Oprah’s Favorite Things
Oprah’s Favorite Things is a top Hearst holiday franchise, showcasing 100+ curated products to millions of engaged users. As lead product designer for 2023, I revamped user navigation to enhance discoverability, boost engagement, and support monetization—balancing editorial storytelling with commerce.
Pain Points
Users struggled to find products amid 100+ options due to poor wayfinding. Section dividers were disconnected from content, hindering navigation. Low navigability hampered product discovery and revenue potential.
Enhancing in-page navigation boosts product discovery, reduces friction, and increases affiliate click-throughs.
— HypothesisExploration & Validation
Validated direction through user testing of navigation and labeling. Refined information hierarchy and terminology in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Oprah brand team, to ensure balance between theme and usability. Advocated for visual consistency, rejecting exploratory colors that impaired usability and scannability.
Key Decisions & Tradeoffs
Chose a persistent navigation bar over a complex drawer for faster implementation, lower engineering effort, and strong usability in testing. Removed “back to top” button after A/B tests showed low engagement. These choices prioritized speed, clarity, and measurable results over complexity and risk.
Impact
The navigation pattern was so effective it was adopted for Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2024 and 2025, creating a repeatable model for future seasonal and commerce content.
