When PAPYRUS wanted to redesign their custom printing website, they didn’t want some templated “custom” site straight out of a box with limited functionality and features. They wanted a completely revolutionary way to create and buy greeting cards and invitations online. They also knew exactly where to turn to make this happen.
Their previous custom site used old technology and wasn’t integrated into their main site, which is reason enough for a complete redesign. Factor in outdated CMS, incompatible data feeds, and limited features that couldn’t be changed and you’ve got an e-Commerce UX nightmare.
We knew this was going to be a big job when PAPYRUS first approached us with it, but we had no idea how big it was going to end up becoming. The card customizer, the crux of custom printing, needed to start with a base card or invitation and then allow the visitor to change the wording, the fonts, the ink color and the location of the content. It also needed to allow the visitor to add different motifs and monograms if they wanted and choose different printing techniques, envelope liner colors, and order quantities. While all this is going on, the user needs to be able to navigate the creative process without getting lost. Oh, and one last thing – it needed to work on an iPad.
From a technical perspective, there were several relatively major hurdles to overcome to make the site work properly and efficiently. This site had to organize products in the Magento e-Commerce platform without having to sift through 100’s of thousands of potential SKUs (which slows down processing times), it needed to factor in a complex pricing structure due to different card features that could be customized, and it needed to be updated quickly and easily if new styles or effects became available.
After considering the technical part, we looked at the user experience and identified programs that would make this card customizer function the way PAPYRUS wanted it. When we talked about cross-browser compatibility, type-fonts on cards that weren’t standard in the web world, and iPad usability it became clear that JavaScript was the answer.
The result represents the future of custom card design by blurring the line between the virtual and physical world. Half customization tool, half online store, PAPYRUS Custom Printing invites anyone to be a designer.