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10 Ecommerce Design Principles: Intro & Summary

Hey there, my name is Marko and I’m a Co-Founder and CCO here at Domaine.

During internal design reviews I often find myself giving feedback which doesn’t come from the field of design specifically, and I began wondering if it sounded somewhat random. I’ve worked in eCommerce for 22+ years, mostly on the Brand side - but my experience spans from design, UX, running large digital projects, running the eCom division itself, and now running creative for our agency.

In order to give better context to the feedback I give our team - I created 10 principles that govern my point of view on what makes great digital experiences.

The first thing I noticed in writing these was that none of the principles that drive great design are about design. I also found that these principals have 2 unifying threads:

  1. “Good design” comes from every element of the digital experience
  2. By definition, a governing principle should guide both your internal thinking as well as the external solution

Below is my take on the fundamentals that govern great experiences, click through to a summary of each principle. And would love to hear any feedback via our Contact page.

01. Beginner's Mind
Challenges to our expertise can be our biggest opportunities

02. Know the Product
Design requires physical familiarity with the product we’re selling


03. Establish Trust
Good design requires a human connection


04. Make it Look Expensive
Design so that the product’s price looks low


05. Inspired by the Problem
Truly inspired design comes from solving business objectives


06. 0-1 < 1-2
Your ability to advance the design after the first review is key


07. Joy of Use
Push beyond “best practices” to create meaningful experiences

08. Customers Everywhere
Recognize that you have internal and external customers

09. One Site Per Customer
Design with the goal of a personalized experience

10. The Edit
Design with a clear point of view

Authors

Headshot of Marko Bon
Executive
Marko Bon

Co-Founder, President

Meet Marko, co-founder and President of Domaine. Marko is an experienced founder and entrepreneur in digital commerce, and is former VP of ecommerce at multiple enterprise fashion retailers. Marko has more than 23 years of experience in design, UX, personalization & content strategy, site optimization and ecommerce team management.