Site Analysis: A review of Zara

Description

In this video teardown of the Zara website, UU3’s Abi Hough and Zuko’s Adam Winsland take a look what happens when stylistic interpretation trumps the user experience. 

Main Topics Discussed

1. Accessibility & Readability Failures

• Font sizes are too small, with poor contrast.

• Key content like product information and CTAs (calls to action) are hard to see or recognize.

• Links often appear as plain text, failing basic affordance principles.

• Elements like “composition and care” are hidden behind inconspicuous links.

2. Visual Design vs. Usability

• Excessive white space is prioritized over practical UI elements.

• Visual hierarchy is inconsistent and confusing.

• The site appears to be “designed for design’s sake,” undermining usability.

3. Mobile-First Issues

• The design appears optimized for mobile but suffers on desktop.

• Important components are shoved to the side or missing in desktop views.

4. Accessibility Tokenism

• A third-party accessibility widget is used as a superficial compliance fix.

• This is criticized as insufficient and potentially harmful for assistive tech users.

5. Poor Checkout Experience

• The entire checkout flow is unintuitive and unnecessarily difficult.

• Users must click the primary CTA just to see if their size is in stock.

• Form fields suffer from bad layout, placeholder labels, and unclear validation rules.

• Issues with phone number input, especially requiring a mobile format with no fallback or help.

• Payment UI requires users to manually select card types, with little visual clarity or error guidance.

6. Lack of Progress Indicators or Feedback

• No breadcrumbs or clear progress bar in checkout.

• Forms give unclear error messages or premature validation states.

• Confusing dropdowns for expiration dates and CVV2, unclear UX cues.

7. Brand Over Function

• The website favors a high-fashion, editorial aesthetic over functionality.

• There’s a sense that being “edgy” trumps being usable — which they argue is a serious flaw.

8. Impact on Real Users

• The site is exclusionary to older users, users with disabilities, and even average users with less patience.

• They liken it to being asked to “speak another language” to shop.

• Comparison with Amazon: not beautiful, but highly functional and effective.

Key Takeaways

• Good UX is boring UX. It’s predictable, accessible, and user-focused — not flashy for its own sake.

• Visual design should serve function. Fashion-forward or minimalist design cannot come at the cost of usability.

• Accessibility must be baked in, not bolted on. Tools and widgets can’t replace thoughtful, inclusive design.

• Design with real users in mind. The idea that “our target user is Gen Z” doesn’t excuse poor readability or usability.

• UX debt damages business. Despite Zara’s profits, the site likely underperforms compared to its potential.

• Conversion and usability go hand-in-hand. Clean, simple, usable interfaces almost always convert better — as shown in the contrast with Shopify or Amazon.