• Project: Website and shop relaunch for Pomeranze, a Berlin-based café and concept store
• Role: UX/UI Designer, Project Manager, Technical Consultant
• Goal: To modernise the site, improve usability and reposition the online shop
• Approach: Lean UX process, theme-based implementation, close collaboration with the owners
• Result: A responsive, brand-aligned e-commerce site – delivered on time, on budget, and easy to maintain

Pomeranze is a neighbourhood café in Berlin with a growing side business: a curated selection of urban gardening tools and accessories. While the team had a loyal local customer base, the founders had originally built the website themselves using a website builder at the business launch, which no longer reflected the brand’s evolving identity — nor supported the growing needs of their webshop.

With the decision to move to Shopify already made, I was brought on to lead the complete relaunch: from structural and visual redesign to technical migration and hands-on consulting.

The biggest challenge? Deliver a professional, scalable and mobile-first solution within a budget appropriate for the project’s scope and the size of the small business – and do so without disrupting daily operations.

From structure to experience: designing with purpose and restraint

Early on, I recommended working with a pre-built Shopify theme rather than developing a custom design – a pragmatic choice that allowed us to stay within budget while still aiming for a tailored, high-quality outcome.

With that decision in place, I focused first on content and structure. I created a revised sitemap that placed the café’s webshop at the centre of the experience, while still offering space for its hospitality offerings, story and seasonal updates.

Next, I developed low-fidelity wireframes for all key page types. These helped us clarify content needs, define image requirements and identify opportunities for features like filtering or cross-selling, always in light of what Shopify themes typically allow. The wireframes also became the foundation for the next step: theme evaluation.

I researched five suitable Shopify themes across different price points, each tested against the structural and functional needs outlined in the wireframes. I created annotated previews of how each theme would handle the homepage, product grid, and product detail pages, then walked the clients through their options.

We chose a minimalist theme that offered just the right amount of flexibility while staying visually restrained. This design restraint was intentional: it allowed the brand atmosphere to be carried primarily through carefully selected café imagery, and gave the diverse product visuals in the webshop space to breathe. I customised the theme with brand colours and typefaces and implemented all structural and content decisions directly within Shopify.

Technical implementation

The final phase involved coordinating the technical migration. Since Shopify doesn’t offer email hosting, I proposed a hybrid setup using a third-party domain and email provider. The domain was transferred and configured to point to the Shopify store, while email accounts were re-established there. I managed the DNS setup, tested redirects, and ensured a seamless switchover – executed overnight to avoid downtime.

Collaboration & Delivery

We maintained a lean and efficient workflow. In-person sessions were reserved for major decision-making, while day-to-day feedback and approvals were handled through direct messaging and email. By avoiding complex project management tools, the clients could stay focused on their core business while remaining closely involved throughout the process.

As both designer and project manager, I created the timeline, scoped deliverables, tracked progress, and continuously adjusted to the clients’ pace and resources. I also provided hands-on onboarding for the Shopify backend, coached them on writing product texts with SEO and clarity in mind, and stayed available post-launch for fine-tuning.

Result

Pomeranze now has a mobile-first website that reflects their brand, showcases their product line and meets the expectations of a digitally fluent audience. The shop is easy to update, the design is timeless and lightweight, and my clients reported that the site has significantly helped expand their webshop audience.

Reflection

This project showed me once again how clarity and pragmatism are powerful tools, especially when balancing constraints.

I deepened my experience in e-commerce UX, learned to navigate Shopify hands-on, and confirmed my strength in combining design thinking with transparent client communication.

“Daniel led the relaunch of our online shop with great reliability and care. He merged our vision with his own ideas and impressed us with his solution-oriented approach.”

Marlene Modick, Co-Founder, Pomeranze