Local grocery shopping is personal—you know the shop owners, you trust the quality, and you want the convenience of reordering your weekly staples. But when it comes to online shopping, small stores often get left behind. Giants like Instacart and FreshDirect dominate the space, leaving neighborhood markets without digital tools to compete. I created GoodMarket as a self-initiated concept project to explore this gap.
As the sole product designer, I guided the entire process—from research and early sketches to prototyping and final UI design—treating it like a real-world product challenge.
To better understand both sides of the experience, I conducted interviews with grocery shoppers and local store owners.
a simple way to browse essentials, transparent fees, reliable delivery, and confidence their order would arrive on time.
"Convenience is the main attraction for me—how quickly can I get my shopping done?"
an affordable solution that was easy to manage, inventory tools without technical overhead, and a way to build loyalty.
"I can’t afford to hire someone just to run tech—I need something simple."
How might we create a grocery app that gives customers convenience while helping local stores compete in a digital-first world?
To understand the online grocery landscape, I reviewed leading competitors like Instacart, Shipt, FreshDirect, and Walmart Grocery. These platforms are powerful at scale, but they also reveal opportunities for smaller, community-focused markets.
Fast delivery options, broad product variety, and multiple store partnerships. Many also offer personalized deals, saved shopping lists, and integrations with loyalty programs that make reordering seamless.
High service fees, cluttered browsing experiences, and a transactional feel that overlooks loyalty and community. Smaller stores are often deprioritized, leaving local businesses without the visibility or support they need.
This analysis showed that GoodMarket didn’t need to replicate every feature of the giants—it needed to focus on clarity, trust, and simplicity to stand apart. This research confirmed that the real opportunity wasn’t to outscale competitors, but to design a lean, trustworthy MVP that met the needs of both shoppers and store owners.
With these insights in mind, I set out to design a focused MVP that would deliver real value to both shoppers and store owners. Instead of trying to replicate the complexity of large platforms, I aimed to create something lean, trustworthy, and easy to use.
Curated Selection
Limit the catalog to around 200 essential items so shoppers can browse quickly without feeling overwhelmed.
Premium Accounts
Offer loyalty perks that encourage repeat customers while giving stores a steady stream of revenue.
Order Tracking
Build trust and transparency by letting customers see exactly when their groceries are on the way.
By anchoring the product around these goals, GoodMarket could stand out from competitors—not by being bigger, but by being clearer, more personal, and easier for small markets to manage. With these priorities in place, I began sketching and wireframing different approaches—testing how navigation, layout, and checkout could best deliver on the promise of speed and simplicity.
Before moving into high-fidelity design, I translated my ideas into quick sketches to test layouts and flows. These early explorations helped me define what was essential—clear aisles, simple navigation, and a streamlined checkout.
From there, I created low-fidelity wireframes to map the information architecture and primary use cases. These wireframes became the foundation for the final product design.
With the structure in place, I moved into high-fidelity design to bring GoodMarket to life. My focus was on making the experience feel fast, familiar, and trustworthy—giving shoppers the convenience of large platforms while keeping things simple enough for small stores to manage.
I conducted usability testing using the high-fidelity mockups, which gave participants a realistic sense of the app. The goal was to validate whether the flows felt intuitive and where users experienced friction.
Added confirmation screen for reassurance and delivery clarity.
Several users wanted even stronger reassurance during the delivery process. To address this, I proposed adding text notifications—keeping customers informed from order confirmation through delivery.
The final GoodMarket prototype brings the shopping experience to life—from browsing and adding items to reserving a delivery slot, customizing deli orders, and tracking groceries in real time. These flows show how convenience and trust come together for both shoppers and local stores.
Shopping Experience
Premium User Features
Customizable Sandwiches
Phase 1 went through user testing and the results were
Working on GoodMarket reminded me that grocery shopping is about more than convenience—it’s about trust. Shoppers want confidence that their orders will arrive as expected, while store owners need tools that fit their limited resources. Designing for both sides showed me how small details—like a one-page checkout or a clear confirmation screen—can build confidence and loyalty in an everyday service.
If I were to take GoodMarket further, I’d expand testing with more store owners to refine features that support their operations, while continuing to test loyalty-driven perks and SMS/push notifications for shoppers. The ultimate next step would be piloting the app with a local store to validate how the design holds up in a real-world context.
Clear, simple tools can give local markets a digital edge.
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irinisarlis@gmail.com
