Learning UI Principles: A Case Study with Myntra’s Latest Features

6 min readAug 7, 2024

Imagine you’re shopping for a special occasion outfit on Myntra. As you open the app, you notice a new section on the home page, prominently placed at the bottom right corner. This section offers quick access to personalized features like “Shop with Maya,” your personal shopping assistant, “My Stylist,” which provides outfit combinations, and “Myntra Minis,” a swipeable shopping experience. Intrigued, you tap on “Shop with Maya” and within moments, you’re presented with curated recommendations that perfectly match your style preferences. This seamless and engaging experience is no accident. It’s the result of meticulous UI design principles at work, aimed at enhancing user engagement and satisfaction. In this article, we’ll explore these principles using Myntra’s latest features as a real-world example, offering insights for Product Managers to implement in their own projects.

Myntra is India’s largest fashion e-commerce company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

The Example: Myntra’s Feature Highlights

Recently, Myntra introduced a new section on their home page, strategically placed at the bottom right corner. This section provides access to several features, including:

Shop with Maya: Your personal shopping assistant
My Stylist: Outfit combinations for you
Myntra Minis: Swipe. Shop. Slay.
Explore more features

Let’s dive into the design principles Myntra used to make these features stand out and engage users effectively.

Key UI Principles in Action

1. Visibility and Accessibility

Principle: Ensure that key features are easily visible and accessible to users.

Application: Myntra places the feature access section at the bottom right corner, a common location for quick-access buttons. The section is not buried under menus but is immediately available on the home screen. The icons and labels are clear and distinct, making it easy for users to understand the purpose of each feature at a glance.

2. Visual Hierarchy

Principle: Organize and prioritize information so that users can understand the importance of each element.

Application: Myntra employs a hierarchical order, with “Shop with Maya” positioned at the top. This suggests its importance and encourages users to explore it first. The use of vibrant colors and the “New” label helps these features stand out from other elements on the page, directing user attention where it matters most.

3. Consistency

Principle: Maintain consistency in design elements to provide a cohesive and intuitive user experience.

Application: The buttons, shapes, color palette, and font style are consistent with Myntra’s overall branding. This consistency helps users navigate the app more intuitively, as familiar design elements provide a seamless experience across different sections of the app.

4. Feedback and Guidance

Principle: Provide visual cues and feedback to guide users through interactions.

Application: The “New” label next to “Shop with Maya” and “Myntra Minis” acts as a visual cue, indicating that these are new features worth exploring. This label provides immediate feedback that these sections offer something fresh and potentially exciting, prompting users to engage with them.

5. Affordance

Principle: Design elements should suggest their functionality to the user.

Application: The buttons are designed to look tappable, with clear icons and labels that provide additional affordance. Users can quickly understand that these elements are interactive and know exactly what to expect when they tap on them.

Design Frameworks at Play

Myntra’s design leverages several established frameworks that are invaluable for Product Managers aiming to create engaging, user-friendly interfaces. Let’s explore a few of these frameworks:

Hook Model

Developed by Nir Eyal, the Hook Model is a four-phase process designed to create habit-forming products.

Trigger: The visual and external triggers, such as the prominent placement and “New” labels, encourage users to explore the features.
Action: The design makes it easy for users to take action by providing clear, intuitive buttons.
Variable Reward: Features like personalized recommendations in “Shop with Maya” offer variable rewards, keeping users engaged and coming back for more.
Investment: As users interact with these features and provide data (preferences, styles), the app becomes more tailored to their needs, increasing the likelihood of repeated use.

Persuasive Design Principles

Persuasive design aims to change user behavior through design strategies. Myntra employs several principles from this framework:

Social Proof: Highlighting popular items or trending sections within “Shop with Maya” can influence users to trust and engage with the recommendations.
Scarcity: Limited-time offers or notifications about trending products create a sense of urgency.
Commitment & Consistency: Encouraging users to save their preferences or create profiles ensures they remain engaged and continue using the features consistently.

Nudge Theory

Nudge Theory, popularized by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, involves subtly guiding user choices without restricting them.

Ease of Access: Placing the nudge (feature access) in an easily accessible location.
Positive Reinforcement: The “New” labels and engaging icons provide positive reinforcement, encouraging users to explore these features.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Product Managers

To measure the effectiveness of these UI principles and frameworks, Product Managers should focus on the following KPIs:

Engagement Metrics

Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click on the features.
Time Spent: The amount of time users spend interacting with the features.
Feature Usage: Frequency of use for each feature.

Conversion Metrics

Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who make a purchase after interacting with the features.
Average Order Value (AOV): The average value of orders placed by users who engage with these features.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): The long-term value of customers who frequently use the personalized shopping features.

User Satisfaction Metrics

Net Promoter Score (NPS): User feedback on their likelihood to recommend the app to others.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score: Ratings on user experience with the features.
Retention Rate: The retention rate of users who interact with the features compared to those who do not.

Behavioral Metrics

Bounce Rate: The percentage of users who leave the app shortly after clicking on the features.
Path Analysis: User navigation paths to see how the features influence their journey through the app.

Technical Performance Metrics

Load Time: Average load time of the features.
Error Rate: Frequency of technical issues or bugs.

Final Thoughts

Myntra’s use of key UI principles and design frameworks like the Hook Model, Persuasive Design, and Nudge Theory demonstrates how effective design can drive user engagement and satisfaction. By focusing on visibility, visual hierarchy, consistency, feedback, and affordance, Myntra creates an intuitive and engaging user experience.

For Product Managers, understanding and applying these principles is crucial for creating habit-forming products that delight users and drive business success. By tracking relevant KPIs, they can continually refine and enhance their designs, ensuring they meet user needs and expectations.

Thanks for reading! If you’ve got ideas to contribute to this conversation please comment. If you like what you read and want to see more, clap me some love! Follow me here, or connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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