Enhancing the Ladder Customer Journey
How do you translate a brand built by elite athletes into a digital experience that feels premium but still personal?
Ladder Sport needed more than just a beautiful site. They needed a system that could scale, convert, and connect. I led UX, creative, and product flow design to bring that vision to life. This included shaping personalized journeys, defining best practices, and aligning every touchpoint to real customer needs. If you are interested in a more detailed look at my processes or would like to request a case study, feel free to visit the Methods page or contact me through the About Me page.
The Challenge
Ladder Sport was founded on excellence, but its digital experience needed to reflect that same level of performance.
The brand had to:
Showcase athletic credibility from founders like LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger without alienating everyday users
Personalize journeys for a wide spectrum of customers, from professional athletes to first-time supplement users
Build trust quickly and guide users from discovery to long-term loyalty through intuitive, goal-driven flows
Introduce a subscription model that felt valuable rather than transactional
Establish scalable UX principles to support evolving content, product growth, and marketing campaigns
Align digital and physical customer touchpoints to create a cohesive experience across channels
Use analytics and SEO workflows to identify friction, shape entry points, and improve performance throughout the journey
The Approach
Using a human-centered design approach, I helped shape a product strategy rooted in clarity, empathy, and visual cohesion. This strategy supported consistent messaging and experience across all major customer touchpoints.
This included:
Understanding Brand Positioning
I immersed myself in Ladder’s identity to align tone, trust, and premium appeal across the entire digital experience.Type Hierarchy and Color Usage
I extended and refined the visual system to ensure brand recognition and legibility across key user touchpoints, including ads, landing pages, and the subscription portal.Target Customer Insight
I developed flows and messaging tailored to both elite athletes and new customers entering through different campaign and content pathways.Founder Ethos Translation
I designed visual and narrative elements that captured the founders' vision in ways that resonated with different audience segments.
Execution highlights:
Customer Journey Mapping
I mapped the full lifecycle, from awareness through purchase to loyalty, making sure each touchpoint reinforced trust and action.UX and UI Flow Design
I built conversion-optimized flows that supported clear decision-making and minimized drop-off across the funnel.Creative and Visual Storytelling
I led the visual and narrative direction to align touchpoints across email, paid ads, landing pages, and the core site.Subscription Logic and Upsell Flow
I integrated seamless subscription pathways and upsell logic that fit naturally into key moments in the customer journey.SEO Workflow Integration
I collaborated with marketing to optimize metadata, headings, and content modules for organic search, ensuring each SEO touchpoint matched user intent.Analytics and Optimization
I relied on performance data, campaign results, and funnel metrics to drive testing, measure success, and prioritize design improvements.Defining Product Principles
I created scalable frameworks that supported consistency across all customer-facing moments, from acquisition to retention.
The Results
The redesign delivered measurable improvements across engagement, acquisition, and retention. These outcomes validated the strategy and created a strong foundation for future growth.
30% Increase in User Engagement
Visitors spent more time interacting with content and returned more frequently after purchase.Client Acquisition Rose from 2% to 6% (E-commerce) and 4% to 9% (Subscription)
A cohesive, trust-driven experience across touchpoints helped more users understand Ladder’s value and complete the journey to purchase.Improved Subscription Opt-Ins with Lower Churn
Clear messaging and frictionless flows led to higher retention and customer satisfaction.Elevated Visual Identity
A cohesive system of type, color, and layout created a premium look and feel that translated across all customer-facing surfaces.Faster Path to First Purchase
Streamlined flows and content aligned with SEO and campaign traffic helped reduce time to conversion.Scalable UX Framework for Growth
Modular design systems and touchpoint-aware content blocks made it easy to scale and adapt across new products and campaigns.
