JEWELRY DESIGN & UX
© 2025 Irene Inouye
Photography by Andrew Steinman
As a jewelry designer in the corporate fashion world, I utilized UX Design practices before I was aware of the nomenclature. The actual time
spent designing was a minimal percentage of the job. The majority was collaborating, problem-solving, and iterating with cross-functional teams comprised of stakeholders, directors, managers, merchandisers, product developers, production, and manufacturers. The following were duties performed that directly related to the user experience design process:
Research: Researching trends, conducting customer surveys for R&D
Empathy/Inquiry: Getting to know and understand the customer through asking questions and discovering the customer’s behaviors, motivations, and preferences
Insights: Gathering the data and, with careful observation, synthesizing it
Crafting Key Questions: Through the acquired insights, establishing the right questions, which form the trajectory and theme for the season, line of jewelry, special project, etc.
Presentations: Presenting the findings to stakeholders, managers, directors (mood boards, slide decks, etc.); stating the questions and offering relevant, mindful solutions and options
Collaborating with Cross-functional Team: Meeting with merchandisers to discuss types and number of styles for each jewelry line
Sketching ideas (by hand)
Paper and Digital Prototypes: Descriptive drawings (by hand, Illustrator, and Photoshop) with instructions for sample makers to replicate
Building the Prototypes: Manufacturers, mainly overseas, e.g., China, fabricate the jewelry samples
Testing: Examine, wear, and test samples
Re-iteration: Making changes; discussing adjustments with design directors
Re-fabrication: Continued communication with overseas manufacturers; relaying required changes
Re-testing: Testing quality, durability, and safety of jewelry
Reviewing Final Prototypes: Presenting final-pass samples to VPs, stakeholders, creative directors
Meeting with Product Development Team to discuss parts, materials, finishes, etc.
Meeting with Production Team: Cost is negotiated between designers, production, and manufacturers
Production/Delivery: Final products are manufactured overseas and distributed to the U.S. market
Reviewing and Analyzing Research Data: Evaluating marketing data, point of sale (POS) data, and retail metrics with Sales and Marketing Teams to understand how the jewelry items performed across different sales channels and customer bases; applying this information to alter or formulate new KPIs for future jewelry lines
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS
