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Thermofisher eCommerce Website Redesign

Redesigned the Thermofisher eCommerce website to improve performance and usability for users on older browsers.

Website

Project Overview

The Thermofisher eCommerce website redesign was a critical project aimed at improving the user experience for a wide range of users, including scientists using older computers with outdated browsers like Internet Explorer 8. The main objective was to enhance the website's performance and usability while ensuring compatibility across all user platforms.

My Contributions

  • Tech Stack: jQuery, JavaScript, Bootstrap, HTML/CSS
  • Responsibilities:
    • Refactored existing jQuery components into standalone functions, improving code maintainability and performance.
    • Implemented industry best practices to significantly increase the website's load time, ensuring a faster and more responsive user experience.
    • Maintained access and operability for users on outdated browsers, particularly Internet Explorer 8, by polyfilling new functionality for backward compatibility.
    • Conducted extensive testing and debugging on older browsers that lacked modern debugging tools.
    • Ensured a pixel-perfect redesign by implementing the design specifications using the Bootstrap CSS framework.

Challenges

The most significant technical challenge was developing the platform while maintaining backward compatibility with Internet Explorer 8. Given the browser's outdated technology and limited debugging tools, this required creative problem-solving and meticulous testing. Ensuring that the new functionalities worked seamlessly on IE8 without compromising the modern design and performance was a complex task.

Outcomes

The project successfully delivered a faster, more user-friendly eCommerce platform for Thermofisher, meeting the needs of all users, including those on outdated systems. The refactoring work also laid the foundation for easier maintenance and future updates.

Reflection

This project taught me valuable lessons in backward compatibility and the importance of considering all user demographics in a redesign. It was also my first experience working in an agile team, which helped me develop strong collaboration and communication skills.