IKSHAA.com
User Interface
Design for Ikshaa.com
Crafting a digital home for handwoven sarees, artisan bags, and purposeful home goods — where
every pixel honours India's living craft traditions.
Platform: Shopify
Category: B2C E-Commerce
Scope: End-to-End UX / UI Design
Focus: Heritage & Handcraft
Project Overview
A brand where craft is the
heart of commerce
Ikshaa Designs is a Shopify-based D2C brand rooted in India's handloom heritage. Founded by Taarakosh Designs LLP, Ikshaa curates handwoven sarees — from Handloom Cotton and Jamdani to Tussar and Pure Katan Silk — alongside artisan bags, organizers, and home décor. The brand's mission is to be present in every home through products that celebrate Indian craftsmanship, empower artisans, and blend tradition with modern utility.
Our UI design mandate was to create a digital storefront worthy of the products inside it: warm, trustworthy, culturally resonant, and commercially sharp — without reducing the brand to visual clichés of "ethnic e-commerce."
Challenges
Designing for craft in a
speed-first digital world
Ikshaa's products carry centuries of technique and intention. The challenge was to honour that depth without slowing down the shopping experience or alienating modern e-commerce expectations.
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Conveying Craft Quality Digitally
Handloom textures, natural dyes, and artisan imperfections that make each piece special are invisible on a screen. UI design had to compensate through photography direction, descriptive hierarchy, and tactile visual language — making customers feel the fabric without touching it.
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Navigating a Wide, Deep Catalogue
With 7 saree sub-categories, 5 bag styles, home décor, organizers, and gifting under one roof, the information architecture had to be both expansive and instantly scannable. Drop-off risk was high without intuitive mega-menu design and smart category surfacing.
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Building Trust for Premium Price Points
Products range from ₹550 to ₹4,600+. For mid-to-high price sarees, buyers need significant trust signals: artisan provenance, customer testimonials, and transparent pricing — all woven into the design, not added as afterthoughts. -
Mobile-First for a Mobile-Dominant Audience
The majority of Ikshaa's traffic arrives via mobile, often through Instagram and WhatsApp referrals. The design had to deliver the brand's full sensory quality on a 390px screen with one-thumb navigation and fast load times.
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Differentiating from Template-Driven Competitors
The Indian handloom e-commerce space is crowded with Shopify stores using the same Dawn or Debut themes. Ikshaa needed a visual identity that felt bespoke — recognisable, premium, and unmistakably its own.
Our Strategy
Five pillars of design decision-making
Every screen was designed against five strategic principles derived from user research, brand workshops, and competitive analysis of the premium Indian handicraft market.
Homepage
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Dual-mode hero: seasonal offer banner + brand storytelling strip
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Shop-by-category grid with editorial imagery
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Video shopping section for tactile product immersion
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Inline testimonial carousel for social proof at scroll depth
Product Pages -
Full-bleed product photography with zoom and multi-angle views
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Artisan origin badge and weave-type callout near the product title
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Prominent add-to-cart with WhatsApp enquiry fallback
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Size guide, fabric care, and shipping trust bar
Checkout Flow -
Shopify's native checkout enhanced with brand-consistent colour tokens
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Progress indicator keeping users oriented across steps
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UPI, card, and COD options prominently surfaced
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Order confirmation page with artisan story snippet
Collection Pages -
Filter + sort bar designed for mobile thumb reach
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Editorial banner per collection communicating sub-brand narrative
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Product card hover state revealing second-angle image
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Quick-add to cart without leaving the collection page
Mobile Experience -
Sticky bottom nav bar with Home, Categories, Search, Cart
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Swipeable category pills replacing the desktop mega-menu
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Floating WhatsApp button for direct purchase assistance
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Reduced motion design for low-bandwidth connections
Brand & Trust -
Artisan story section — "The Art of Saree Making" — with process photography
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Founders' story page deepening emotional brand connection
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Verified reviews displayed with customer names and occasions
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Vision and mission integrated into the About page design
Design Execution
Balancing heritage warmth with modern commerce clarity
The visual language draws from the natural palette of handloom textiles — undyed cotton whites, turmeric golds, indigo blues, and earthy terracottas — without resorting to stock ethnic motifs. Typography pairs a classical serif for product names and headings with a clean geometric sans for UI elements.
Colour System
Warm cream base with terracotta accents and sage green secondary. No cold greys or sterile whites — the palette breathes like fabric.
Typography
Cormorant Garamond for editorial headings and product names; DM Sans for navigation and body — a pairing that feels premium without pretension.
Photography Direction
Lifestyle and flat-lay photography styled against linen and wood surfaces, emphasising drape, texture, and natural light — consistent across all categories.
Motion Design
Subtle fade-up reveals on scroll, smooth banner transitions, and hover state animations that reward attentive browsing without distraction.
Component Library
A reusable Shopify section library ensures future product launches and seasonal campaigns maintain visual consistency with zero redesign effort.
Outcome
Design that delivers
measurable results
The end-to-end Shopify UI design implementation transformed Ikshaa's digital presence by aligning every screen with user needs, brand values, and commercial goals.
Elevated Brand Perception
A cohesive visual identity — from typography to colour to photography framing — elevated Ikshaa from "Shopify store" to a premium handcraft destination that commands trust at first glance.
Frictionless Discovery
The structured mega-menu, category-first homepage, and video shopping section reduced browsing drop-off — giving customers clear pathways whether they arrive for sarees, bags, or gifting.
Returning Customer Flow
Account history, order tracking, and personalised recommendations drove repeat purchases — supported by the emotional resonance of the artisan story content throughout the experience.
Mobile Commerce Readiness
A fully responsive layout with a sticky mobile nav, swipeable product galleries, and a WhatsApp purchase flow delivered a seamless experience for Instagram-referred mobile shoppers.
Scalable Design System
A reusable Shopify section library enables the Ikshaa team to launch new collections, seasonal campaigns, and product lines without requiring design intervention on each cycle.
Artisan Empowerment Narrative
The "Art of Saree Making" and Founders' Story sections translate brand mission into tangible design moments — increasing emotional investment and reducing price sensitivity across the catalogue.
