Aqua Oleum has been harnessing the power of essential oils and aromatherapy for over 35 years, spanning three generations and winning awards for their high quality oils and commitment to nature – they are true pioneers in the space. From the foundations that her mother built, Julia Lawless continues to grow both the reputation of their products and her own reputation as a pioneer of aromatherapy, alongside her daughter Natasha.
This website required a delicate balance of elegant but strong visuals, along with a highly effective design to incorporate a huge quantity of information. Nowadays, acknowledging our ever-shortening attention spans, we took it upon ourselves to create considered and streamlined user pathways for the audience to explore, carefully curating the information to avoid overwhelming our modern users.
A considered user journey
Categories, filters, embedded links and a multi-level navigation – it’s fair to say this site is packed with information. However, with such clear values and a wealth of knowledge, we designed a space that is more than an online shop. We wanted to echo the decades of experience that Julia has gained, as well as demonstrate the industry expert that Aqua Oleum has become.
Every feature has been considered, down to the in-page navigation on the products themselves, allowing the user explore quickly jump to different pieces of information on the page. The design, user journey and SEO all benefitting from these little details. Naturally, the call to action sits in place reminding the user they can always ‘Buy now’ when they’re ready.
Navigation has become a key topic we refer to when we discuss this site, as it was such a core part of displaying Aqua Oleum’s many products, applications and information. We decided to create a two-tier structure of navigation for the shop, and then a simple list style page for those users searching for a specific ailment. The visual hierarchy is consistent and complimentary towards Aqua Oleum’s already beautiful brand, and incorporates a font to match their gentle authority within the sector.
WooCommerce proficiency
On each product page we’ve displayed the variety of ingredients, directions for use and information about production. This is where you can also find related products in an accessible strip across the page.
We wanted to create a seamless and positive commercial experience for practitioners and other industry professionals when using this website. One feature that ticks both our effective design and practical e-commerce boxes is the Quick View feature on the product overview pages. This useful feature has a huge impact on user experience, delivering flow as you browse the site. For those making quick purchases for work, scrolling through the products is uninterrupted and adding to your basket can be continuous.
As always, we’ve integrated the most popular and user friendly payment platforms to support this sophisticated site, using Stripe Checkout, which supports ApplePay, GooglePay, Android Pay and PayPal.
We are proud to share the new website for the wonderful Aqua Oleum.