EXPERIENCE DESIGN · RETAIL · UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Romana
A re-imagined in-store shopping experience for Fendi — a hybrid retail concept where digital and physical touchpoints work as one system.
A re-imagined in-store shopping experience for Fendi — a hybrid retail concept where digital and physical touchpoints work as one system.
Online shopping keeps getting easier while in-person retail often feels cluttered, slow, and frustrating — a gap the pandemic only widened.
PwC’s 2021 pulse survey across 26 territories showed nearly half of in-store shoppers use their phones while browsing — for reviews, price checks, availability, and product information.
I interviewed 50 shoppers aged 19–32 and mapped three personas — need-based, independent, and window shoppers — each with distinct goals, motivations, and pain points around store organization, lines, and assistance.
Instead of retrofitting an existing label, I created Romana — a Fendi spinoff rooted in Roman heritage, vintage inspiration, and a fresh hybrid shopping experience.
I studied how Ralph Lauren, Neiman Marcus, and H&M integrate mirrors and digital touchpoints — then defined a vision for technology that creates value you simply cannot get online.
Wireframes mapped the core user stories — search, shop, checkout, and a digital experience intuitive enough to guide every in-store interaction.
The app opens on marble-black surfaces with the Romana logotype — account access is required so every shopper enters the store with a personalized profile.
The home tab surfaces three floor plans — sale items, personalized picks, and new arrivals — so shoppers know exactly where to go the moment they walk in.
Search routes shoppers to a store map or the full collection menu — for those who arrive with a specific item in mind or want styling inspiration before trying anything on.
NFC-enabled hangers let shoppers tap a tag to view a product, pick a size, and send pieces to a fitting room or cart — while staff pull inventory from back-of-house.
Shoppers check out in-app the same way they would online — pick up now at the concierge, schedule delivery, or finalize payment and scan a QR code at the desk.
The store’s focal point — a Roman-inspired desk paired with a spinning retrieval tower where packages are loaded and handed off after checkout.
