Lakeshore
Learning.
Senior UX Designer working to support both B2B and B2C customers — wearing many hats, from front-end development of UI components to UX design and illustration. I worked as part of a world-class team to both maintain and replatform Lakeshore's world-class eCommerce platform.
The Replatform.
During my time at Lakeshore, we undertook a full eCommerce migration from Blue Martini to Oracle Commerce, moving the front-end from PHP to Knockout.js. I was part of the core UX team throughout, collaborating closely with our backend engineers to design new product funnels, refactor legacy code, and mentor colleagues in Knockout.js and Oracle systems.
Search Results Page
I designed and built the Search Results and Product Listing Pages using Oracle's Endeca faceted search — making a catalogue of thousands of products actually navigable. Components had to be mobile-responsive and backwards compatible all the way to IE7, while staying lightweight enough to deliver fast, consistent results.
Product Detail Page
The PDP looks simple but it's one of the most technically complex pages on the site, with critical dependencies across front-end and back-end systems. I was responsible for the horizontal and vertical carousels, multi-select dropdowns, and an overhauled customer reviews feed.
Component A
Vertical Carousel
The vertical product image carousel had to scale responsively, pull images from our CDN at optimal resolution, and function all the way back to IE7.
Component B
Multi-Select Dropdown
A dynamic multi-select dropdown that interacted directly with the vertical slider — updating the hero product image on selection.
Component C
Horizontal Carousel
Rebuilt from scratch for all screen sizes. On mobile, an uneven image count deliberately reveals a partial image as a scroll cue.
Checkout Funnel
A full redesign of the checkout funnel — reducing friction at every step and adding ship-to-store and save-for-later functionality. This work contributed to a 25% increase in checkout conversion rate post-launch.
A/B Testing
We integrated Adobe Test & Target early in the process, running A/B tests on key features in collaboration with the wider e-commerce team — building an integral culture of data-driven iteration to qualify design decisions.
Challenges & Successes.
Challenge 01
Scaling to Oracle CMS during a significant migration while learning new technologies on the job.
The migration required mastering Oracle's CMS tools and Knockout.js simultaneously. Some areas of the site could be ported directly; others required complete overhauls — particularly anything touching Adobe CDNs, product imagery, and the slider system. Some of my favourite memories from this project are the pair-programming sessions, sketching ideas over a pint, and that particular joy of figuring out why a piece of code worked when it definitely shouldn't have.
Challenge 02
Making assets as high-impact as possible through A/B testing and close monitoring of conversion rates.
We integrated Adobe Test & Target early, collaborating with the wider e-commerce team to design tests, analyse results, and make data-informed decisions. A/B testing gave us the flexibility to experiment and pivot based on real user behaviour — and ultimately led to more impactful design choices and measurably improved conversion.
Challenge 03
Maintaining an existing eCommerce platform while building a new one.
This required strong communication and a team culture of saying yes to each other — clearing blockers fast and sharing the load. By working together, we cultivated a sense of camaraderie that ultimately led to the successful delivery of a high-impact and world-clas replatform. Behind every great product is a great team, and our collaborative spirit was the foundation of our achievements.
Outcomes.
The replatform wasn't just a technical migration — it moved the needle on every metric that mattered. Here's what the work delivered.
"The passion Chris brought to all of his work was truly inspiring to myself and the other members of our team. Christopher puts all of himself into his work and his results reflect that."
Bonus Material.
A few extras from the five years — feature work, team life, and the things that don't fit neatly into a replatform story.
↓Feature Pages.
Alongside the replatform, the sprint schedule included standalone experiences to support Lakeshore's commitment to teachers and parents. One project I led was the Special Needs Product Guide — a product funnel designed to help parents and carers find the right tools for their child. I was responsible for the UX, mobile-responsive page layouts, icons, typography, and banners.
Life at Lakeshore.
Lakeshore always prioritised inclusion. Whether I was socialising with colleagues or in a meeting with our CEO, I consistently felt heard and valued. I formed lasting friendships and genuinely loved working with both the e-commerce team and the wider company. When I left to return to the UK, friends from Lakeshore and my previous role came together to see me off. I feel incredibly fortunate to have met so many wonderful people, and I've grown through every connection I've made.
