Case 02 / Functional Luxury
2024
What does luxury mean to a customer who also expects their jersey to perform at 45 km/h?
Client
Oakley · AFA Category
Role
Lead UX Researcher
Duration
8 weeks · May – Jul 2024
Team
2 UX Researchers · UX/UI Designers
Problem
Oakley's higher-priced apparel — built around technical fabrics and athletic engineering — was being read as mid-tier sportswear, not functional luxury. The category needed visibility, perception lift, and a product-detail experience that earned the price.
Objective
Enhance the visibility and appeal of Oakley's premium, tech-focused AFA products by understanding user perception, surfacing the right product features, and benchmarking the experience against luxury reference brands.
Methods
9 in combination
Research Process
Phase 01
Defined functional luxury through literature and competitive scan. Established that luxury customers aren't a monolith — identity, behavior, and circumstance all intersect.
Activities
Phase 02
Triangulated diary studies, NPS, and survey signals to understand how current customers actually describe Oakley apparel — and where premium expectations break down.
Activities
Phase 03
Ran comparative user tests against luxury references (Gentle Monster, Cartier, MAAP) and PDP exploration tests on current Oakley product pages.
Activities
Phase 04
Worked side-by-side with UX/UI to convert findings into PDP restructuring, size-guide patterns, and navigation prototypes.
Activities
Key Insights
Insight 01
Users repeatedly equated detailed 'how to wash' and 'how to care for' content with high quality. The absence of it cued them to discount the price.
“I'd add a 'how to wash this item' — if it's difficult, you don't want to mess it up, especially because it's a $130 product.”
Insight 02
From Cartier pouches to Gentle Monster's playful packaging, luxury perception is built before the product is worn. The current Oakley unboxing flow didn't carry the price tag.
Insight 03
Across MAAP, Rapha, and Castelli wearers, the underlying desires were strikingly consistent: durability, fit confidence, and visible technical credibility. The pain points were also shared.
Insight 04
The current information architecture surfaces price and discount before craft. A premium narrative needs a navigation that leads with technology, collections, and collaborations.
Outcomes
6
Concurrent research methods triangulated
9
PDP design directions tested with users
3
Strategic workstreams launched post-readout
1
Navigation prototype handed off to design
Strategic Recommendations
01
Restructure the PDP to lead with material, technology, and care — not price.
02
Treat unboxing as a designed surface. Packaging is the first wear.
03
Rebuild navigation around Collections, Collaborations, and Technologies — premium framing first, discount last.
04
Use a 'fit confidence' size system across cycling apparel: model measurements, true-to-size signal, and a clear fit story.