Swoosh is a sneaker marketplace app that uses machine learning and product assurance teams to verify authenticity of products. The marketplace aims to help sneaker shoppers avoid the purchase of counterfeit goods. Swoosh wants to give consumers the most trustworthy sneaker shopping experience possible.
During this time, I wanted to buy sneakers and Ebay was the only marketplace. I found that the authenticity of products was a common question in my mind, so I set out to create a more curated, niche, and trustworthy marketplace that catered to sneakers. It was all about putting the product in the high seat, and allowing the photos to tell the story. Descriptions are outdated, and provide little value in the sneaker world. Every sneaker shopper says "that looks cool! Do you guys have my size?". We wanted to take that approach when creating the app. Social features are very important as well and we wanted to seamlessly integrate it with our product. The first thing everyone tells their friends when they get new shoes is "checkout my new shoes", so we decided that we should make it super easy to tell your friends about your new purchase.
All ideas start on paper first. Whether it's a napkin in a coffee shop or your moleskin sketchbook, the tactile feeling of paper has a true sentimental value to designers. Being able to freely express your thoughts without the concept of the undo button is extraordinary. It allows you to refine your product to understand what you truly want to solve. My app process is always organic. I always starts with a problem, I encounter in my daily life. Once, it reaches a certain threshold, I begin to ask myself if I should be the one to design this solution. Being able to live through the problem, and really understand why the problem exists helps me in the design process to create something magical. My next step, after designing on paper is wireframing my concept. This allows me to build the foundation for my ideas. The flow of the app is a huge part of the design. My goal is to build a user funnel that encourages daily use without feeling like you are spending too much time. So much of the product development process doesn't have to do with the pixels, but it's always important to have a UI that tells a story. My final step is the visual storytelling aspect. How can I communicate my message to the end user? This is when Swoosh came together and all the dots connect. Every Product & UX/UI designer knows the blissful euphoria when all the pieces falling in place.
People responded very well to the app, it was truly exciting to see their happiness. The project taught me so much about understanding the user. Being able to build a product for specific real life scenarios, then seamlessly integrate it into a mobile app experience.
Never stop creating and always find ways to improve products in your daily life.
