Plainform App & Website
E-Commerce Design
Plainform is a sustainable e-commerce furniture brand offering high-quality, toxin-free furniture at approachable price points.
Client
Plainform
Services
End-to-End Product Design
Industries
E-Commerce
Date
August 2025
Goals
As the company prepared to launch, it needed a responsive website and app that reflected its minimalist identity while supporting conversion goals. As the end-to-end product designer, I created the digital experience from homepage to checkout, balancing sustainability storytelling with a seamless shopping flow.
Research Goals & Insights
User interviews revealed three themes:
Affordability drives decisions: Even eco-conscious users prioritize price.
Discovery is fragmented: Many users turn to platforms like TikTok or ChatGPT to find inspiration, which slows their path to purchase.
Visual confidence matters: Without real-life photos, video, or specs, customers hesitate to buy.
Competitor analysis showed strong sustainability branding but inconsistent execution. Post-purchase experiences were unpredictable, with unclear lead times and quality gaps. From these insights, I built personas and mapped the journey to pinpoint opportunities from discovery through delivery.
Process and Testing
I worked through sketches, wireframes, and prototypes, then conducted usability testing.
While 100% of users reported the checkout process as smooth, testing also surfaced important friction points:
What testing revealed:
Too many dropdown menus created friction
Lack of product descriptions left users uncertain
Filter icons were confusing
Delivery timeframes felt misleading without context
How I iterated:
Simplified and prioritized dropdown menus
Added descriptive product text
Redesigned filter icons
Moved delivery estimates into the zip code tool at key stages
Reflection & What's Next
Key takeaway: Sustainability resonates with users, but affordability is the true gatekeeper. For a brand like Plainform, success comes from balancing eco-conscious storytelling with practical accessibility, giving customers both confidence in their purchase and financial flexibility.
Next steps to strengthen the product:
Refine homepage to spotlight bundle savings and payment flexibility
Add a guided “find your perfect couch” quiz to reduce decision fatigue
Expand post-purchase support with live tracking and setup resources