Redesigning Artfinder’s Main Navigation

Role: Senior Product Designer (Contract)
Company: Artfinder
Timeline: 8 weeks

Goal: Redesign Artfinder’s main navigation to improve discoverability and SEO alignment.


  • Conducted SEO audit, Hotjar session analysis, and Google Analytics review

  • Collaborated with stakeholders to restructure taxonomy and align terminology

  • Prototyped & usability-tested new navigation flow in Figma



Outcomes:

+18%

increase in SEO-driven sessions

+24%

increase in navigation-to-product click-through rate

-21%

category page bounce rate

Challenge

Artfinder’s existing navigation was holding users back:

  • Confusing taxonomy and inconsistent labels

  • Misaligned terminology between users, brand, and SEO

  • Ineffective filters leading to poor discoverability

  • High bounce rates from navigation dead ends


Research & Discovery


  • I combined multiple methods to uncover the issues:

    • Stakeholder interviews – aligned business goals with navigation priorities

    • SEO audit – identified high-value keywords and category gaps

    • Hotjar recordings – observed where users got lost or dropped off

    • Analytics review – mapped navigation flows, entry points, and bounce trends

Process


1 - Taxonomy Restructure

  • Rebuilt IA using SEO + user intent

  • Consolidated redundant categories

2 - Label Alignment

  • Replaced jargon with clear, user-friendly terms

  • Ensured consistency across UX, SEO, and CMS

3 - Filter Hierarchy

  • Simplified structure: Genre → Medium → Style

  • Prioritized filters based on user journeys

4 - Prototyping & Testing

  • Created wireframes & high-fidelity prototypes in Figma

  • Validated with rapid usability testing


Solutions

  • Clean, hierarchical navigation with fewer layers of friction

  • SEO-optimised labels matching real search behavior

  • Streamlined filters that adapt to different user journeys

  • Unified taxonomy across product, content, and marketing

Conclusion

This project taught me that navigation design is not just about structure—it’s about language and alignment. By combining SEO insights with user research, I was able to deliver a navigation system that improved both usability and discoverability.