App design for a second-hand
shopping aggregator.
Overview
Faircado started as an AI-powered browser extension helping consumers find second-hand alternatives while shopping online.
By the time I joined the team, the decision to launch a mobile app had already been made in response to user demand for a more accessible experience.
To expand Faircado’s product portfolio, we built one.
Team
Solo designer
5 developers
Product Owner
My Role
UX Research
Product Design
Timeline
June 2024
Ongoing
Project Goals
As the core capabilities were already built for the extension, our challenge was to adapt it for the app. With this foundation in place, we set the following goals:
Find product-market fit
Identify and refine our target audience through testing, feedback, and data insights.
Launch on the App Stores
Deliver a polished app ready for distribution on both Apple and Android stores within 3 months.
Offer the best experience
By meeting a number of OKRs related to user retention, CTRs, MAUs & a refined data set.
Finding a product-market fit
Should we focus on Urban Gen Z or Millennial Parents? User interviews confirmed our hypothesis: Gen Z showed the strongest demand for the Faircado app
Wireframes
Targeting Gen Z, I went through several iterations of wireframes, aiming to create an easy and sexy second-hand shopping experience.
App main features
With insights from our research in mind, I've proposed to focus on the following features:
1. Inspiration feed: Curated products, categories & brands
Gen Z shops second-hand by specific brands, so curating the feed around those preferences was essential for increasing user retention
2. Refine search:
Filter & Favourite
Standard in (r)e-commerce, 100% of users mentioned using both the 'favourite' and filter features to help refine their search.
3. Search by image:
Snap, find it pre-loved
Users look for inspiration on social media and enjoy visual search. This feature allows them to snap a photo and instantly find second-hand alternatives.
Design System
From the foundation to base components, I've designed
a new design system from scratch.
App Launch
The app was launched in November 2024 on App Stores. Fun fact: We were rejected 19 times (!!!) before getting approved
Optimization Rounds
Since launch, we are focusing on improving reviews on Google Play and increasing clicks on external pages.
Improve reviews
on Google Play
We carried out a set of actions to encourage positive reviews, including a pop-up prompting users to share their feedback
Country Restriction
As most negative reviews came from unsupported countries, we limited availability to Germany and the UK to prevent irrelevant feedback
No Network alert
Added a banner to inform users of connectivity issues
Update Product cards design
Enriched search result cards with additional information to boost click-through rates
Increase clicks
on partner pages
Improved the information displayed on the product page to increase user engagement
Next Steps
After conducting a UI Preference Test, we discovered that 70% of users preferred Version II - so we are preparing to adapt the UI design accordingly
Results
Since the App launch in November 2014, our numbers are gradually increasing thanks to a collective effort from the tech, design and marketing teams.
The project is successfully ongoing and as of March 2025, the numbers and highlights are according to below. We are current working on getting Google Play review up.