Iconic furniture and home decor brand Habitat required innovative digital UX and contemporary UI design to help launch their latest collection and first online shopping experience.

Brief.

Habitat launched their latest collection of furniture and home decor and required a new website to both showcase their products and drive sales.

Founded by the infamous designer Sir Terence Conran, Habitat was world renowned for exceptional classic furniture design. As such required the design of the digital interactive site to be of an equally high standard.

The new digital space was seen as an extension of the brand and had to be innovative yet accessible.

Design.

Utilising art directed interior photography, a 'real world' digital environment was created for customers to wander through and explore rooms and furniture at their leisure.

This online shopping experience allowed customers to virtually walk from room to room. By clicking on furniture, prices and information displayed in a 3D like setting. This innovative design, whereby typography is placed in a three dimensional context to it's location, was a precursor to early augmented reality.

Customers could also decorate their own virtual space, allowing them to save colour and fabric swatches for their own personal inspiration, which was central to Conran's idea that 'Design is there to improve your life'.

Results.

The groundbreaking website succeeded in driving sales and brand awareness, and helped establish a lucrative ongoing relationship with Habitat. The site received international recognition, winning several design awards including a D&AD pencil and a BAFTA for best interface design.