The client
Manfrotto, a leading brand under the global media technology company Videndum, is a specialist manufacturer of high-end photographic, video and lighting support equipment. Their product range, which includes tripods, heads and accessories, is designed for demanding professionals and serious enthusiasts in photography and film production.
With a global reach, Manfrotto’s focus is B2C, catering to individual content creators and freelancers, while also appealing to the equipment needs of production businesses. Videndum (the parent company) operates Manfrotto as one of its key customer-facing brands within the Media Solutions division.
The challenge
Manfrotto needed to modernise its digital platform to better serve its professional audience and align the website’s functionality with its current business model.
The primary challenge was to redesign the entire site experience, moving from a clunky, outdated platform to a streamlined, visually rich showcase. Crucially, while the site hosted the complete product catalogue, the core transaction model was changing from direct e-commerce to directing customers to third-party retailers via a “buy via retail online” or “where to buy” mechanism. This functional shift required a strategic UX overhaul to maintain strong brand engagement and make the transition to purchase seamless, even though the transaction happened elsewhere.
Other key challenges included:
- Improving the usability and visual appeal of product listing and filtering options, which were previously cumbersome
- Working within the constraints of their existing back-end infrastructure (Magento Enterprise / Adobe Commerce) and a distributed development team undergoing significant internal restructuring
What we did
We partnered with Manfrotto to deliver a full-site user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) redesign, working iteratively to deliver a modern, high-performance platform.
Our process involved:
Strategic UX Wireframing: The project began with our UX specialists developing a complete set of wireframes and defining the site’s page structure and information architecture. This work focused on simplifying navigation and optimising the path to purchase for the new “buy via retailer” model. It also included improving the product list filtering options on site.
Visually Driven UI Design: Our UI designers took the approved wireframes and refreshed the visual identity. We leaned heavily into Manfrotto’s fantastic product photography, making it a cornerstone of the design to create a slicker, more modern, and professional experience, pushing their existing brand guidelines to elevate the look and feel. We specifically focused on modernising product lists, improving visual hierarchy, and enhancing the usability of filtering options.
Collaborative Development Alignment: To ensure feasibility, our team worked in close collaboration with Manfrotto’s internal development team throughout the process. We regularly checked in with the developers building on the Magento Enterprise/Adobe Commerce platform to ensure that the UX and UI designs were within scope and technically possible.
Agile Delivery: We used a sprint-based approach, delivering interactive prototypes and using tools like Loom videos to communicate detailed design rationale, which allowed for iterative feedback and strong client engagement.
Next steps
The redesigned experience has been implemented in a phased approach, with key elements such as the homepage hero and core page content already live across multiple country-specific websites. While the full impact will be realised upon complete roll-out, the work has already established a platform for strong performance and laid the groundwork for future digital success.
The success of the Manfrotto project has led to strong interest from Videndum in exploring opportunities across its other 20+ brands, which require similar replatforming and redesign support. Our proven ability to deliver timely, high-quality and visually exceptional results, coupled with a deep understanding of their complex business requirements, has positioned us as a trusted design partner for the group’s future digital transformation initiatives.
Be chosen before the search begins
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