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Connecting People Through Handcrafted Stories

Designing an e-commerce platform that brings visibility to artisans and meaning to purchases

Context & Challenge

Das Mãos is a mobile e-commerce platform (iOS & Android) focused on promoting regional handmade products and giving artisans space to share their stories. The goal was to create a modern digital experience that reconnects people through craft — bringing social and economic visibility to artists from different regions of Brazil.
 

As the sole Product Designer, I led the research, ideation, and prototyping phases, working closely with a PO and developers over the course of 1 month, using the Double Diamond framework.

Key Questions

  • How can we bring customers closer to the artisans?

  • How do we design a simple but innovative mobile shopping experience?

  • How do we highlight the artisan’s story and craftsmanship without overwhelming the user?

  • How can we ensure artisans don’t feel “disconnected” from the end user?

My Role & Responsibilities

  • Planned and conducted user and market research (interviews, desk research, analogous scenarios)

  • Created mid- and high-fidelity prototypes for mobile

  • Facilitated design strategy workshops with stakeholders

  • Defined the app’s core functionality and mapped user flows

  • Delivered all assets to developers and participated in handoff and design QA

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Discovery & Research

Despite limited resources and time, we conducted a robust research phase to understand both craft lovers and artisan needs:

  • Desk Research: Studied consumer behavior, market movements, and the impact of COVID-19 on artisan sales

  • Analogous Scenarios: Mapped experiences from other platforms (e.g., Etsy, Airbnb Experiences) for feature inspiration

  • User Interviews: Spoke with over 50 users to understand motivations behind buying handmade products, their preferred channels, and what gives meaning to their purchases

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Ideation & Testing

  • Created low-fidelity prototypes and tested two visual approaches:

    • One focused on the artisan's story

    • One centered on the product itself

  • 73% of users preferred the version that focused on the artist — but testing showed both were important

  • We iterated to merge both elements: a product experience deeply tied to personal storytelling

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Design & Flow Definition

  • Defined the core user flow, including guest access — where users could browse freely but needed to sign in to purchase

  • Designed a modular interface that adapts across artists, collections, and item types

  • Built the high-fidelity prototype, combining usability with emotional connection

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Outcomes

  • Delivered a fully functional and validated mobile prototype

  • Received positive feedback from testers on interface clarity and emotional tone

  • Helped the client validate their business idea, refine positioning, and plan for development and scaling

Further Opportunities

📱Augmented Reality – Let users "try" pieces in their homes for deeper product engagement
🎓 Workshops & Courses – Expand the platform to include artisan-led experiences
🌐 Web Platform – Create a desktop version for broader accessibility
🤖 Smart Recommendations – Use AI to suggest products based on user behavior
🛍️ Feedback Monitoring – Monitor marketplace reviews to inform product iterations
🧪 Accessibility & Inclusion – Ensure future designs follow WCAG principles for broader reach

Final Delivery

I worked closely with developers to hand off all deliverables and conducted a design QA review to ensure fidelity between design and implementation. The platform was ready for MVP development with clear product vision and user validation.

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