Persona One of the Problems

Persona One of the problems I've always had with Gilt.com is that the user interface and user experience are too cluttered. Lately, I've given up on the website because it takes too much time to sift through everything. It doesn't "think" like I do. I much prefer a traditional interface with clearly defined categories, rather than the Gilt approach. The Gilt approach is to use themes or brand names to hook the user into browsing a specific section of the website.

For example, Gilt will have a section on "What you need for the beach!" one day, and "How to enjoy bedtime!" The next. Sometimes the themes make no sense, like the "Staycation" theme. The themed shopping idea has its merits, but I rarely find it gets me to fill a shopping cart. While fun for wasting time, the Gilt method of shopping is simply not my style. I'm looking for a simpler way to shop. That's why I like luxuriousimplicity.com.

As the name suggests, simplicity is part of the shopping experience, just as I like it. Yet I also need a little luxury in my life, which is why I like to shop for new things. I like to browse, but more often than not, I'm looking for something in particular. Website like Gilt seem to assume that I want to unleash myself and my wallet in a giant department store. I don't. I just want to buy a pair of shoes.

If I wanted a department store, I might actually go visit one. The truth is, I no longer have time to go shopping. Some days, I come home from work at 8PM. On the weekends, I'm always too busy to fit shopping into the schedule. I do most of my shopping online now, and in the late night hours. Luxurioussimplicity.com is luxuriously simple in its user interface.

I can't stand how when I visit the Gilt page, I am assaulted with different boxes that have no real relevance to the way I shop. I am not looking just for "print dresses" today, or Paula Dorf cosmetics. Whatever happened to categories like "jeans"? On luxurioussimplicity, tagging is used in a genius way so that if I want, I can find a print dress by the designer that knows my body best; I can find my favorite lipstick by entering the tags into the advanced search.

At the same time, luxurioussimplicity knows that when it's late at night and I'm tired, sometimes browsing is all I want to do. The showrooms in luxurioussimplicity are simply gorgeous and help me to fantasize about what I want my next wardrobe overhaul to look like. I especially appreciate the rollovers, where I can place my mouse on strategic areas and it will ask me if I want to see a similar item in different colors, prints, or designers.

This is a great feature for browsing, and helps me to see "what's out there." These features also help luxurioussimplicity differentiate itself from drabber websites like Zappos. Zappos is fine from a utilitarian perspective, but even I need more pizzazz in the user interface. Plus, Zappos is a more downmarket experience. I'm looking for a website with the quality of goods like those on Gilt, but with a different shopping experience. Think of it like the difference between two different malls.

We all have our favorites, maybe because of the parking or the overall layout. Another thing I like about luxurioussimplicity.com is that it has no unnecessary clutter like menswear. If I wanted to shop for a man friend, I might visit Gilt or another website. I prefer using luxurioussimplicity.com just for me. Besides women's clothes and accessories, there is not much else to distract me. If I want cosmetics, I'll most likely head to the Sephora website.

However, I do appreciate that luxurioussimplicity shows me jewelry designs that pair well with the fashions I like. Finally, the best thing about luxurioussimplicity is that it works a little like Pandora does for music. I can rate fashions on a star system, on a scale of 1-5. I can do this for individual items or whole "looks" that the models are wearing. Luxurioussimplicity has algorithms that create a unique user profile for me.

The more I log in, the more powerfully accurate their profile becomes, because I give it more information about what I like and what I don't like. Luxurioussimplicity.com also knows my sizes in different brands, which is a real boon because different brands always fit me differently. When I log in to luxurioussimplicity.com, I feel like I am having a personal shopper by my side.

That is why when users register with the website, they are asked if they want to create a Personal Shopper profile to help them. It isn't mandatory, and unlike on Gilt.com, a casual shopper can browse the showrooms without logging into the site. All the stress of shopping evaporates when I use luxurioussimplicity.com -- and I am the kind of person who can get stressed out by shopping. I'm sure luxurioussimplicity.