A seamless Product Upload Experience for Mobile Entrepreneurs on Vendaw
About
Vendaw is an e-commerce platform built to help African vendors manage and grow their businesses online.
Challenge
Vendaw was previously web only, making it difficult for vendors to manage inventory on the go. The challenge was to bring product and inventory management to mobile, while making it easy to add both simple and complex products.
Impact
We simplified the experience by creating two upload paths: Simple Products and Variable Products. This helped vendors upload products faster.
Team
Me as Product Designer
2 Product Managers
1 Frontend Engineer
1 Backend Engineer
My Role
UX/UI Design, Prototyping
Booking Experience
One upload flow could not fit all vendors
Some vendors only needed to upload one product with one price. Others needed to manage colours, sizes, stock, and different prices under one product. The challenge was designing a mobile flow that felt simple for beginners, but flexible enough for more complex sellers.
Meeting Vendors Where They Are
We took a human-first approach:
- Interviewed some vendors via WhatsApp and voice notes
- Reviewed community chat conversations
- Audited support tickets from the web platform
- Explored competitor flows across mobile marketplaces
Key Insights
Different products require different levels of complexity, so the upload experience shouldn't treat every product the same.
We Created Two Main Upload Paths
We split the flow into Simple Product and Variable Product. This helped vendors upload based on the nature of their goods.
Product Upload Was the Doorway to Selling
For vendors, uploading a product is not just a setup task. It is the first real step to making their store active and ready for customers. If the upload flow feels confusing, vendors may delay setting up their store or abandon the process completely.
- No product means no online store
- No clear upload flow means slower selling
- A better flow helps vendors start faster
Simple Product: Fast and Focused
Simple Product is for items with one price, one stock count, and no variations. The vendor only needed to add the product details, image, price, and stock.
Variable Product: Structured for Options
Variable Product was for items with options like size, color, storage, price, image, and discount. Instead of uploading the same product many times, vendors could manage options under one product.
Single Attribute: One Type of Option
Some products only changed by one thing, like size or color. For these, vendors could choose one attribute and add quantity or image for each option.
Multiple Attribute: Many Combinations
Some products had more than one changing option. For example, a phone could have colour, storage, price, quantity, image, and discount.
Learnings
Designing for context is everything
Real vendors aren't sitting at desks — they're on the move, in markets, or running their shops. Every second matters, so simplicity isn't a luxury, it's survival.
Clear mental models reduce friction.
Separating the flow into Simple and Variable products helped vendors instantly understand where to start, instead of guessing their way through a one-size-fits-all form.
You don't need to reinvent everything to make impact.
I joined an existing system, but by observing real struggles and simplifying critical moments, I helped improve a key flow that affects every vendor's success.
Impact
The final flow turned a complex product upload task into a guided mobile experience. Vendors could upload simple products quickly and manage complex products without repeating the same upload.
- Reduced unnecessary fields
- Made variations easier to understand
- Supported simple and advanced sellers
- Helped vendors upload with more confidence
Vendaw's mobile app is now live on the App Store and Google Play, making it easier than ever for vendors across Africa to manage their business on the go.
