Flexi-Casa Headless Shopify Storefront

Problem Statement

The Challenge

Flexi-Casa needed a custom, scalable e-commerce experience that:

• Was not constrained by Shopify themes
• Allowed full control over UX and branding
• Could ship fast without rebuilding commerce infrastructure
• Was maintainable by a small team

Why Headless Shopify

Design & Architecture Decision

Instead of building a full custom backend, I chose a headless Shopify architecture:

Shopify handles:

• Inventory & variants
• Cart & checkout
• Payments & authentication

The custom storefront focuses on:

• UX
• UI systems
• Performance
• Brand consistency

Process: From Local to Production

Phase 1 — Start with Data, Not Visuals

I began with local development, prioritizing system integrity over polish.

Validated early:

• Product data fetching
• Cart persistence
• Checkout handoff
• Account & signup flows

Why this matters:

Designing UI before validating data flow often leads to rework and brittle systems.

Phase 2 — Shopify Integration

Once the storefront could seamlessly connect to Shopify’s backend:

• Product → Cart → Checkout worked end-to-end
• Inventory and variants were reliable
• Backend constraints were clear

Only after this point did UI decisions begin.

UX & PDP System Design

Product Detail Page as a System

Rather than designing a single PDP layout, I designed a PDP system:

• Clear hierarchy for product information
• Modular components for reuse
• Flexible layouts to support future SKUs
• Optimized CTA placement for clarity

Visual Design & Branding

Consistent Brand Experience

After the system foundation was validated, I refined:

• Typography
• Color usage
• Spacing and rhythm
• Cross-page consistency

The goal was to ensure the storefront felt intentionally designed, not theme-derived.

AI-Assisted Development

How AI Changed the Workflow

AI coding tools (including WinXurf) were used to:

• Scaffold storefront components
• Accelerate API integration
• Reduce boilerplate setup
• Iterate faster between design and implementation

Key takeaway: AI didn’t replace design decisions — it reduced execution friction.

This made it realistic for a designer to:

• Prototype
• Build
• Validate
• Ship

Deployment & Launch

The storefront was deployed using Netlify:

• Environment variables for Shopify APIs
• Secure token handling
• Custom domain connection
• Production data validation

Impact & Outcomes

Results

• Fully custom storefront without Shopify theme constraints
• Faster iteration between UX and implementation
• Scalable PDP and design system foundation
• Production-ready deployment with minimal backend overhead

Reflection

What I Learned

• Headless commerce works best when UX and system design are aligned
• Validating data flow early saves significant design rework
• Shopify is a designer-friendly backend when used headlessly
• AI makes designer-led product development realistically achievable