Retail

Redesigning Reptile Commerce Experience

End-to-end UX and UI transformation of an e-commerce platform for custom reptile habitats, including a seamless migration to Shopify 2.0 and an intuitive product-building experience.

+32%

improvement in task completion rate

+28%

increase in product configuration engagement

-22%

reduction in checkout drop-offs
Case StudyBanner image
CLIENT
Zen Habitats
TEAM
UX Designer, UI Designer, UX Writer, Shopify Developer

Services Used

UI & Visual DesignProduct & UX Design
Problem illustration

The Challenge

Zen Habitats needed to modernize its existing website while migrating to Shopify 2.0, without disrupting the checkout experience or existing plugin integrations. The existing interface felt outdated and struggled to support complex product customization journeys. 

Additionally, the platform needed to balance commerce with community-driven educational content—articles, videos, and guides—without overwhelming users or compromising usability, all within a strict five-week timeline. 

Key Pain Points Identified 

  • Outdated visual design lacking modern appeal 
  • Complex and unintuitive custom habitat builder 
  • Inconsistent imagery and graphic styles 
  • Poor content organization across educational resources 
  • Fragmented plugin-driven data presentation 

Research & Discovery

User & Stakeholder Insights

User & Stakeholder Insights

Discovery focused on aligning business goals with real user needs through collaborative workshops and flow analysis.

Workshops Conducted:Yes
Key Focus AreasRequirements & priorities
Critical JourneysConfiguration, Checkout
Experience Analysis

Analytics Review

Data-driven analysis to uncover behavior patterns and usability drop-offs.

Sessions Analyzed 1,200+
Time Period6 months
High Drop-offsConfiguration & checkout

Key Research Findings

38%

Users dropped off during custom habitat configuration

41%

Users scrolled but didn’t engage with educational content

29%

Checkout friction caused by inconsistent UI patterns

Our Solution

We designed a modern, scalable e-commerce experience that simplifies complex customization, strengthens brand identity, and seamlessly integrates Shopify 2.0 functionality—without compromising performance or usability. 

Guided Onboarding Experience
Simplified Habitat Builder
  • Step-by-step configuration flow 
  • Clear visual hierarchy and guidance 
  • Reduced cognitive load for first-time users 
Integrated Support Access
Unified Visual System
  • Consistent photography and graphic language 
  • Defined brand color palette and UI components 
  • Improved visual trust and product clarity 
Smart Update Notifications
Content-First Information Architecture
  • Logical categorization of articles and videos 
  • Contextual education placed near products 
  • Improved discoverability and learning flow 

 

Measurable Impact

Onboarding Completion
+32%

Task completion rate

Users successfully build custom habitats

Before:54%
After:86%
Support Friction
+28%

Product engagement

Interaction with configurator tools

Before:47%
After:75%
Workflow Efficiency
-22%

Checkout drop-offs

Reduced friction at purchase stage

Before:39%
After:17%
Time to Feature Discovery
+31%

Content engagement

Users interacted more with key content

Before:5%
After:26%
Overall Usability Score
+26%

Mobile usability score

Improved usability across mobile experiences

Before:6%
After:18%

Methodology & Testing

Analytics-Led Design

Analytics-Led Design

Decisions guided by real user behavior

Iterative Feedback Loops

Iterative Feedback Loops

Multiple design reviews with stakeholders

Responsive Validation

Responsive Validation

Designs tested across devices and breakpoints

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“Galaxy UX Studio helped us translate our passion for reptiles into a seamless digital experience. The new site feels intuitive, modern, and truly aligned with our community.”
Zen Habitats Team

Zen Habitats Team

Key Learnings & Insights

B2B users value efficiency over novelty

Speed and clarity drive conversions.

Checkout is the business engine

Simplifying it delivers immediate ROI.

Consistency builds trust

Strong brand alignment improves confidence.

Flexibility enables growth

Scalable components support evolving needs.

Design Process Deep Dive

Discovery & Research

Design Process Deep Dive

We followed a structured UX process focused on improving procurement efficiency, reducing conversion friction, and modernizing the overall platform experience.

  • Conducted workflow and user-story analysis
  • Mapped procurement and ordering journeys
  • Redesigned checkout and account flows
  • Created responsive high-fidelity interfaces
  • Built a scalable component-based design system
Ideation & Prototyping

Ideation & Prototyping

We explored and tested multiple design concepts through rapid prototyping and feedback. 

  • Information architecture refinement
  • Low- and high-fidelity prototypes
  • Responsive core user flows
  • Continuous stakeholder and user feedback 
Testing & Validation

Testing & Validation

We validated the experience through usability testing and feedback across real-world scenarios.

  • Moderated & unmoderated usability testing
  • A/B testing of key interactions
  • Accessibility & device checks
  • Iterative feedback integration

Implementation & Handoff

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Design Documentation

Clear component usage guidelines

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Responsive Specs

Breakpoint-level annotations for all key views

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Asset Delivery

Optimized icons and visual assets for dev-ready handoff

Developer Handoff Process

Documentation

Comprehensive layout specs, interaction details, and component behavior guidelines.

Assets

Optimized visual assets, icons, and component exports prepared for development.

Collaboration

Regular check-ins and standups with the development team throughout implementation.

QA

Design review, interaction validation, and support during QA to ensure design fidelity.
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Awards & Recognition

INC 5000
Clutch
Viva Pulse
Forbes 100

Locations we
are in

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United States

San Diego

Galaxy Weblinks, Inc. 3526 Buck Ridge Ave, Carlsbad CA, USA 92010

Boston

Galaxy Weblinks, 25 Main St, Suite B North Reading, MA 01864

UAE

Dubai

Galaxy Weblinks, UAE, Capital Building RAKEZ FTZ, Business Park, R3, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

India

Indore

Galaxy Weblinks, 307 Bansi Trade Center, Indore, MP, India 452001

Madurai

Galaxy Weblinks, Elcot IT Park, Illanthai Kulam, Madurai, TN, India 625020