The Problem
In 2020, Chewy's navigation hadn't been updated in years and no longer met business or customer needs. Leadership asked me to "redesign the navigation"—but without formal requirements. A significant portion of this project was defining what success actually meant.
Requirements
Working with my product partner, we defined requirements based on leadership vision, planned business ventures, tech debt, and Google Analytics (user research wasn't available).
Business Needs
- Support new verticals
- Improve discoverability
- Mobile-first SEO
- Drive subscriptions
- Reduce load times
Customer Needs
- Fast above all else
- Simple and curated
- Consistent across user types
- Highlight sales
- Non-intrusive
User Framework
Without formal research, I created a framework based on existing customer data, focusing on conversion paths:
Each type has different needs for personalization vs. consistency. Our goal: move users up the ladder without breaking trust or adding friction.
Strategy
After exploring heavy personalization in early iterations, we scaled back to a "Lighthouse" approach—testing components incrementally rather than a big redesign.
Targeted, not intrusive
- Site-wide messaging adapts to user type (subscribed users see support links instead of shipping thresholds)
- Quick Link chips below header for seasonal shops and core programs (limited to 3 to avoid overwhelm)
- Menu structure stays consistent as users convert—no moving targets
Menu Depth
- Added subcategories to mobile nav for faster browsing and better SEO
- Pet Profile section at top (only visible if user has one)
- Reorganized IA to prioritize Shop and Health over secondary lanes
Account Menu
- Fast access to order tracking, Autoship management, prescriptions
- Buy Again carousel for quick reordering
Testing & Iteration
We broke the vision into testable components. For example, we added menu depth and reorganized categories using existing styles—low engineering effort, quick validation of architectural decisions before the full rebrand.
Lighthouse Approach: Rather than waiting for a complete redesign, we presented core strategies (simplicity, category depth, targeted content, quick access) as a vision to aim for. Each component could be tested independently, allowing us to learn and iterate faster.
Impact
This approach let us iterate within the current design system instead of waiting for a complete overhaul. The "Lighthouse" strategy minimized risk while moving toward long-term goals.