Understanding The Problem
After conducting in-depth competitor analysis to determine a product need, I discovered that while applications highlighting black-owned businesses had begun to emerge, there was a gap in the space in terms of innovation and aesthetic opportunities to appeal to those looking for more than just a general directory. With this in mind, the product planning primarily involved:
User Journey
Unique Features
Interaction Design
App Monetization
Audience
Before design began, I created lean personas for the app’s ideal target audience. Using this, the MLBB team was able to begin curating imagery and building a community around the app on social media.
To further gain validation of interest and begin collecting data - we created a landing page for launch notification sign-up for users, as well as for brand applications.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
⭐️ DISCOVERY TAB
With Pinterest-like inspiration and no boring e-commerce product shots, this discovery feature allows users to save images attributed to listed brands that they love to a mood board. They’re able to create multiple mood boards, which use an Instagram Highlights style display.
⭐️ CATEGORIES + BRANDS
Users also have the ability to search the app by category and each brand's profile enables consumer continuation directly to the brands’ site.
