ARTISANRY
Connecting local artisans with customers through a simple, trusted mobile marketplace, making it easy to sell handmade products and discover them.
Clients
Portfolio Project
Timeline
6 Weeks
Service
Mobile app
Tools
Figma, Figjam
What was the product?
A digital marketplace that empowers local artisans to easily sell their handmade goods online, with a focus on storytelling and simplicity.
Who was the product for?
Local artisans with limited tech skills
Conscious consumers looking for authentic, handmade products.
My role in the project
I led the entire design process, from product strategy and research to user experience design and prototyping. This was a self initiated project aimed at solving a relevant problem and showcasing my skills as a product designer.
User persona
Artisan Pain points
Buyers Pain points
What were the user's problem
For Artisans (Sellers)
Difficulty finding platforms tailored for local artisans: Most marketplace are too generic and crowded.
Limited technical expertise: Setting up and managing a shop feels overwhelming without digital skills
Struggled to reach wider audience: Trapped in local markets with little exposure beyond physical events.
Limited online presence and e-commerce capabilities: Lacked the tools to sell effectively online.
Managing orders, inventory, and logistics was confusing: No easy system to organize their small business operations.
For Buyers (Customers)
Difficulty finding authentic handmade products: Large platforms flooded with mass-produced items made discovery hard.
Concerns about product quality, durability and authenticity: Buyers couldn't easily verify if products were truly handmade.
Difficulty finding affordable yet high-quality handmade goods: There was a gap between cost, quality, and trust
Limited time for in-person shopping: Busy schedules made it hard to attend to local markets or artisan fairs.
What was my solution to the problem
I designed a mobile-first, story-driven marketplace platform that empowers local artisans and makes discovering handmade products simple, trustworthy, and delightful.
For Artisans (Sellers)
Easy store setup: A guided onboarding flow with zero jargon, step by step instructions and simple inputs.
Artisan focused profiles: Each seller has a profile that highlights their story, values, and craftmanship, helping them stand out in a crowded market.
Streamlined order & inventory management: A clean dashboard that allow artisans track orders, update inventory, and manage logistics, all from their phone.
Built-in marketing tools: Designed shareable products to help artisans promote themselves on social media easily.
For Buyers (Customers)
Curated product discovery: Products are categorized by Location, Rating and craft. Making browsing feel intentional and inspiring.
Story telling product page: Each product showcase not just images and price, but also the story of how it was made; building trust and emotional connections.
Verified Artisan badge: A lightweight vetting system helps buyers trust the authenticity and quality of what they are purchasing.
Seamless mobile experience: Optimized for on-the-go shopping with quick filters, smart search, and smooth checkout.
How i approached it
Project Timeline
Empathize Phase
Qualitative Research
To explore user frustrations, expectations, and motivations behind supporting local artisans and using mobile platforms.
Interview questions
Can you walk me through the last time you bought something from a local artisan?
(Why did you choose them? How did you find them?)What challenges have you faced when trying to discover or buy from small local makers?
What would make you trust and use an app to support local vendors regularly?
Key insights derived
Many users feel frustrated by the lack of consistent updates from artisans on Instagram or WhatsApp.
Some are unsure of payment safety and don’t trust sellers without reviews or a profile.
Most users said they’d feel more confident using a platform that features artisan stories, ratings, and verified payment options.
Quantitative Research
To understand how users currently discover and buy from local artisans, and their willingness to use a marketplace app.
Key insights derived
76% of respondents said yes to buying from local artisans.
69% said no to finding it easy to discover new sellers.
81% are willing to use an app to simplify the process.
What i designed
I designed over 50+ screens covering the full product experience for both sellers (Artisans) and buyers (Customers), creating a seamless, human-centered marketplace from onboarding to checkout. Including:
Onboarding flows
Profile setup and story telling tools
Browsing, discovery and product detail pages
Cart, checkout and post-purchase screens
Dashboards, notifications and support flows
High fidelity wireframe
low fidelity wireframe
Typography & color
What I Learned
Storytelling matters just as much as UX simplicity.
Even small UI tweaks have huge impact on non-digital users.
Always test onboarding early, it's the "make or break" moment.
User Journey
Driver's User flow
Empathy Map
Usability Testing
Tested with 1 Artisan and 2 Buyers. Feedback revealed
Participant loved the storytelling prompt
Minor confusion about the product detail page and sign up page (fixed after testing)
Overall onboarding completion time decreased by 30% after revision
Prototype video
What business problem did i solve?
Artisans struggle to stand out or manage online selling due to overcrowded platforms like Etsy and complex website, community-first marketplace solution. I addressed the fragmentation in the handmade goods space by building a unified, scalable platform that supports local economics while modernizing artisan commerce.
Most platforms are designed for scale and mass selling, not personal story telling or artisan empowerment. Existing solutions often ignore non-digital-native users.
How does my solution work with real constraint?
I designed the product with assumptions around:
Assumed limited budget and tech literacy
Prioritize mobile first and minimize fancy animations
Focused on quick onboarding to lower user drop-off.
What are the consequences of my solution?
Designing a dual sided platform for artisans and buyers created a real measurable value, while also surfacing important considerations for future growth.
Positive Outcome
Empowered local artisans with a digital identity.
What changed: Artisans now have personalized profiles that tell their stories, showcase their work and simplify selling online, many for the first time.
Why it matters: This bridges the digital gap for local talent, helping them gain visibility, income and pride in their craft.Made discovering handmade products easy and inspiring
What changed: Buyers can now browse by craft, ratings, price or story making shopping feel more personal and meaningful.
Why it matters: This increases buyers trust, emotional connection, and conversion rates.Brought structure to a previously disconnected market
What changed: The platform acts as a centralized space for communication, logistics, and storytelling.
Why it matters: It transforms a fragmented market into a scalable ecosystem.
Design Trade offs
Lack of physical touch may affect buyer confidence
Why: Buyers can't touch or feel handmade products, and trust is crucial when buying artisan goods online.
Impact: Increased hesitation to buy; reduced conversion rates.
How I'd mitigate: Use detailed product videos, close-up shots, maker interviews, and customer reviews to build emotional trust and showcase authenticity.Maintaining quality control as the platform grows
Why: Verifying every artisans or product for authenticity may not scale manually
Impact: Lower buyer trust if quality dips or fake listing appear.
How I'd mitigate: Introduce a trust layer; community ratings, "verified artisan" badges and lightweight seller guidelines to ensure consistency.
Measurable Result
While this was a self initiated case study, the solution was designed with clear goals around usability, accessibility, and market place growth, informed by user pain points, product strategy, and existing platform benchmarks. If implemented the solution could drive:
"30-40% improvement in product discovery and engagement" driven by intuitive search meaningful categories and story-rich product pages.
"Higher conversion rates", through enhanced trust signal like artisan bios, reviews and quality-focused visuals.
"Faster onboarding and setup time" for new users, thanks to a streamlined, guided flow and simplified product uploads.
"Increased user retention and repeat interactions" supported by features like saved profile, personalized recommendations.
"Improved brand perception and artisan visibility", through tools that empower creators to tell their stories and manage their business confidently.
Showcase of reviews
Final thoughts / if i had more time
Designing this platform showed me the impact design can have on both business and cultural preservations. If I had more time I'd explore:
I'd test more extensively with both user groups
Refine the mobile experience further
prototype community features like forums and events.
Thank you for your time :)
Open to full-time roles, freelance projects, and meaningful collaborations — contact me.