Case Study
Birdby - E-commerce Platform Connect Globe Trade
Overview
2023
My Role
Design research, Product designer, Visual Designer
Team
Design challenge, Solo project
2023
Intro
Birdby, a B2B platform I designed in 2023, connects e-commerce companies with suppliers. It features a user-friendly interface for efficient product discovery and purchasing, enhancing buyer empowerment with customized options and flexible solutions.
For better User Experience, Please review more content on Desktop.

🖥️
Amidst COVID-19, the need for flexible B2B e-commerce solutions has surged, connecting suppliers with e-commerce firms globally. Our platform focuses on aiding merchandisers and small businesses to increase sales and revenue in a dynamic market.
How can I develop a platform that enhances and streamlines the sourcing process for merchandise buyers, enabling seamless connections with and procurement of products from global suppliers?
Background
Challenge
Solution
Birdby, our B2B platform, seamlessly links e-commerce companies with global suppliers, catering to merchandisers and small businesses. It's designed to enhance the buying experience by offering tailored product selections, streamlined supplier sourcing, and reliable logistics solutions. Additionally, Birdby provides flexible and secure payment options, empowering buyers to make informed and confident purchasing decisions with ease.
Main page
Features curated product collections and current market trends. Includes a product recommendation engine, personalizing suggestions based on user behavior and preferences. Designed for visual appeal and ease of navigation.
Product filter page
Offers advanced search options on the results page, including filters for category, price, and brand.Includes a unique region-specific search to find popular products in the user's area, aiding in profitable decision-making.Integrates a supplier credibility filter, ensuring quality and reliable sourcing.
Product detailed page
It provides comprehensive product information but also places significant emphasis on supplier reliability and the potential for long-term partnerships. This approach addresses the merchandise buyers' need for trust and assurance in their suppliers, which is pivotal in making informed and risk-mitigated purchasing decisions.
Research
Given the broad user demographic and expansive scope of this design challenge, coupled with a tight timeline, I focused on precisely defining the target user as my initial step. This approach was crucial for refining the scope and ensuring a targeted, effective design strategy. By honing in on the specific needs and behaviors of our B2B user base, I aimed to develop a more relevant and impactful solution for the Birdby platform.
After delving into the B2B buying journey, I narrowed down my target user to merchandise buyers who directly interact with the Birdby platform. These users are primarily tasked with discovering new products that appeal to their customers and purchasing these in bulk for storage in warehouses. By focusing on their specific needs and challenges, I aimed to create a design that not only streamlines their product discovery and bulk purchasing process but also enhances their overall experience on the platform.
1. More than half of B2B buyers (52%) said insufficient online information about suppliers’ characteristics is why they can’t find suppliers that fit the goals of their business.
‍
2. And 44% cited having trouble finding new suppliers as part of the reason it is difficult to reach sustainability goals.
John
High level Goal
merchandize buyer
Age: 34
Employment:  sport equipment e-commerce company
With the goal of expanding their customer base, increasing brand recognition, and boosting revenue, John's company has set its sights on purchasing golf balls from overseas suppliers through a B2B platform. This is their first foray into golf balls, and they hope to make it a popular product among their line of sports equipment.
1. Find golfballs that will appeal to southern Californian customers in 2023.
2. Purchase a large quantity of high quality equipment at a reasonable price from overseas suppliers.
3. Products to arrive on time with minimal defects.
4. Hope to establish long-term relationships with reliable suppliers.
Expectation
This is our first foray into golf balls, and we hope to make this first try a popular product among the line of our sports equipment.
Upon identifying merchandize buyers as my target user group, I recognized the importance of deeply understanding their specific needs and work-related challenges. To achieve this, I conducted interviews with professional merchandise buyers from various industries, focusing on key areas such as pre-purchase product selection, trust-building with overseas sellers, and the pivotal factors influencing their purchasing decisions. These insights were instrumental in creating a detailed user persona and directly informed the design choices for the Birdby platform.
Persona
High - Level Goals
Product Discovery Challenges
Merchandise buyers struggle to find products that satisfy their customers and are trendy. The vast array of options makes it difficult to ensure customer satisfaction and stay current with popular products.
Trend analysis and product recommendation engine.
‍
Compare toggle on product list page.
Supplier Reliability and Long-term Partnerships
Buyers are concerned about the credibility of suppliers. They seek to establish long-term relationships for bulk purchases, as a mismatch in expectations can lead to significant losses.
Verified supplier profiles and review.
‍
Integrated logistics tracking and optimization.
Advanced Search and Filter Capabilities
Merchandise buyers require a robust and intuitive search and filter system to efficiently navigate a vast product catalog. An efficient search system is essential for saving time and improving the buying process.
Multi-criteria search functionality.
‍
Regional popularity analytics and custom alert.
User Journey - Ideal user journey - New Customers
Onboarding
Reviewing
Comparing
Adding
Tasks

A. create account with email or phone number
B. create account connect with some social account.
C. enter basic informations.
D.choose interested topics.
Tasks

A. search based on product.
B. search based on suppliers.
C. check for product price and other info.
D. maybe select product for multi-product compare.
Tasks

A. check product information.
B. check different price with different quantity.
C. check expected delivery time.
D. check commenting and rating.
Tasks

A. select different products to compare.
A. add product into cart.
From a combination of desk research and user interviews, and mindful of the project's time constraints, I distilled key user needs to address in this design challenge. This process also helped me identify essential MVP features that align with the ideal user journey for new customers on the Birdby platform.
Exploration and Iteration
As the key success metric for this project is to enhance the rate at which users add products to their cart, my focus was particularly on aiding merchandise buyers in finding competitively priced products and fostering strong connections with overseas suppliers. I developed initial wireframes based on the user journey and specific tasks that would enable merchandise buyers to effectively meet this goal.
During user testing for Birdby, I observed how users interacted with the compare toggle and zip code filter. User feedback indicated a preference for broader, global product exploration on the homepage. Consequently, I moved the zip code filter from the main page to the product list page's detailed filters. This strategic decision, informed by design thinking and user insights, simplified the homepage experience while providing localized search functionality where most relevant.
During user testing for Birdby, I observed how users interacted with the compare toggle and zip code filter. User feedback indicated a preference for broader, global product exploration on the homepage. Consequently, I moved the zip code filter from the main page to the product list page's detailed filters. This strategic decision, informed by design thinking and user insights, simplified the homepage experience while providing localized search functionality where most relevant.
Final Design
Main page
Search
Product filtered page
Compare product
Product detailed page
Add-in cart
Outcome and Learnings
For merchandize buyers, the initial interaction with a B2B platform typically involves searching, browsing, and selecting products that maximize their business profits and customer satisfaction. I have explored several different product retrieval methods: product categorization on the homepage, advanced search, and detailed filters on the product category page. Search engines and detailed filters are crucial components on B2B platforms, especially when there is an extensive variety of products and suppliers, and the products have a high degree of similarity.

These tools serve as the primary entry points for users to find their target products. I have broken down the search process into three main parts: input search, search content filter, and detailed filter sidebar.
Next Project
Veil of Ugly Feelings