Shutterfly
Shutterfly recruited me to lead its Shutterfly 3.0 transformation, unifying the acquisitions of seven competitors, including TinyPrints, Wedding Paper Divas, ThisLife, and Kodak’s online photo library, The company needed to integrate these brands and platforms into a seamless, customer-first commerce experience that would both unify the ecosystem and unlock the value of the world’s largest digital photo library—over one trillion images.
In addition to unifying the branding and design language, I replaced 23 fragmented creation tools with a universal creation tool and consolidating back-end systems, we unlocked $50M+ in annual efficiencies, drove double-digit conversion gains, and delivered 18% year-over-year revenue growth—while creating a scalable foundation for new categories and sustained innovation.
Challenge
Shutterfly faced two major hurdles:
Integration Complexity – Consolidating six customer-facing brands and multiple backend systems without losing brand equity or customer loyalty.
Customer Experience Gaps – Fragmented tools created friction, such as requiring customers to restart projects when switching product types.
At stake were conversion rates, order values, and retention, as well as Shutterfly’s ability to scale into new categories and sustain long-term growth.
Solution
I led the unification of acquired brands, platforms, and tools under a single customer-centric vision:
Universal Creation Tool – Replaced 23 fragmented product-specific tools with a single adaptive platform. This eliminated pain points, increased project completion, and gave merchandising teams the ability to rapidly launch and test new products. For example, the new home décor line generated $6M in its first quarter.
Unified E-commerce & Account Management – Designed and delivered a common merchandising engine, account system, and e-commerce backbone, streamlining operations while supporting differentiated brand identities.
Advanced Photo Platform – Consolidated legacy backends into a shared database with facial and image recognition, recommendations, and automated corrections.
Category Expansion – Enabled new verticals like home décor and textiles (via Spoonflower acquisition), while supporting experiential shopping features (VR, inspirational shopping, “from photo taking to memory making”).
Brand Refreshes – Delivered updated design systems and refreshed Wedding Paper Divas, boosting conversion by 24%.
Together, these initiatives created a consistent, cross-device experience that improved usability, accelerated innovation, and positioned Shutterfly for sustainable growth.
Results
Revenue Growth – +18% YoY growth; +4.5% uplift in Q4 ’13 revenue post-tool launch.
Conversion Increases – +24% (Wedding Paper Divas), +14% (TinyPrints).
Order Value Growth – +25% increase in order size; +7% increase in average order value.
Operational Savings – $50M+ annual platform efficiency savings; faster time-to-market for new SKUs.
Customer Retention – Reduced project abandonment, improved cross-device usability, higher engagement.
Category Expansion – Successfully launched and scaled new product lines with rapid uptake.
My Role
As the Head of Product Design & UX Strategy:
Defined and led the overall UX strategy for Shutterfly and its family of brands.
Integrated seven acquisitions into a cohesive, customer-first experience.
Built and scaled the design team, design systems, and user research program.
Designed the Universal Creation Tool, unifying 23 product-specific workflows.
Delivered the new merchandising, account management, and e-commerce engine.
Led brand refresh initiatives while maintaining differentiation.
Created a refreshed design system, user research lab, and mobile e-commerce apps.
Unlocking Revenue with a Universal Creation Tool
The Problem
Holiday cards were Shutterfly’s core revenue driver—but funnel analysis revealed a $4M revenue leak. Customers who had already invested hours designing their cards were abandoning projects when promotions encouraged upgrades (e.g., rounded corners, embossing) because the platform forced them to restart from scratch. Follow-up interviews showed customers felt this was a betrayal of Shutterfly’s brand promise, turning moments of delight into frustration.
The Solution
Partnering with design and engineering leads, we built a Universal Creation Tool that allowed customers to change product surfaces and types mid-design. Instead of restarting, users could seamlessly apply their design to any format—rounded or scalloped cards, mugs, ornaments, wall art, and more. Behind the scenes, this replaced 23 fragmented creation tools with a single adaptive system, dynamically surfacing the right features for each product category (storyboards for PhotoBooks, framing for Wall Art, die-cuts and metallic inks for Cards).
The Impact
$7M in new revenue in the first quarter (+4.5% Q4 uplift)
18% year-over-year growth in the first 12 months
Expanded product portfolio, enabling new categories like framed wall art, textiles, and home décor
Improved customer experience, reducing abandonment and restoring trust in Shutterfly’s brand promise