Online Marketplace Redesign
Project Background: Afoma is an innovative start-up marketplace dedicated to providing a platform for traditional artisans to showcase and sell their creations.
The Challenge: The majority of user base consists of African artisans, many of whom are relatively unfamiliar with the dynamics of online marketplaces. Moreover, collectors faced difficulties in finding genuine, culturally significant art crafts.
Project Objective: Our primary objective is to enhance the user experience by executing a comprehensive website redesign and implementing an overarching rebranding strategy.
Roles: UI Designer, UX Designer
Project Duration: May 29, 2023 - June 9, 2023
The Team: Celine Wu, Evelyn Wang
Skills: prototyping, branding
Competitive Analysis Findings
Competitors like Konga and Jumia already have a strong audiences in African e-commerce. They offer extensive product catalogs spanning various categories, providing diversity for users. Consequently, Afoma should leverage its niche positioning to tailor its offerings and user experience specifically to the needs of traditional artisans and collectors. Investing in branding and marketing efforts to build trust and recognition in the market is advisable.
User Personas
Due to constraints in time and budget, conducting user interviews was not feasible. Nevertheless, from information provided by the stakeholder, we employed personas to foster a deeper understanding of our users' perspectives.
Tunde's persona revealed that many artisans lacked access to technology and needed simple and clean interface to navigate.
Maya's persona highlighted her desire for authenticity and cultural context in the art she collected. We understood that she needed a curated platform with detailed product descriptions and a connection to artisans' stories.
Ideation
Armed with insights gained from researches, we embarked on the journey of transformation.
Solutions
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User-Friendly Interface: Our goal was to create a user-friendly platform that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. We envisioned clear, user-friendly interfaces with intuitive navigation, making it a wish come true for artisans like Tunde to effortlessly list their products.
Curation and Storytelling: Our idea was to curate a diverse selection of art crafts and provide detailed product information, including cultural context. This was aimed at fulfilling the wishes of collectors like Maya who yearned for authenticity and a deeper connection with artists and their purchases.
High Fidelity Prototype
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Recall the two primary solutions we generated during ideation? Here's how we've integrated them into the hi-fi prototype.
We incorporated articles in the blog section that provide detailed guide for artists on how to use the platform.
By rebranding with a new colour palette and font, we've eliminated the previous chaos, making it more user-friendly and easier for artists to navigate.
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After
We featured “our story” on the landing page to ensure that collectors quickly understand our offerings, establishing a sense of trust.
2. We've integrated blogs that showcase artists' stories, fostering meaningful connections between artists and collectors.
Paper Wireframe
The paper wireframe provided us with an opportunity to explore our ideas further. We restructured the current homepage layout, with a focus on establishing brand authenticity, enhancing the clarity of the browsing sequence, and crafting compelling storytelling elements for our artists.
Medium Fidelity Prototype
Style Guide
I selected a primary colour scheme featuring white and light grey, creating a clean and refreshing style. This choice effectively eliminates the existing clutter, allowing the product photos of our artists to shine more prominently.
Starting with the foundation of the paper wireframe, I progressed to develop a medium-fidelity prototype to bring our ideas to life.
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Curation and Storytelling
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User-Friendly Interface
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Conclusion
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While working on this project, I learned how to prioritize and choose the most effective tools and methods to complete the design within a limited time and resource constraints.
Afoma's transformation not only bridged the gap between artisans and collectors but also celebrated cultural diversity. This project exemplifies how a user-centric approach can create a win-win situation, empowering artisans and satisfying art enthusiasts worldwide.