Vendors.so

Process

1. Discovery: The first step in designing a solution tailored to Nigerian small businesses and independent sellers is to first understand how this targeted audience do business. What the painpoints are, what the delights are, and what the status quo is.
2. Talking to business owners and analyzing these data helped in mapping market gaps, user needs and frustrations with business objectives.
3. Rapid prototyping: Before one line of code was written, I used typeforms to simulate how an online shop could be for independent sellers and consumers. This helped us to garner feedback, correct faulty assumptions and understand the e-commerce expectations for sole entrepreneurs who are usually busy and do not have extra staff to attend to any digital tool.
4. Sketching, design and prototyping: Based on the data typeform has afforded us, I designed the information architecture of the platform. Questions such as how would a business owner upload the products, set price and other gritty details essential to a buyer. Once an order comes in, how would they be notified? How would the buyer checkout? What if there was an error in payment?
5. Using Figma, I designed of what the product should look like, for both the sellers and their customers.

6. Testing, iteration, beta, feedback: Like every designer worth her salt, I'd be the first to tell you we didn't get it right at first. But through relentless updates and feedback from customers, we've been able to design a no code tool that helps customers set up a shop in 5 minutes or less, start selling and receiving payment, all tailored to the Nigerian buying culture.