Redesigning Aqua Star’s digital commerce experience
From manual sales processes to a structured, multi-path commerce experience for B2B and consumer audiences.
see it live: aquastar.network
UX / UI
VISUAL DESIGN
DATA ANALYSIS
DESIGN STRATEGY
USER FLOWS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Context
Aqua Star Network is a Dutch watersports distributor representing specialized brands across Europe. The project focused on redesigning its digital commerce experience to support both product discovery and B2B sales, while giving the brand a stronger digital presence.
The goal was to move from a largely manual sales experience to a structured, scalable platform where customers could discover products, explore brands and find the right path to purchase or engage with Aqua Star.
Challenge
Aqua Star needed to replace a fragmented, manual sales experience with a digital platform that could serve different types of users without compromising the brand experience.
The main UX challenge was to make a large and diverse product offering easy to explore and understand, while supporting different paths through the experience from discovering a product by category or sport to exploring a specific brand or engaging with Aqua Star as a business customer.
The platform needed to:
- simplify product discovery and navigation;
- support both B2B and consumer-facing journeys;
- organize products across multiple categories, brands and sports;
- communicate product and brand stories clearly;
- create a consistent experience across desktop and mobile;
- provide a scalable foundation for future content and products.
This required balancing user needs, commercial goals and technical constraints within one coherent experience.
Solution
I started by mapping key user journeys and usage scenarios to understand how different audiences would navigate the platform.
Rather than designing individual pages in isolation, I used these journeys to define the information architecture, sitemap, and reusable page structures first.
The architecture was designed around multiple discovery paths, allowing users to reach products through different entry points such as categories, brands and sports.
I then translated these structures into a component-based design system in Figma, creating reusable patterns that could support the breadth of the platform while maintaining consistency across responsive layouts.
Prototypes were used to validate navigation and interaction patterns with the client and customers throughout the process. Feedback was incorporated iteratively before finalizing the UI and developer handoff.
B2B Flow
Goal: Find and purchase products for a business.
B2C Flow
Goal: Discover and purchase a product for personal use.
What this informed: Navigation; product discovery; entry points; CTA Hierarchy; Account/access requirements
Information Architecture
Multiple paths. One product destination.
Impact
A unified digital commerce experience.
Product discovery, brand storytelling and B2B engagement were brought together within a single responsive platform.
A scalable design foundation
A component-based system enabled consistent UI patterns across the platform and simplified future expansion.
A clearer path to commerce
Users can reach products through multiple entry points, including brands, sports and categories, while dedicated B2B pathways support business customers.
Measurable impact*
+25% user engagement
−15% bounce rate
2× faster design updates
*Measured after launch vs. previous period
What the client said
Results
The project resulted in a responsive commerce platform that connects product discovery, brand storytelling and B2B engagement within one experience.
The final design provided Aqua Star with:
- a clearer information architecture;
- multiple, consistent routes to product discovery;
- responsive desktop and mobile interfaces;
- a reusable component-based design system;
- prototypes and developer-ready specifications;
- a foundation that could scale across products, brands and content.
The live platform now brings together product categories, sports, brands, editorial content and dedicated B2B pathways in a single digital experience.
Credits & Mentions
Special thanks to Frans de Pater and the entire Aqua Star Network team for trusting me with this project. Grateful as well to the team at Utilize in Hilversum – NL for their valuable insights and dedication throughout the development phase.