The Challenge
Navigating an ethnic marketplace is often high-friction for users unfamiliar with specific product categories. I focused on identifying where discovery stalled and translating a complex marketplace into a streamlined mobile experience.
User enters the app seeking familiar generic items but encounters specialized brands.
Translating a mental model of an item into specific marketplace terminology.
Deciding on a product without legacy brand trust or local habits.
The Solution
Visualizing Information Hierarchy.
To solve for the language barrier, I prioritized a visual-first hierarchy. Users can identify products by skin concern before engaging with deep-tier technical details regarding ingredients and allergens.
The Win
Bridging the gap.
By conducting deep competitor analysis and journey mapping, I identified growth opportunities to broaden the app's appeal. The final high-fidelity prototypes focused on stripping away friction from the Asian consumer market.
Key Insight
Visual discovery is the core driver for growth in cross-cultural e-commerce. Reducing reliance on text and leaning into intuitive category hierarchy allowed non-native users to find the "Aha!" moment faster.