Details
Table of Contents
Overview
Aventura Mall is more than a shopping center. It is Miami’s premier fashion destination, attracting over 20 million visitors annually and named the best mall in the U.S. by USA Today. Home to more than 300 of the most sought-after brands, including leading luxury names, it is an immersive hub for world-class retail, dining, entertainment, and a celebrated contemporary art collection. With some of the highest sales per square foot in the country, Aventura Mall leads in luxury, style, taste, and culture.
Vision
The website redesign was driven by a UX strategy centered on translating Aventura Mall’s physical experience into a seamless digital journey. Grounded in the mall’s identity as a destination for style, taste, and culture, the site integrates clean design, immersive visuals, and intuitive navigation to guide users effortlessly through its offerings, reflecting the luxury, energy, and sophistication of the in-person experience.
Timeline
6 Months
Role's Responsabilities
Tools
Deliverables
UX Audits
I led the UX audit as the foundation for a comprehensive website redesign, focusing on identifying usability issues and improving the mall’s digital presence. With a content-heavy structure and outdated pages from previous iterations, I restructured the sitemap to simplify navigation and create a more intuitive user experience.
Findings
Lack of Categorization: With so many stores, restaurants, events, and amenities, the website lacked categorization, forcing users to scroll through overwhelming content.
Outdated and Generic Visual Design: The aesthetic lacked refinement and cohesion, with poor flow and inconsistent styling.
Inconsistent UI Elements: UI components like buttons, icons, and typography varied widely across pages, lacking consistency and visual hierarchy.
Unclear Page Structure & Layout: Pages lacked a unified grid, with inconsistent spacing and shifting content areas that created confusion.
Outdated and Redundant Content: Dead links, old pages, and duplicate information cluttered the experience and reduced trust.
Frustrating User Flows: Key info like parking, hours, and amenities was hard to find. Mobile experience was poor, with inconsistent layouts and CTAs.
Heuristic Evaluation Chart
Before and After
Creating a strong first impression on the homepage was a key priority. The goal was to present users with a clean, visually inviting interface from the moment they land, offering a more elevated experience than the previous design. The comparison below (Before on the left, After on the right) highlights this simple yet impactful transformation.
Information Architecture (IA)
Following in-depth UX audits, competitor analysis, and collaborative team workshops, I developed a comprehensive structure that shaped the website's redesign and development process. Using this strategic overview, I defined the site hierarchy and categorization, which helped determine all the sections and subsections within the website, starting with a detailed sitemap.
Identifying Content Structure
Through team collaboration and a combination of in person and digital surveys, including a card sorting exercise, I identified the most frequently searched and relevant content. These insights clarified content priorities and directly informed the structure of the top navigation and page layouts, ensuring high priority items were easy to find and improving the overall user experience.
Source: UXtweak.com
Wireframes
I developed a series of iterative wireframes to explore visual hierarchy, content placement, and user flow across key pages. These wireframes allowed me to test layout options, gather feedback, and refine the visual structure with each round. The final wireframes strike a balance between clarity and engagement, embracing a less-is-more approach that emphasizes prominent visuals and distinctive user interactions.
Design Inspiration
After the wireframing phase, I initiated the visual design and user interface. I created a mood board that reflects the essence of the Aventura Mall brand—centered on upscale shopping, dining, art, and elevated experiences. Drawing inspiration from the brand itself, along with the mall’s bold architecture and vibrant atmosphere, I developed a cohesive design language featuring striking visuals, refined typography, and intuitive navigation elements.
Brand Identity
A cohesive look & feel aligned with the Aventura Mall brand ensures a consistent, recognizable user experience. Incorporating the brand’s typography and elements reflects its identity, while consistent components enhance usability and extend the mall’s upscale atmosphere.
Style Guidelines
The visual design leveraged atomic design principles, emphasizing clean typography and refined visual components to reflect Aventura Mall’s elevated brand identity with clarity and sophistication. Every element, from headline treatments to spacing and alignment, was thoughtfully crafted as part of a scalable system to ensure consistency and create a polished, cohesive experience.
Typography Application
Expressive & Reusable
Reusable cards and CTA's aren’t static—they’re dynamic, responsive, and subtly animated. Their smooth hover states add a touch of motion that draws attention, builds recognition, and brings the design to life with style.
User Inteface
The final result features a sleek UI design that authentically reflects the Aventura Mall brand. It offers an immersive, engaging experience with striking visuals and interactive elements, transforming the website into a captivating, user-friendly digital experience.
The Homepage
Top Nav With Enhanced Search
The top navigation was designed to quickly guide users to what they need, while also inspiring those just browsing. It highlights popular offerings and includes an enhanced search with curated keywords and smart results tailored to specific queries.
Informative & Interactive
The website was thoughtfully designed to both immerse users in the spirit of Aventura Mall and clearly communicate everything the destination has to offer. Through engaging visuals and intuitive navigation, it provides a user-friendly experience that mirrors the excitement of visiting the mall in person—making it easy for visitors to explore stores, dining, amenities, events, and more.
Key Interactive Experiences
Fun & Immersive
To capture Aventura Mall’s essence, I designed immersive sections like Experiences at Aventura Mall, featuring custom videos and interactive elements to help users explore and envision the mall's unique offerings.
Mobile Responsive
Mobile responsiveness was a key focus in the Aventura Mall website redesign, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly experience across all devices. With most users browsing on smartphones, the design prioritized clear navigation, quick access to information, and a visually consistent layout. This mobile-first approach boosted engagement and made it easier for users to connect with the brand anytime, anywhere.
Mobile Top Nav
Adapting the main navigation to mobile was crucial to ensure a smooth mobile experience. We simplified the menu, used expandable sections, and made key actions—like finding stores or dining—easily accessible. This helped users quickly find what they needed, no matter the device.
Mobile Main Navigation Menu Pattern
Digital Marketing
To strengthen Aventura Mall's online presence and continue driving traffic to the website, I led the design and deployment of a variety of marketing assets. This included landing pages, microsites, display ads, banners, email campaigns, social media content, and directed video and photography production—ensuring a cohesive and impactful digital experience.
Video Production
I was fully involved in ideation, storyboarding, and production, directing a range of videos for the website, as well as for advertising and social media campaigns, maximizing engagement across multiple digital platforms.
KPIs & Takeaways
*Sources: Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity.
