01
Simplified search & filtering
Reorganized categories and more precise, less repetitive filters help users find the right product faster, replacing the extensive filtering flagged in research.
All work
( Case study · E-commerce · Marketplace platform )
E-commerce marketplace redesign
For Hintex — designed an e-commerce marketplace platform from scratch to connect clients with architects and designers, enabling discovery, hiring, and project collaboration through built-in chat and pricing.
( 01 ) The problem
The product page and search experience were the biggest points of friction — users got lost among too much information, filters that were extensive but imprecise, and CTAs that were easy to miss entirely.
63%
search frustration
The top complaint from surveyed users — closely followed by imprecise filters (61%) and overloaded product pages (32%).
- Unintuitive search engine that leaves users feeling lost among too much information
- Filters are extensive, repetitive, and imprecise
- Product pages are packed with information, burying the CTA
- No way to compare two products from the same category
- Outdated visual hierarchy with an inconsistent reading order
- Registration is mandatory before checkout, adding late-stage friction
( 02 ) The objective
Turning a cluttered, dated shopping experience into a modern, trustworthy marketplace.
- Simplify search and make filters more precise and intuitive
- Redesign product pages to surface the CTA and cut unnecessary content
- Add a product comparison feature
- Move registration to the start of the flow instead of blocking checkout
- Introduce onboarding to orient new users
- Let clients and professionals (architects, interior & exterior designers) discover, message, and hire each other directly on the platform
63%
of surveyed users named search results as their single biggest frustration with the platform
61%
found the filtering system frustrating and imprecise when narrowing down products
50%
of users choose Hintex mainly for affordable pricing — the platform's core strength to protect while fixing usability
( 03 ) The solution
A redesigned e-commerce experience for interior and exterior goods — plus a new professional marketplace layer for hiring architects and designers.
Built on survey findings, competitive analysis, and usability testing, the redesign reorganizes categories and filters, shortens and refocuses product pages, and adds a compare tool. Alongside the shopping experience, new professional accounts let architects and interior/exterior designers showcase portfolios and connect directly with clients — turning Hintex from a one-sided storefront into a two-sided marketplace.
02
Redesigned product pages
Shortened, reorganized product pages put the CTA front and center and surface only the most relevant information, instead of burying it in dense text.
03
Product comparison & checkout
A new compare tool lets users evaluate similar products side by side, and a streamlined checkout moves registration earlier in the flow to remove last-minute friction.
04
Professional marketplace for architects & designers
New professional accounts let architects and interior/exterior designers list portfolios and services, while clients can discover, message, and hire them directly — with jobs and conversations connecting both sides on the platform.
( 04 ) Background
One of the largest interior & exterior marketplaces in the US — with a design that hadn't kept pace.
Hintex is one of the largest classified and e-commerce sites in the US for interior and exterior goods and building materials — but its design hadn't kept pace with a market that has grown more visual, more competitive, and less tolerant of friction.
As the designer on this project, I ran the end-to-end research and redesign — from surveys, interviews, and competitive analysis through affinity mapping, wireframes, prototyping, and usability testing — to modernize the shopping experience and introduce a new hiring layer for architects and interior/exterior designers.
What users found frustrating about Hintex
( 05 ) Research & requirements
Because Hintex already had an established user base, the goal wasn't to validate whether the product had a market — it was to find exactly where the existing experience was breaking down.
I combined direct user research with a full competitive audit, then used affinity mapping and a needs matrix to translate raw feedback into concrete design decisions and priorities.
What this looked like
- Surveys and structured interviews (Google Forms), plus unstructured face-to-face interviews with real Hintex users, covering usage habits and satisfaction
- A feature-by-feature competitive analysis against Archiproducts, Houzz, Ebay, Amazon, Ashley Furniture, and Luxdeco
- Affinity mapping and card sorting to group common problems, expectations, and desired features, plus a needs matrix connecting pain points to concrete solutions
| Feature | Archiproducts | Houzz | Ebay | Amazon | Ashley Furniture | Luxdeco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple UI | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Advertisement | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Easy navigation | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Variety of filters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hot offers | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Share product | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed page | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Seller rating | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Compare by competitor
Archiproducts8/10 features
- Simple UINo
- AdvertisementYes
- MessagingYes
- Easy navigationYes
- Variety of filtersYes
- Hot offersYes
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageNo
- Seller ratingYes
- NotificationsYes
Houzz8/10 features
- Simple UIYes
- AdvertisementYes
- MessagingYes
- Easy navigationNo
- Variety of filtersYes
- Hot offersYes
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageNo
- Seller ratingYes
- NotificationsYes
Ebay5/10 features
- Simple UINo
- AdvertisementNo
- MessagingYes
- Easy navigationYes
- Variety of filtersYes
- Hot offersNo
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageNo
- Seller ratingNo
- NotificationsYes
Amazon6/10 features
- Simple UINo
- AdvertisementNo
- MessagingYes
- Easy navigationNo
- Variety of filtersYes
- Hot offersYes
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageYes
- Seller ratingNo
- NotificationsYes
Ashley Furniture6/10 features
- Simple UINo
- AdvertisementNo
- MessagingYes
- Easy navigationNo
- Variety of filtersYes
- Hot offersNo
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageYes
- Seller ratingYes
- NotificationsYes
Luxdeco5/10 features
- Simple UIYes
- AdvertisementNo
- MessagingNo
- Easy navigationYes
- Variety of filtersNo
- Hot offersYes
- Share productYes
- Detailed pageNo
- Seller ratingYes
- NotificationsNo
( 06 ) Define — who Hintex serves
Two core groups, four distinct needs
Research surfaced two core groups on the platform, each with different goals:
Everyday Shoppers
Buying interior and exterior goods and materials — want fast, confident purchasing with clear pricing and reliable sellers
Time-Constrained Professionals
Busy buyers (e.g. remote professionals) who want to save time, get relevant promotions, and avoid getting lost in cluttered filters
Architects & Interior/Exterior Designers
Want to showcase their portfolio, connect with clients, and manage job opportunities directly on the platform
Clients Seeking a Professional
Want to browse, compare, and hire a verified architect or designer for their project
Ann Walts (41)
Interior Designer · United States, LA
About
Ann has worked as an Interior Designer at a large LA-based corporation for a year. She wants to better equip herself to devote more time to her department, sourcing and purchasing interior design and building materials on behalf of the homeowners she works with.
Hypothetical scenario
She wants to buy interior and exterior products at an affordable price, using a promo code when she buys more than three products.
Objectives & expectations
- Find a variety of brands at once that are not available in the local market
- Get a good offer
- Confidence in the purchase and warranty on the product
James Cagle (33)
Software Engineer · United States, LA
About
James is a software engineer who works remotely for a large company and keeps a busy schedule. He's upgrading his home's interior and exterior materials and wants to move quickly without wasting time on product research.
Hypothetical scenario
He wants to save money by buying a few products together and taking advantage of promotions and bonuses, while spending as little time as possible searching.
Objectives & expectations
- Feels that essential brands are missing from the platform
- Finds the product-page filters disorganized and time-consuming
- Is drawn to limited-time stock alerts, sometimes buying things he doesn't need
( 07 ) Key decisions
Three calls that shaped the redesign
01
Move registration to the start of the flow
Registration was previously mandatory only at checkout, creating friction late in the funnel. Moving it earlier removes a last-minute blocker and speeds up the purchase process.
02
Add a “Compare” feature to the product list
Users had no way to compare two products from the same category. A new compare action on the product list addresses this directly — one of the most requested features to surface in card sorting.
03
Introduce professional accounts for architects & designers
Beyond redesigning the shopping experience, Hintex now supports architects and interior/exterior designers with dedicated profiles, portfolios, and built-in messaging — letting clients discover, compare, and hire professionals for their projects without leaving the platform, while professionals find new job opportunities directly through Hintex.
( 08 ) Information architecture
Only the categories that matter
Based on card sorting and the research findings, I restructured Hintex's categories and navigation to reduce clutter and clarify the reading order:
- My Profile
- Categories
- Customer Support
- Brands Weekly Offers
- Hintex Special
- Notifications
- Shopping Bag
- Checkout
- Professional Marketplace
- Messages & Chat
- Wishlist & Save For Later
Only the most relevant categories were kept, and messaging between clients and professionals was added as a first-class part of the navigation — not a hidden feature.
( 09 ) Design
A lighter, clearer shopping journey
With requirements and IA defined, I moved from low-fidelity wireframes into high-fidelity screens in Figma, focused on visual hierarchy, a clear CTA on every product page, and a lighter reading experience overall.
The redesign covers the full shopping journey — home, product listing, product detail, cart, and a redesigned checkout — plus new screens for the professional marketplace: designer and architect profiles, portfolios, job listings, and in-platform chat between clients and professionals.
Same journey, every screen
- Navigation collapses into one menu, with search, cart and account always one tap away
- Categories become a swipeable row instead of a crowded grid
- Brand and product cards stack into a single, easy-to-scan column
( 10 ) Hintex UI kit
The system behind the screens
Colors, typography, and core UI elements used across the redesigned Hintex screens.
Color palette
Neutrals
#FFFFFF#F7F7F7#C6C6C6#A4A4A5#707070#1B1C1EBrand / Exclusivity
#DEBC75#B69B62Error
#A01803#CF6679Typography — Poppins
H1 / Page TitleAa — Welcome backPoppins Bold · 26px
H2 / Section TitleAa — The ObjectivePoppins SemiBold · 20px
H3 / Card TitleAa — Order SummaryPoppins SemiBold · 15px
BodyAa — Sign in to browse products, manage orders.Poppins Regular · 13px
Label / ButtonAa — SIGN INPoppins SemiBold · 12px
CaptionAa — Secure checkout · Free returns within 30 daysPoppins Regular · 11px
UI elements
Primary ButtonSecondary ButtonDisabled
Placeholder textShopping Bag★ 4.9 (128)
Please enter a valid email
Shipping AddressKarine Kotinyan · 1450 Maple Street, Apt 4B
( 11 ) Impact
Moving from a cluttered, one-size-fits-all storefront toward a clearer shopping experience and a real two-sided marketplace.
01
Clearer product discovery
Reorganized categories, more precise filters, and a new compare tool directly address the top complaints from research (63% search, 61% filters).
02
Faster path to purchase
Registration now happens at the start of the flow, and shortened product pages keep the CTA visible instead of buried in unnecessary content.
03
Modernized visual hierarchy
A refreshed design system replaces the outdated, low-hierarchy layout users described as chaotic, confusing, and hard to read.
04
New professional marketplace layer
Architects and interior/exterior designers can now build a profile, showcase portfolios, and manage job opportunities directly through Hintex.
05
Direct client-to-professional connection
Built-in chat lets clients and professionals discover each other, message, and negotiate scope without ever leaving the platform.
06
Stronger foundation for retention
Onboarding, notifications, and a clearer checkout are designed to keep users on the platform longer and reduce the drop-off flagged in research.
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