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.
The Problem
Furniture e-commerce often struggles with overwhelming choice and lack of trust.
My research showed that 66% of users turn to second-hand platforms. While they value sustainability, new high-quality furniture often feels financially out of reach. Even when they explore new options online, customers hesitate because of:
Unclear sustainability claims
Long or uncertain lead times
Limited real-life imagery
Post-purchase frustrations with assembly, quality, or delivery
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.
The Solution
Designs centered on three guiding principles: confidence, transparency, and accessibility.
Confidence in quality: Product videos, swatch ordering, and customer-provided review images.
Transparency in timelines: A zip code–based estimator shown on product, cart, and checkout pages.
Accessibility in pricing: “Shop & Save” bundles, payment plans, and upfront shipping costs.
Visually, I used a minimalist earth-toned palette and clean typography to communicate trust and calm.
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
Outcome
The final prototype delivered a streamlined, trustworthy shopping experience:
Bundles and payment plans to make large purchases feel more attainable.
Real-life imagery and video to build confidence before checkout.
Transparent delivery details to reduce uncertainty at key moments.
Expected business impact: Improved conversion, stronger user trust, and a clearer alignment between Plainform’s sustainability values and customer expectations.
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