Ideation
Due to limited time, I empathized with the users by stepping into their shoes. Each team member at Peepultree had experience purchasing artisanal and handcrafted products online, so I leveraged our personal insights and expectations to brainstorm and list potential improvements.
I jotted down the ideas I had for improving the experience, identified key moments where story and context was missing, brainstormed navigation paradigms
Inadequate personalization
The platform lacked options for personalized recommendations and tailored shopping experiences.
Lack of community
The platform did not have features that fostered interaction and engagement among users and artisans.
Limited product range
Users felt the platform lacked a diverse selection of artisanal and handcrafted products from various cultural backgrounds.
We have observed that customers highly value authenticity and cultural heritage in the products they purchase. Many are specifically looking for unique, handcrafted items that tell a story and reflect traditional craftsmanship.
We want to feel a connection tot he products we buy, knowing they are authentic and crafted with care.
Voice of customers and Testing tools
Inadequate personalization
The platform lacked options for personalized recommendations and tailored shopping experiences.
Limited product range
Users felt the platform lacked a diverse selection of artisanal and handcrafted products from various cultural backgrounds.
Lack of community
The platform did not have features that fostered interaction and engagement among users and artisans.
We want to feel a connection tot he products we buy, knowing they are authentic and crafted with care.
To ensure cultural sensitivity and authenticity, I conducted participatory design sessions with artisan communities and heritage experts. Participants reviewed the geographic storytelling framework and were asked about digital representation concerns.
Love knowing the story behind what I'm buying - makes it special.
Hard to trust 'handmade' claims without proof or context.
Wish more platforms showed the artisan’s journey and techniques.
And I found our one for all solution
And I found our one for all solution
What's the cultural significance?
What's the cultural significance?
Evaluative Research
Testing solutions with real time users and cultural stakeholders.
Collaboration, collaboration and again collaboration:
Effective collaboration is the key when working with stakeholders and team members.
Using multiple research method is cool:
Utilizing different research methods provides a comprehensive understanding of the problem and helps identify key insights
The real challenge wasn't technology , it was a cultural translation. E-commerce platforms excel at selling products, but they fail at conveying the soul behind handcrafted goods.
The real challenge wasn't technology , it was a cultural translation. E-commerce platforms excel at selling products, but they fail at conveying the soul behind handcrafted goods.
Started by asking questions and discovering their answers is how I got to the final product.
Understanding consumer preferences for handcrafted products, I split this into generative and evaluative. Generative included digital ethnography, cultural story mining, competitive analysis, stakeholder interviews, and sentiment analysis. Evaluative included usability testing, A/B testing, and cultural validation with heritage experts.
The cultural process had 4 phases: Market Analysis showed competitors had strong e-commerce but treated heritage products generically. Cultural Mining analyzed 200+ reviews and social media, revealing emotional language like 'soulful' and 'ancestral.' Story Clustering identified themes around authenticity, trust, and emotional connection.
Is the current market satisfying our user needs?
To understand the market gaps and opportunities, I researched various applications and extracted the top applications for review.
Due to limited time, I empathized with the users by stepping into their shoes. Each team member at Peepultree had experience purchasing artisanal and handcrafted products online, so I leveraged our personal insights and expectations to brainstorm and list potential improvements.
I jotted down the ideas I had for improving the experience, identified key moments where story and context was missing, brainstormed navigation paradigms
To ensure cultural sensitivity and authenticity, I conducted participatory design sessions with artisan communities and heritage experts. Participants reviewed the geographic storytelling framework and were asked about digital representation concerns.
Love knowing the story behind what I'm buying - makes it special.
Hard to trust 'handmade' claims without proof or context.
Wish more platforms showed the artisan’s journey and techniques.
Feedback highlighted the market gaps
Balancing four distinct groups
Balancing four distinct groups
Lead UX Designer
UX design validation
Defining visual language
Conducted research
Lead UX Designer
UX design validation
Defining visual language
Conducted research
Performed usability testing
Created prototypes
Voice of customers
150+
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
55% to 40%
Reduction in bounce rate via A/B testing
20s to1m
Increase in session length
Increase in session length
150+
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
55% to 40%
Reduction in bounce rate via A/B testing
20s to1m
Increase in session length
Bridging the cultural commerce gap of authentic storytelling into meaningful customer connections
Bridging the cultural commerce gap of authentic storytelling into meaningful customer connections
Outcomes
Lessons
Outcomes
Problem statement
Voice of customers & Testing tools
Process
Market Study
Ideation
150+
55% to 40%
150+
55% to 40%
20s to 1m
20s to 1m
Reduction in bounce rate via A/B testing
Increase in session length
Reduction in bounce rate via A/B testing
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
Increase in session length
Accounts created in the first month after the launch
Generative Research
Understanding "How do people connect with their cultural identity through purchases?"
Outcomes
Performed usability testing
Created prototypes
Voice of customers
Is the current market satisfying our user needs?
To understand the market gaps and opportunities, I researched various applications and extracted the top applications for review.
Market Study
Feedback highlighted the market gaps
We have observed that customers highly value authenticity and cultural heritage in the products they purchase. Many are specifically looking for unique, handcrafted items that tell a story and reflect traditional craftsmanship.
We have observed that customers highly value authenticity and cultural heritage in the products they purchase. Many are specifically looking for unique, handcrafted items that tell a story and reflect traditional craftsmanship.
