Oakland Stones
| 3 minutes read
Oakland Stones Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry
For Oakland Stones, a local business rooted in Oakland’s Dimond district, we led a strategic site redesign grounded in empathy, storytelling, and long-term digital growth. Our work began with in-depth discovery workshops focused on understanding the founder, the brand, and the surrounding community. By listening closely to David Valenzuela’s journey—his connection to Oakland, his passion for handcrafted beaded jewelry, and the cultural meaning behind each piece—we built a foundation for a digital experience that reflects the heart of the business. This human-centered approach allowed us to create a website redesign that feels authentic rather than generic, while also setting the stage for future AI optimization and scalable digital tools. The result is a site that strengthens Oakland Stones’ online presence, supports local visibility, and ensures the brand’s voice translates clearly across digital channels.
During the UX research phase, we analyzed real user behavior, business objectives, and the broader market context to uncover opportunities for meaningful improvement in the site redesign. As a local business with a strong cultural identity, Oakland Stones needed clearer storytelling, smoother product browsing, and a stronger emotional connection with visitors. Through journey mapping and UX analysis, we designed intuitive pathways that guide users from discovering the brand to exploring handcrafted products such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. This research-driven approach ensures the website supports both human-centered design and future AI optimization, creating a digital experience that is easy to navigate, emotionally engaging, and built to grow with the business.
During the ideation and prototyping phase of the site redesign, we restructured the website’s information architecture to highlight the human story behind this local business from the very first interaction. David Valenzuela’s personal introduction (“My journey began several years ago…”) was intentionally placed early in the experience, allowing visitors to immediately connect with the founder and the cultural roots of Oakland Stones. We refined key calls-to-action such as Shop Now, improved visibility for featured handcrafted items, and clarified product pathways, all while preserving the artistic and cultural identity of the brand. This thoughtful structure not only strengthens emotional engagement but also prepares the site for future AI optimization and scalable digital growth.
During the design and execution stages of the site redesign, we developed a flexible, scalable template and refined the visual hierarchy to improve clarity, usability, and mobile responsiveness. We optimized layouts for modern browsing behavior and integrated email capture to support long-term customer engagement and retention. The final experience is a polished, storytelling-driven website that honors Oakland Stones’ heritage, presents fine hand-beaded jewelry with clarity and care, and strengthens the digital presence of this local business. Built with future AI optimization in mind, the site is designed to grow alongside the brand—helping transform casual visitors into inspired, returning customers.