MACY'S x NRF
Case Study | Product Design | Prototyping | Concept Proposal
The NRF Foundation University Challenge is a prestigious business competition for teams of students representing their university across the nation.
The Challenge: Make Macy’s the go-to destination for gifting, year-round.
The challenge is run by the National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade association in the world. The brief was a real business challenge from Macy’s. This project had stakes, expectations, and visibility. We worked on it for a year!
Concept
After researching current trends, gifting pain points in general, and specific Macy's customer pain points, we had so many ideas. Despite Macy’s broad product assortment and strong cultural hold on the U.S., users face friction when shopping for gifts due to unclear and overwhelming navigation on the website, lack of personalization, and inconsistent experiences.
As for emerging trends, experiential retail, exciting brand collaborations, personalization, and technology advancements are driving winning decisions in the market.
We each had our own idea for a gifting concept for Macy's including activation-like pop-up shops, gifting vending machines, AI assistant + gifting inspiration and creator hub, and personalization services.
Through iterative mentor reviews and feedback, we refined pieces of each idea into a single cohesive product system that felt refreshing, opportune, and perfectly in line with Macy's brand: Macy's LoveLab! A service that allows customers to personalize most products from Macy's private brands. But that's just the beginning:
Key Deliverables
Click on each image to learn more
I led the creation of our user research survey, designing it to progress from demographics to shopping and gifting behaviors, with open-ended questions about perceptions of Macy’s. We distributed the survey both digitally and in person, collecting over 100 responses nationwide in two weeks!
Key insights included: 88% of respondents prioritize uniqueness, customization, or quality when gifting; Gen Z women tend to see Macy’s as nostalgic but outdated, while Millennials often view it as expensive and impersonal; and 76% regularly purchase small add-on gifts alongside a larger one.
User Research/Problem Framing
With a clear product goal (bringing personalization to Macy’s) I focused on how the experience would function in-store while remaining cost-efficient. As the UX/UI Design team member, I translated the concept into a tangible customer journey by designing the physical footprint of the experience.
Using Blender and Photoshop, I created a 3D prototype to visualize layout, flow, and touchpoints, informed by research into mall and airport kiosks. The final system scaled across store tiers: flagship locations offered on-site personalization, while the next 75 stores used a streamlined kiosk for digital ordering. This preserved the experience while reducing operational costs!
Prototype Design
To design the online experience, I began by walking through the existing Macy’s website to understand its structure, patterns, and brand constraints. I then analyzed personalization flows and personalization AR from brands like Kendra Scott to identify best practices, common friction points, and common design languages.
Using these insights, I mapped a walkthrough showing how the concept could integrate seamlessly into Macy’s site. I designed a customizable product page that demonstrated AR personalization previews and prototyped an AI-assisted chat interaction to support users during gifting decisions. All screens and flows were designed in Figma.
Website Mockup
To ensure a cohesive experience, I designed a flexible visual system that could adapt seasonally while maintaining clear wayfinding and brand consistency. I considered how customers would discover, navigate, and understand the personalization offering within the store environment. You can see these in the gallery at the bottom of the page!
This included seasonal visual updates, product samples, in-store signage, and packaging, each designed to reduce cognitive load, set expectations, and reinforce the personalization journey. By treating visual merchandising as part of the user experience, I ensured the concept scaled clearly and consistently across store types and seasons.
Visual Storytelling
I was in charge of then placing all of our information on a 20-slide deck that looked polished, professional, and aligned with Macy’s’ brand.
Each slide balanced data, visuals, and storytelling to clearly communicate our concept.
One of the executives said it was visually one of the best decks she had judged: that truly meant the world to me to hear!
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20 Slide Case Study & Pitch
I co-wrote and produced a short video to bring the concept to life.
Filmed in downtown Denton and a local mall with a media arts student and the rest of my team, we highlighted both the concept and its real-world user experience. I oversaw the storyboard, script, and visual animations.
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90 Second Pitch Video
For the final presentation, we reinforced the value of personalization by creating embroidered and engraved gifts for each judge, aligning the physical artifacts with our core concept. I served as the primary spokesperson during the full panel presentation, communicating our research, design decisions, and experience strategy to brand executives.
The NRF hosted our team in New York for the finals, where we participated in industry networking events and explored emerging retail technologies.
This experience strengthened my skills in executive-level pitching, professional communication, and presenting complex design concepts clearly and confidently.
Final Pitch at NRF’s Big Show in New York
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Competed against 65+ teams nationwide, reaching finals as one of the top 3
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Collaborated with and received feedback from industry leaders and mentors at Macy’s, JCPenney, UNT, and NRF Foundation
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Represented the University of North Texas on a national stage
Impact
GALLERY
