Sokuni-Marketplace
An online second-hand marketplace simplifying sustainability for parents.
THE SCOPE
Project overview
Sokuni, as a start-up based in the Netherlands, their mission to make sustainable shopping easy and reliable for families truly resonated with me. With my experience in e-commerce and passion for sustainability, I was thrilled to join the team as a UX/UI Designer. For this project, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a talented group of designers and developers, combining our expertise to create a platform that meets the needs of eco-conscious families.
Objectives
- Create a website to reflect trustworthiness, transparency, and quality.
- Branding that stands out in a second-hand baby gear market.
THE CHALLENGES
- 1Economic stress and waste.Parents face high costs for baby gear.
- 2About second-hand purchases.Users' worries about safety, hygiene, and quality.
- 3Sustainability and convenience.Users want eco-friendly options but also accessibility shopping.
THE AUDIENCE
Target audience
- Young parents:: Eco-conscious, seeking sustainable yet high-quality products.
- Middle-income families:: Budget-driven but value reliability and ease of use.
- Global audience:: Tech-savvy and accustomed to online shopping platforms.
Demographics
- Regions:: Europe (UK, Germany, France, Scandinavia), global digital nomads.
- Income levels:: Ranging from budget-conscious to high-income travelers
- Gender:: Balanced demand from both males and females.
SOLVING THE PROBLEM
1. Branding
Challenge: Build a cohesive brand identity emphasizing trust, safety, and sustainability.
Solution:
- Logo design: Using Quicksand typography for calm reliability, paired with Signika and Roboto for warmth and clarity.
- Color palette: Greens (eco-friendly) and salmon tones (welcoming and approachable).
- Visuals: High-quality imagery and a design system ensuring consistency across touchpoints.
2. Website design
Challenge: Integrate core values—safety, health, hygiene, comfort, and quality—into a user-friendly design.
Solution:
- Transparent quality control processes showcased on the platform.
- Interactive prototypes and usability tests to ensure seamless navigation.
- Intuitive user flows guiding parents from product search to checkout.
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EXPLORE THE MAIN GOALS AND FEATURES
Goal 1. Ease financial pressure and reduce product waste.
New parents struggle with financial stress when purchasing multiple items for newborns, often leading to unnecessary waste.
Opportunities
- Introduce transparent pricing with volume discounts, highlighting savings.
- Add sustainability-focused banners on the home page to promote secondhand options.
- The product card clearly shows the description, images and savings amount.
Goal 2. Address safety, hygiene and quality issues.
Parents may be hesitant to purchase second-hand items due to concerns about cleanliness, quality and safety.
Opportunities
- Offer a value proposition section with clear information on safety and sustainable choice.
- Integrate user reviews to increase transparency and trust.
- Show multiple filters to find the right product and condition (e.g., 'New with tags', 'New without tags', 'Very good').
Goal 3. Promote sustainability with quality and convenience.
Parents value sustainability but need assurances of quality and ease in their purchasing decisions.
Opportunities
- Streamline the checkout process with autocomplete and saved payment options.
- Offer delivery flexibility (same-day delivery, local pickup).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Results
- Increased conversion rate due to a design focused on transparency and reliability.
- Growth in the number of registered users in the first six months.
- Implementation of advanced filters and product status labels, increasing user satisfaction.
Key learnings
This project allowed me to act as a UX/UI Designer and Researcher, collaborating closely with another designer and a programmer. The experience showed me the value of open communication from the outset, as this facilitated the exchange of ideas and a shared understanding of the project's scope and challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge was maintaining the focus and direction of the project in the face of the vast array of possibilities and the excitement of building a new company, still searching for its identity. At the same time, this initial phase also gave us the opportunity to explore innovative ideas and experiment with creative approaches. It was a valuable learning experience on how to balance vision, innovation and strategic objectives.
