Overview

Circulate was receiving a steady volume of calls from buyers who were unsure whether they had chosen the right product. Many items looked similar but differed in important ways. Buyers found the interface overwhelming, and the platform was not supporting them in the way a marketplace handling this level of complexity should.

The business needed a search and discovery experience that helped people move with more confidence, reduced support load and created a stronger foundation for scale as the catalogue continued to grow.

The problem

Three challenges stood out to me during my early investigation:

1. Search results were difficult to interpret
Each product included extensive technical details. Search result cards showed too much information without helping buyers see what actually mattered. The result was hesitation and an increased need for support.

2. Listing pages were densely packed and hard to scan
Buyers struggled to understand which information was essential and which was optional. Important details often blended into the rest of the page.

3. Checkout repeated work and introduced uncertainty
The previous form structure did not support the full range of product options. Buyers needed to re-enter details they had already reviewed which created worry about making mistakes.

Together, these issues made decision making feel heavier than it should have been.

The goals

I defined four goals to guide the redesign:

• Make it easier for buyers to understand and compare products
• Reduce customer support calls by helping buyers feel more confident
• Bring more structure to listing pages and checkout
• Create a search experience that could support even larger product data sets in future

Approach

I began by mapping out the buyer journey from the moment they landed on the search page to the point where they committed to a purchase. This included analysing support messages, reviewing search behaviour and understanding where buyers hesitated.

The next step was to work through the product data with the founder. Every item carried an enormous amount of information such as MOQs (minimum order quantities), price breaks, dimension variations, recycled content, colour options, shipping methods, sustainability indicators, manufacturing locations, traceability information, palletisation rules and more. I grouped these data points into meaningful categories and identified which ones helped buyers decide at each stage.

From there, I shaped a new information architecture for search, listing pages and checkout that gave buyers direction without overwhelming them.

Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with engineering to understand technical constraints and ensure we could deliver the redesign before the founder’s maternity leave. Circulate uses Sharetribe as its foundation, so I worked within its component patterns and created new components where the experience required more structure.

Design strategy

1. Search results that guide decision making

Buyers needed a quick sense of whether a product was suitable. I designed new search result cards that surfaced a focused set of high value attributes such as price range, important dimensions, MOQ and lead time. Secondary details remained available but did not crowd the card. This helped buyers narrow down their options without feeling overloaded.

2. Listing pages that support exploration

Listing pages were reorganised into distinct sections so buyers could move from essential information into deeper technical details at their own pace. By grouping related attributes and simplifying the hierarchy, the page supported both experienced buyers and those new to the product space.

3. A guided checkout that reduces uncertainty

Checkout was redesigned as a multi step flow with built in system validation. The form surfaced the right fields at the right moment and prevented missing or incompatible inputs. This removed guesswork and reduced the number of buyers contacting support for reassurance.

4. Introducing helpful system behaviour

I designed empty states, status indicators and system rules that removed unnecessary friction. For example, when certain combinations of options were not allowed, the system explained why and showed what to do next. This helped buyers feel supported rather than blocked.

Collaboration with the Founder and Engineering

Throughout the project, I worked closely with Circulate’s founder to build a deep understanding of their users, their business goals, and the practical constraints shaping the product. We iterated frequently — she shared user feedback and reactions from early tests, often with conflicting opinions. My role was to synthesise this input, identify the patterns beneath it, and help the team align on a consistent direction that balanced user needs, business priorities, and feasibility.

Engineering were brought in from the very beginning. I involved them in early discussions to understand technical constraints, data structures, and opportunities to simplify implementation so we could move faster and keep costs manageable. I provided clear user flows diagrams and reasoning to communicate intent, and I contributed to decisions about when it was worth investing in a more complex feature versus when to take a phased, lower-cost approach. This helped ensure we shipped improvements that were technically practical, aligned with the founder’s priorities, and genuinely helped buyers make confident purchasing decisions on their own.

The outcome

The redesign helped buyers move through the search and purchasing journey with more confidence and far less friction.

Measurement and impact