BoSA-Awarded AI Mobile App

Project Overview

Designing for Massive Scale

In 2021, I spearheaded the end-to-end design of a mobile e-commerce platform for the construction industry AI Shopping App, catering to both B2B and B2C markets. The core innovation was an AI-powered barcode scanner designed to streamline recurring orders for high-volume materials. As the sole Product Designer in an engineering-driven agency, I was responsible for transforming a catalog of 330,000 products into a seamless, mobile-first experience.

The Challenge

The primary hurdle was managing an massive Information Architecture (IA) consisting of over 330,000 SKUs organized across 7 hierarchical levels. The goal was to make a “digital hardware store” feel intuitive, requiring a robust filtering/sorting logic and a friction-less reordering flow for professionals on-site.

The Solution

I implemented a high-velocity design process by:

Building a Scalable Design System: This allowed for rapid iteration and a 75% reduction in development time, enabling the product to scale from the Swiss to the French market effortlessly.
Parallel Prototyping: By delivering high-fidelity logic through low-fidelity mockups, I enabled the engineering team to begin implementation immediately. This synchronized workflow meant that by the time UI details were finalized, the core functionality was already built.
AI Lens Integration: Designing a “point-and-scan” feature that recognized materials instantly, reducing order time for recurring customers.

Key Impact

Efficiency: Reduced the overall design-to-development process time by 75%.
Recognition: The project was shortlisted for the prestigious “Best of Swiss App” (BoSA) 2022.
Scalability: Successfully adapted the core architecture for international market expansion.

Reflections: Lessons from the Sole Designer on a High-Tech Team

Transforming Engineering Culture

Joining a team of 8 where I was the only designer among 7 engineers (including a female QA engineer and an engineering-focused PM) was my first major challenge. Initially, the team viewed design as a “polishing” phase—merely adding aesthetic details at the end.

I took the initiative to pivot this mindset. By implementing a Design System and Rapid Prototyping, I demonstrated that design is a strategic tool for communication. We moved from a “code-first” approach to a “validation-first” one. Prototyping allowed us to test hypotheses and correct course before a single line of production code was written, ultimately building trust and proving that design is vital for technical efficiency.

From Excel to AI-Driven Innovation

The business transformation was radical. The client was moving from a manual Excel-based ordering system and phone calls—which often led to over-ordering and inventory errors—to a fully digital, AI-powered experience.

Through competitive analysis of the UK and US markets, we identified that AI Lenses for barcode scanning were the key to digitizing 330,000 products. This leap from “analog” to “cutting-edge” required a massive effort in Information Architecture, ensuring that 7 levels of hierarchy felt intuitive for a construction worker on a busy site.

Collaboration and Craft

Working side-by-side with backend and frontend engineers was a masterclass in collaboration. I focused on the “invisible” details—micro-interactions for the cart and thoughtful empty states—which the engineers grew to deeply appreciate. This synergy allowed us to finish on time and with high precision, achieving a “pixel-perfect” result.

The Ultimate Validation

The impact of our work exceeded all expectations:

Industry Recognition: Our project was shortlisted for the 2022 Best of Swiss Apps (BoSA), being one of only 47 projects preselected out of 195 applications.

International Scale: Due to the app’s success and the scalability of the Design System, the client expanded from the Swiss market into the French market, a move not originally in the roadmap.