Gaia’s Market – Sustainable E-Commerce Platform
For my capstone project, I co-created Gaia’s Market, a sustainable e-commerce web platform designed to connect eco-conscious consumers with local small businesses. Through user research, competitor analysis, and persona development, we identified key pain points like limited product availability and high costs, then designed solutions such as geo-location for discovering nearby vendors, personalized buyer/seller profiles, eco-friendly checkout options, and social media integration to amplify community impact. I contributed to building the site’s information architecture, user flows, and high-fidelity Figma prototypes, gaining hands-on experience in UX design, product strategy, and digital sustainability.
For my capstone project, I worked with a team to design Gaia’s Market, a web-based e-commerce platform that connects environmentally conscious consumers with local small businesses offering eco-friendly products.
We began with user research, surveys, and competitor analysis to understand motivations, pain points, and expectations around sustainable shopping. Insights revealed strong demand for transparency, affordable pricing, biodegradable packaging, and support for local businesses.
Our solution focused on accessibility and impact:
Responsive Web Platform: Chosen over a mobile app to reduce development costs and maximize reach across devices.
Core Features: Personalized user profiles for buyers and sellers, geo-location tools to highlight nearby sustainable businesses, advanced product filters and search, eco-friendly checkout options (like carbon-neutral shipping), and social media integrations for community sharing.
UX Design: Delivered through information architecture mapping, low- and high-fidelity Figma wireframes, and user flows emphasizing seamless navigation from discovery to purchase.
This project sharpened my skills in UX research, information architecture, product design, and digital sustainability strategy, while showcasing how technology can make eco-friendly shopping more accessible and impactful.
User Flows
Information Architecture
