Modulo: Sustainable Furniture E-Commerce

Designing a luxury online shopping experience rooted in sustainability.

Role: UX/UI Designer

Timeline: 2 Weeks

Tools: Figma, FigJam

Focus: Research, UX Design, UI System

Problem:

As sustainability becomes a priority in modern living, many shoppers want furniture that’s both eco-conscious and beautifully designed. However, current furniture e-commerce experiences often overwhelm users with too many options, unclear sustainability claims, and inconsistent product information.

Through research, I found that users were struggling to feel confident buying sustainable furniture online — they couldn’t visualize how pieces would fit in their space, trust brand claims, or navigate cluttered layouts.

Goal:

To design a seamless, trustworthy shopping experience for Modulo, a sustainable luxury furniture brand. The goal was to make sustainability feel premium and accessible — helping users browse with ease, understand material transparency, and complete purchases confidently

Research

I began with three user interviews to understand how people shop for furniture online:

  • Maya (26, conscious renter): Wanted curated selections and clear sustainability details.

  • Jordan (34, new homeowner): Needed transparency and assurance before purchasing.

  • Lila (29, interior designer): Valued aesthetics and storytelling in brand identity.

Across all interviews, users shared five recurring needs:

  1. Visual clarity and scale reference

  2. Transparency around sustainability

  3. Simplified browsing and filters

  4. Trustworthy policies and visuals

  5. Design inspiration tied to products

I also conducted competitive analysis on West Elm, Article, and IKEA to identify what works and what doesn’t:

  • West Elm: Great visuals but vague eco claims

  • Article: Clean, transparent pricing but limited inspiration

  • IKEA: Strong AR and navigation, but overwhelming catalog

These findings shaped my design strategy: create a minimal, guided shopping flow with transparent sustainability cues and integrated inspiration content.

Design Decisions

I mapped the user journey for Maya (our main persona) from awareness to retention and designed user flows for browsing, filtering, and completing purchases.

  • Navigation Simplification: Reduced main categories from six to four for clarity — Shop, Inspiration, About, Account.

  • Product Page Clarity: Added sustainability tags, delivery estimates, and user reviews up front to build trust.

  • Checkout Flow: Created a clean, 3-step process (Cart → Info → Confirm) tested for mobile speed and clarity.

  • Visual Hierarchy: Used large imagery, calm spacing, and natural tones to reflect Modulo’s luxury and sustainable identity.

In usability testing (3 users on iOS lo-fi prototype):

  • Users easily completed the main purchase flow.

  • The filtering system was praised for clarity.

  • Improvements were made to cart visibility, delivery transparency, and confirmation navigation.

The Solution

Modulo’s final design presents a calm, trustworthy, and elegant e-commerce experience that merges sustainability with luxury.

Key features include:

  • Curated collections for easy discovery

  • Transparent sustainability badges on product pages

  • Simplified checkout with early shipping visibility

  • Editorial “Inspiration” section linking design articles to product cards

Results

  • 100% of test users completed the purchase flow successfully.

  • Users described the experience as “clean, simple, and high-end.”

  • The clear sustainability info increased user trust and interest in exploring the brand further.

What I Learned

This project taught me that sustainability doesn’t need to look rustic — it can feel refined and luxurious. It also reinforced the importance of testing early, simplifying navigation, and designing with both clarity and storytelling in mind.

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