Next Market
Designing a Vendor Marketplace
Problem
Small markets struggle to find and manage vendors, while vendors lack a centralized place to discover and apply to markets.
Solution
A single platform will make it easy for hosts and vendors to connect, communicate, and manage markets.
Project Type:
Client: Shomigo (small business/start-up)
Context: Client work
Timeline: 4 months
Tools: Figma
My Role:
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Did pattern analysis for design choices
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Created information architecture (IA)
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Conducted tree testing on IA
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Created a design system
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Created wireframes and prototypes
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Evaluated designs using usability testing
Research
Structure
Design
Build
Research
Background Context
NextMarket was founded to address a challenge its CEO faced as a market host: managing vendor applications, communication, and selection across disconnected tools like Google Sheets.
Without a centralized system, the process was manual, time-consuming, and hard to scale.
This gap in how markets and vendors connect led to the creation of NextMarket.
UX Pattern Analysis
I reviewed similar platforms and marketplaces to identify effective UX patterns for search, filtering, and discovery.
Search & Discovery
Platforms like Eventbrite guide users through discovery in many ways, beyond the search bar.
Key takeaways:
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Users need multiple ways to start exploring
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Categories help users browse without a specific goal
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Recommended content reduces decision effort
Eventbrite's home page showing discovery and search.
Filtering
Platforms like Airbnb use clear, structured filters to help users narrow results without feeling overwhelmed.
Key takeaways:
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Filters should be visually grouped and easy to understand
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Familiar controls (checkboxes, sliders) reduce learning effort
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Filters should be easy to edit without losing context
Airbnb's filtering tool.
Listings & Cards
Platforms like Airbnb have well-designed listing cards that allow users to compare options quickly.
Key takeaways:
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Cards should only show important information that the users need to decide
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Visual hierarchy improves scannability
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Consistent card layouts reduce cognitive load
Airbnb's listing cards.
Structure
Information Architecture
Tree testing was conducted to evaluate whether users could find key pages and actions within the proposed navigation structure given to me by the business owner.
Before logging in
Key issue: The FAQ page was difficult to locate, with most users clicking “How it Works” instead
Change: Renamed and restructured “How it Works” to better surface FAQs
Vendor experience
Key issue: Billing information was consistently mislocated, with users clicking “Profile” instead of “Settings”
Change: Removed “Settings” and moved payments under Profile
Market host experience
Key takeaways: Updating market details and reviewing vendor applications showed moderate confusion
Change: Kept these actions grouped under applications with clearer labeling
Final information architecture.
Vendor flow.
Market host flow.
Ideate
Visual Direction
To support our vision, I established a style tile with a calming visual direction.
Working within the constraint of purple as the primary brand colour, I developed a complementary palette to better align with the marketplace context. The colours are intentionally muted to ensure vendor and market imagery carry the most visual weight.
Build
Final Design & Iterations
High-fidelity mock-ups were created based on usability testing results.
Explore markets for easy browsing
Designed the browsing experience around visual scanning and quick filtering so vendors can compare markets faster and find opportunities that match their interests.
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Moved the categories to the top of the screen to support faster browsing and reduce reliance on filters. This change came from user feedback indicating a preference for category-based exploration over a long list of markets.
My markets give vendors a clear view of their market activity
Designed a centralized space where vendors can quickly track applications, manage upcoming markets, and revisit past events without relying on scattered communication or external tools.
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Reorganized sections to prioritize markets requiring immediate action and renamed “Pending” to “Wait Listed” to reduce confusion around application status. I also kept the review button visually active after interaction so vendors could revisit market details at any time.
Vendor applications dashboard for faster reviews of vendors for market hosts
Focused on helping hosts make quick decisions by keeping actions visible, reducing extra navigation, and organizing applications in a way that stays manageable as markets grow.
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