just one issue, but a proper tangle impacting pretty much everyone).
Retail Customers (B2C) were met with a clunky online experience. Finding products or understanding sizing felt like a chore, and the site didn't really capture Alba's unique vibe.
Business Clients (B2B) had a tough time buying in bulk and missed key features they needed for wholesale.
The Alba Team (Internal) wrestled daily with a clunky webshop system. Simple things like managing inventory (across two different B2C/B2B stocks!) or planning future site developments turned into constant headaches.
The backstage
02
From researcher to designer
(and a project
manager)
In this transformation, I was the primary driver (a one-person team mostly), which meant juggling everything from initial research and strategy right through to UX, design, and shaping the brand's new feel. It was fully a real-world project with constraints of budget, time, and management choices, which also meant subtly navigating the change process for the internal team as new systems were considered.
While a fantastic colleague thankfully helped out with the data migration (ufff!), the core concept, design and implementation work was largely a solo flight. I focused on meaningful improvements like enhancing usability without making users relearn everything. To manage this effectively, I adapted frameworks like Double Diamond and BIxD, using a pragmatic Agile/Sprint approach with Asana to keep things organised and moving forward.
The discovery
03
Getting to know everyone
(users & stakeholders)
Alright, before any pixels got pushed, I truly needed to understand who we were designing for and the world Alba operated in. I had to get to the core of what different people required and where the current setup fell short.
Internally, getting all the relevant Alba stakeholders in one room to chat was invaluable not just for requirements, but also for starting the change conversation early and understanding different perspectives on the transformation.
For retail customers (B2C), I combined heuristic evaluation with fresh user interviews and a survey to really unpack their shopping behaviours and build out key user personas.
And for business clients (B2B), structured interviews helped uncover their specific operational needs and pain points, leading to a practical 'Keep, Fix, Add' list for features.
The discovery
04
What's Alba now?
(and what could it be?)
With a clearer picture of the users, the next step was to really get under the hood of Alba itself (the brand, the existing site, and where it sat in the market).
First, the Brand Audit. Alba had several sub-brands (Alba Baby, Alba Kids, Attraction, All I Adore) which, as research showed, was causing some confusion for customers unfamiliar with the brand. We decided to move towards a simpler Master Brand Architecture, using these names more as product categories under the main Alba umbrella.
Then came the process of brand definition. An Attributes Matrix made "the mood" practical, translating qualities like "modern vintage" or "joyful" into tangible design choices for typography, color, and imagery. Then, I developed a Brand BIOS to get a holistic view of Alba's behaviour, image, offering, and story, making sure the brand meaning was clear and authentic. Underpinning all this, the Joy of Use Pyramid acted as a guide, reminding us to build up from a solid foundation of functionality and relevance before layering on Alba's unique emotional appeal. This process gave us a clear blueprint for the brand's digital personality.
Users already perceived Alba as vintage, sustainable, comfortable, and playful, and this valuable insight became a guideline for the brand experience design. Hearing directly from users in the survey about their love for Alba's "oldschool look" that "reminds me of my childhood" and its "special modern touch" reinforced our mission to make sure the entire digital experience reflected this unique charm and truly connected with them.
The concept
05
Strategic alignment
(constraints = opportunities)
How can we offer a higher quality branded user experience while keeping costs in the current range?
To make sense of the many needs, I clearly defined and mapped out key objectives across users (wanting a trustworthy, easy shopping journey), the business (aiming for efficiency and international reach), and the brand itself (striving for better recognition and an enhanced experience).
The solution
06
Making it real
(concept + pixels)
This wasn't just about a new look, it was a full digital overhaul, from defining the brand's feel to structuring the e-commerce engine.
01
Consistency in Alba's brand: Alba of Denmark already had a certain magic. Users connected with its "vintage, sustainable, playful vibe" and the "oldschool look" that evoked childhood memories. But digitally, this unique personality sometimes felt a bit like the old "Alba Universe" (as you can see on the left). Charmingly eclectic, yes, but also a bit unintentional, making it hard to grasp a consistent brand story or clear direction, especially with the previous sub-brand confusion. We took that loved essence and gave it a more focused, intentional, loved digital voice.
02
Building the e-commerce engine: Given the real-world constraints of a small business, building from scratch wasn't feasible. So, a key strategic decision was adopting Shopify.
It was a strategic move to leverage a robust system that solved many previous backend headaches and offered the flexibility for Alba’s joint B2C and B2B ambitions. Crucially, Shopify allowed us to finally merge B2B/B2C stock into one manageable inventory, streamline internal processes through automation for orders and stock updates, simplify international sales with easier language and currency handling, and empower Alba to be more independent in website management. All vital for their growth and team efficiency.
03
Designing for clarity & key journeys: The best part? The redesigned webshop experience and visual branding received positive endorsement from both users and Alba's stakeholders during the final testing phases. This was a great indicator that we were on the right track to making Alba's online presence more intuitive, user-friendly, and truly reflective of its unique charm.
We established a platform ready for future growth and for users this meant a more consistent brand touchpoints and reliable experience. Meanwhile for me (as a mostly one-person team for this build), Shopify’s ready-to-go foundation meant I could focus on customising the UX and brand elements, rather than reinventing core e-commerce functionalities.
The results
03
Untangled and upgraded
Growth all around.
Ultimately, this digital transformation for Alba of Denmark was about building a cohesive brand and digital business ecosystem.
The big idea was that by improving the user experience (think clearer navigation, better product info), we'd also boost the brand's appeal (making its unique style more obvious online). And by sorting out the business end (like better stock management and easier B2B ordering), everything would just run more smoothly for everyone involved.
Managing the human side of change is key in any digital transformation, here, ensuring the internal team felt supported and equipped for new ways of working.
Branded e-commerce shop, built to grow Alba's community.
Smoother backend with automated shipping & stock, easier daily maintenance for the team.
Smarter decisions, set up for useful data gathering & a clear performance overview.
Global reach, easier to manage and offer Alba's style across countries & languages.
Team efficiency via quicker, less clunky data and stock management (no more spreadsheets!)
Happier shoppers, better business. Intuitive CX designed to boost sales and opportunities.
