Unified In-App Gift Browsing
At a Glance
Internal Project: MyRegistry.com
Role: UX Research, UI Design
Year / Duration: 2024 / ~ 3 weeks
Reporting to: Creative Director
Skills: User Flows, Wireframing, Prototyping
Tools: Figma
Context
MyRegistry.com is an online gift registry platform that allows users to create and manage registries across multiple retailers within one account. Its mobile app extends the same functionality, enabling users to browse, add, and organize gifts on the go. However, adding products from external websites required users to rely on their phone’s share sheet, an experience that was inconsistent, repetitive, and often confusing. The in-app browser project was developed to streamline this process, creating a seamless, native flow for adding gifts directly within the app.
Empathize & Define
From Research to Ideation
The project originated from a recurring pain point: users who discovered gifts outside the app (e.g., browsing on Safari or Chrome) had to rely on the phone’s “share” functionality to add items to their MyRegistry account. This required re-authentication, toggling between apps, and an unintuitive process of finding and selecting the MyRegistry app in the share sheet, a flow that felt unpredictable, and inconsistent with how users expected to add gifts.
To address this, I designed an in-app browser flow that lets users stay within the mobile app while adding gift items to their registries. By launching the browser directly from the “Add” button, users can type or select a retailer, browse products, and add items without ever leaving the app.
Exploring Opportunities
Guided Gift Browsing
What we aimed to achieve with the new design was a clearer and more inclusive experience: allowing users to browse and add gifts from any store, whether partner or non-partner. We introduced concise guideline content and space for illustrative tutorials, making the process more predictable and approachable. The updated design also restructured the overall layout to make more effective use of limited screen space, fitting in additional content and functions without overwhelming the user.
Adding clear, contextual instructions as a preliminary guide for users.
Adding illustrative tutorials to guide users step by step.
Optimizing layout to surface more store options.
Simplified Visual Language
The updated interface introduces a simplified and more intuitive visual language. Previously, multiple gift-adding methods were clustered directly on the main Gift List view, creating decision friction. In the new design, these secondary functions were logically relocated within the app’s navigation, allowing the Gift List to focus on a single, clear action: “Add Gifts.” This one-tap entry point reduces clutter, improves clarity, and aligns the layout with modern interaction standards.
One-tap entry point to start adding gifts.
Simplified the experience by separating core and secondary actions.
Ideate
Design Iterations
Early Iteration
Finalized Version
The early iteration explored ways to enable multi-category, segmented search – allowing users to look up added gifts, browse other users’ registries, or find matching store names through a tabbed navigation system. While this approach offered flexibility, the final design focused on simplicity and ease of use, providing a single, intuitive entry point to add gifts without overwhelming the user. By aligning with familiar in-app browser behaviors, the interface maintains predictability and comfort while ensuring a smoother, more focused user experience.
Final User Flow
Prototypes
Core Flows
Non-Partner Store
Designed to let users add gifts from non-partner retailers directly within the app.
Maintains a consistent, intuitive experience even for external websites.
Supports organic search, allowing users to manually enter any store URL.
Uses gentle visual cues and instructional design to keep the flow clear and natural.
Introduces a guided overlay that simplifies the process of adding items.
Partner Store
Built for partner retailers that use MyRegistry’s integrated registry system.
Enables users to browse and add items within the partner store’s environment.
Maintains brand consistency while ensuring unified registry functionality.
Supports both organic search and suggested store entry options.
Creates a smooth, unified experience that emphasizes ease, trust, and familiarity.
Reflections
Working on this project offered valuable insight into designing for mobile environments, where every pixel and interaction counts. Managing limited screen space required multiple rounds of iteration to balance functionality, clarity, and visual hierarchy. Throughout the process, I explored and refined various layout and logic options, learning how small adjustments can significantly improve usability. This project contributed to my ability to think adaptively, translating complex user flows into simple, intuitive experiences tailored for smaller screens.