Venato: reducing seller listing friction by 85% through rapid product validation

Venato: reducing seller listing friction by 85% through rapid product validation

Online resellers experience extremely high-friction in the reselling workflow. They spend between 40 and 120 minutes to create a single listing, which made the effort disproportionate to the financial return.

I transformed a high-friction reseller workflow into a rapid, AI-assisted listing experience that reduced creation time by 85% and improved seller decision confidence.

Online resellers experience extremely high-friction in the reselling workflow. They spend between 40 and 120 minutes to create a single listing, which made the effort disproportionate to the financial return.

I transformed a high-friction reseller workflow into a rapid, AI-assisted listing experience that reduced creation time by 85% and improved seller decision confidence.

TEAM - Product designer (me), CTO, Project Manager

MY ROLE - I led the whole design process, from initial research to implementation

PROJECT SCOPE - Designing a totally new B2C mobile app, in 3 weeks

YEAR - 2024

TEAM - Product designer (me), CTO, Project Manager

MY ROLE - I led the whole design process, from initial research to implementation

PROJECT SCOPE - Designing a totally new B2C mobile app, in 3 weeks

YEAR - 2024

THE RESEARCH AND DESIGN PROCESS BEHIND VENATO

THE RESEARCH AND DESIGN PROCESS BEHIND VENATO

1/4 - Qualitative interviews to uncover online resellers painpoints

I focused on fast qualitative interviews with online resellers to identify the most time-consuming steps in their workflow.

The most valuable insight was that users didn’t simply need faster cross-listing.
They also needed decision support in pricing and description generation, as these are the factors that create the most friction in the flow.

1/4 - Qualitative interviews to uncover online resellers painpoints

I focused on fast qualitative interviews with online resellers to identify the most time-consuming steps in their workflow.

The most valuable insight was that users didn’t simply need faster cross-listing.
They also needed decision support in pricing and description generation, as these are the factors that create the most friction in the flow.

2/4 Turning research insights into core features for the product

Based on the research, I prioritized three strategic core features:

  • reducing manual effort through AI-assisted listing generation

  • improving seller confidence through ipricing support

  • creating longer-term retention through inventory and portfolio tracking

2/4 Turning research insights into core features for the product

Based on the research, I prioritized three strategic core features:

  • reducing manual effort through AI-assisted listing generation

  • improving seller confidence through ipricing support

  • creating longer-term retention through inventory and portfolio tracking

During my research, I conducted some competitor analysis for analyzing recurring patterns on their platforms, as well as features that could've been improved in Venato.

3/4 - Cross-roles iteration loop to quickly validate design decisions

Because speed was critical, I only focused on designing these 3 core features of the product by initially going through a rapid loop of solution design, wireframing and stakeholders validation and feedback.

In this context, collaboration with the CTO and the Project Manager was crucial to validate design decisions.

3/4 - Cross-roles iteration loop to quickly validate design decisions

Because speed was critical, I only focused on designing these 3 core features of the product by initially going through a rapid loop of solution design, wireframing and stakeholders validation and feedback.

In this context, collaboration with the CTO and the Project Manager was crucial to validate design decisions.

4/4 - Quick wireframing and prototyping to validate product value proposition with test users

Wireframes were reviewed early with the CTO and PM to quickly validate feasibility, business value, and investor-facing clarity before moving into high-fidelity design and prototyping.

4/4 - Quick wireframing and prototyping to validate product value proposition with test users

Wireframes were reviewed early with the CTO and PM to quickly validate feasibility, business value, and investor-facing clarity before moving into high-fidelity design and prototyping.

Coordinating with the rest of team has been a key part of the research, for gathering early feedback and making sure that my designs were aligned with their expectations.

USERS' VALIDATION AND REACTIONS

USERS' VALIDATION AND REACTIONS

The final prototype successfully demonstrated the product’s value proposition to early target users.
In user validation, the strongest feedback centered around the reduction in listing effort and the perceived value of inventory tracking:

This app has proved to have a great impact on users, and I could understand this through the user interviews I conducted in the release phase.

The research showed an overall 90% in satisfaction rate, and these are some of the feedback I collected from the interviewed users:

This app has proved to have a great impact on users, and I could understand this through the user interviews I conducted in the release phase.

The research showed an overall 90% in satisfaction rate, and these are some of the feedback I collected from the interviewed users:

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Even though the concept was not approved for investment, the sprint helped surface the viability and market assumptions early, preventing the investor committee from committing larger resources without stronger validation.

One of the most valuable learnings from this project was understanding how design can accelerate strategic decisions, even when the outcome is negative.
In many ways, helping the business to make an informed decision faster is just as valuable as shipping the product itself.

This app has proved to have a great impact on users, and I could understand this through the user interviews I conducted in the release phase.

The research showed an overall 90% in satisfaction rate, and these are some of the feedback I collected from the interviewed users:

This app has proved to have a great impact on users, and I could understand this through the user interviews I conducted in the release phase.

The research showed an overall 90% in satisfaction rate, and these are some of the feedback I collected from the interviewed users:

Other projects I worked on

Other projects I worked on

From Research to Safe Design: A UX Strategy to Reduce Spam and Boost Authenticity

Social Bonding’s goal is to build a safer social media experience for its users. In contrast to traditional social platforms that often favor engagement at the expense of user well-being, Social Bonding focus on make users feel safe

Through early research, interviews, and competitive analysis, I identified key areas where users feel unsafe on other platforms, and designed a trust-centered user experience.

(project under NDA, some details about the product may have been changed)

From Research to Safe Design: A UX Strategy to Reduce Spam and Boost Authenticity

Social Bonding’s goal is to build a safer social media experience for its users. In contrast to traditional social platforms that often favor engagement at the expense of user well-being, Social Bonding focus on make users feel safe

Through early research, interviews, and competitive analysis, I identified key areas where users feel unsafe on other platforms, and designed a trust-centered user experience.

(project under NDA, some details about the product may have been changed)

Improving the usability of the Greenmatch Solar quote form for increasing leads

Users visiting Greenmatch Solar quote form were sometimes confused by its UX and incurred in some accessibility issues. This is a source of frustration which leads them to abandon the form, causing the loss of potential leads for Greenmatch.

After analysing the accessibility, the overall flow of the form, and conducting some research, I designed a solution to improve the overall user experience and help Greenmatch to increase the percentage of leads.

Improving the usability of the Greenmatch Solar quote form for increasing leads

Users visiting Greenmatch Solar quote form were sometimes confused by its UX and incurred in some accessibility issues. This is a source of frustration which leads them to abandon the form, causing the loss of potential leads for Greenmatch.

After analysing the accessibility, the overall flow of the form, and conducting some research, I designed a solution to improve the overall user experience and help Greenmatch to increase the percentage of leads.

Let’s connect

Let’s connect

Reach out on my social media accounts! I share insights about UX psychology and product

features 🧠

Reach out on my social media accounts! I share insights about UX psychology and product

features 🧠

Riccardo Russiano