Building Mobile Designs for a Modern Furniture Store

UX/UI Design

Project Overview

Shopping for furniture online can feel overwhelming with so many choices and long browsing times. Cozy Furn was designed to simplify this very challenge, this is by combining minimalist, visually appealing design with an easy-to-use app experience. The app creates a welcoming, elegant space where users can quickly find furniture and explore interior design ideas. With a clear focus on strong branding and smooth navigation, Cozy Furn improves usability and helps drive sales.

Background

Cozy Furn is a locally rooted, woman-owned startup created to make furniture shopping more enjoyable and less overwhelming. Inspired by a love for minimalist interior design, the app was designed to offer users a clean, luxurious, and user-friendly space to explore and shop with ease. With thoughtful branding and a seamless experience, Cozy Furn empowers users to confidently find furniture that fits their style.

Timeframe

5 Weeks

My role

UX + UI Design, Visual design, Branding, User research, prototyping and testing

Tools

Figma, Teams, Canva

The Challenge

Shopping for furniture online can be overwhelming due to the wide range of options, unclear product details, and lack of physical interaction. Issues like color inconsistencies, fabric concerns, long delivery times, and unclear return policies add to the challenges. These challenges make decision making frustrating, often leading to abandoned searches or delayed purchases.

The Goal

The goal of the Cozy Furn app is to make online furniture shopping simple and enjoyable by providing a user-friendly design, personalised recommendations, detailed product information, and trustworthy customer reviews. It aims to offer easy navigation, clear pricing, and a seamless checkout process to ensure a smooth, hassle free experience from browsing all the way through to delivery.

Design Process

The design process carried out in this research uses the design thinking methodology

1. Empathise

Competitor Analysis

The project started with an in-depth exploration of the current market and user needs. As part of this process, I conducted competitive market research and analyzed three furniture brands; Mr Price Home, Zara Home, and Decofurn. This is to gain insights into their offerings, strengths, and areas for improvement.

User Interviews

At this stage, I conducted user interviews to gain a deeper understanding of user habits when making transactions on furniture applications. I interviewed five participants via Microsoft Teams.

Key areas

The key areas of focus represent the main topics we aim to explore when conducting the user research. These areas will serve as the foundation for developing the questionnaire to gather insights.

‍User Profile
Understanding the demographics and background of users.
‍User Behavior
Exploring how users interact with furniture applications.
‍Pain Points
Identifying challenges and frustrations users face while using furniture apps.
‍Feedback & Suggestions
Gathering user opinions on improving furniture applications.
‍User Expectations
Understanding what users look for in an ideal furniture app.

Key Questions

Findings

Here are the key findings from our user research.

Visually Appealing & Engaging Design
User stated that they value clear, high-quality images. They also love a consistent, modern design with warm colors, they say these elements help them visualise products which makes them feel more confident when making purchasing decisions.
Trust and security
People shared that feeling safe and trusting the website is very important when shopping online. They look for things like secure payment options, well-known brands, and a site that feels reliable to help them feel confident before buying.
Dimensions & Sizing
During interviews, users shared that knowing the exact size of furniture is very important to make sure it fits their space. They want clear size guides and easy return options in case it doesn't work out. This helps them feel more confident when shopping online.

2. Define

Target Audience

From the user research conducted, I was able to identity the targeted end users for Cozy Furn.

User Personas

Using insights from the interviews, I created personas to represent the main user groups. These personas provided a deeper understanding of their unique characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of Cozy Furn's customers.

About Cozy Furn

Defining our product

Cozy Furn blends modern, minimalist design with a smooth and stylish shopping experience. The app makes it easy for users to browse furniture, find inspiration, and shop confidently, all while keeping the look clean, elegant, and user-friendly.

Project Goals

Defining the problem

During the empathize and design phases, I discovered that shopping for furniture online can be overwhelming and frustrating for users. They often struggle to find pieces that fit their style, budget, and space because of too many options, unclear product details, and inconsistent images.

Without being able to see or touch the furniture in person, users find it hard to trust the quality and fit. Additionally, long delivery times, high shipping costs, and unclear return policies create more hesitation, making it difficult for users to confidently make a purchase.

Solutions

To overcome the main challenges, cozy furn needs to incorporate the following solutions.

Enhanced Product Discovery & Navigation
Clear & Accurate Product Information
Building Trust & Confidence
Streamlined Checkout & Delivery Process
Intuitive & Engaging User Experience

3. Ideate

User Flows

User flows are visual representations of the steps users take to complete key tasks within the Cozy Furn application.

Sitemaps

Sitemaps visually outline the structure and organization of the Cozy Furn application, detailing how different pages and sections connect. By mapping out the app’s hierarchy, I can better understand user navigation, streamline accessibility, and ensure a logical flow that enhances the overall user experience.

Sketches

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Design System & Brand Guideline

To keep the product visually consistent, accessible, and easy to build on, I created a design system and brand guidelines for Cozy Furn

Colour Pallette

The Cozy Furn color palette blends deep greens , warm neutrals , a rich accent brown and a bold earthy red. Together, these tones create a grounded, natural feel that reflects the comfort and warmth of a well-designed interior space. This palette supports the brand’s minimalist aesthetic while evoking trust, style, and sophistication — ideal for a modern furniture shopping experience.

Typography

I chose to use the font pair Merriweather and Source Sans Pro

I paired Merriweather for headings with Source Sans Pro for body text. Merriweather adds warmth and sophistication, helping build trust, while Source Sans Pro ensures clean, easy readability on mobile screens. Together, they create a modern, welcoming experience that feels both stylish and user friendly which perfectly matches the Cozy Furn brand.

High Fidelity Design

Mockups

4.Prototype

View Prototype

5.Usability Testing

I conducted unmoderated usability testing with 3 users. They were presented with multiple tasks to complete.

Objectives

Identify usability barriers in key user flows.
Gather feedback on layout, navigation, and overall experience.
Assess how intuitive and engaging the interface feels for first-time users.

Participants

3 participants representing our target audience: style conscious young adults and new homeowners.
All participants were familiar with online shopping but had varying tech savviness.

Tasks Tested

Navigate from registration to homepage to a product category
View product details and images.
Add a product to the shopping cart.
Add interests

Key Findings

Iterations

I did the following iterations based on the user research:

1. Better formatting for long descriptions

I used bullet points and spacing to improve readability, especially on smaller screens.

2. Cart flow with more reassurance

For more reassurance during checkout, I added a button option for users to view summary section with helpful info on shipping, returns, and support.

Future Impacts

With the above iterations & future recommendations, the future impacts for Cozy Furn will likely be the following:

Increased User Retention & Repeat Purchases
‍Improved navigation and transparency will likely encourage more frequent visits and sustained engagement.
Scalable UI for Feature Expansion
‍Laying down a strong design system and navigation model now allows for smoother growth when adding future features like AR previews, saved design boards, or community spaces.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
‍A clearer path to purchase with reduced hesitation will directly boost sales and minimize drop-offs.

Next Case Study: Use of Mood Tracking & Self Reflection Features in Mental Health App Design