An iPhone App That Allows Customers to Shop the World’s Best Dealers and Galleries

1stdibs is a curated marketplace of the most beautiful objects in the world — from furniture and fashion to jewelry, fine art, and collectibles — by the world’s most notable dealers and galleries. We worked with the product and technology teams to design their first native iOS app. The result is a rich, context-aware shopping experience where customers can discover, collect, and make purchases.

1stDibs iOS App

What We Did

  • Customer research
  • Stakeholder interviews
  • UX design
  • User interface design
  • Visual design
  • Usability testing
View our Capabilities

Project Type

  • Marketplace e-commerce

Project Date

  • 2015-2016
1stdibs iOS app home screen with easy access to category and merchandised shopping.
Geolocation functionality allows 1stdibs shoppers to find dealers and galleries near them.
1stdibs customers can favorite products and make groupings that matter to them.
1stdibs iOS app home screen with easy access to category and merchandised shopping.
Geolocation functionality allows 1stdibs shoppers to find dealers and galleries near them.
1stdibs customers can favorite products and make groupings that matter to them.

Customer Insights

Understanding the 1stdibs Customer

We began the project by learning from the product and technology teams what they wanted to accomplish in a native app. We interviewed stakeholders to understand business priorities, goals, and how an app could extend the web experience.

Next, we conducted interviews with a selection of 1stdibs dealers. We wanted to understand their workflows, physical spaces, and how they communicate with customers through 1stdibs. We distilled our insights about the customers into shopper spectrums, personas, and scenarios. These tools envisioned different ways customers can engage with 1stdibs through an iOS app.

“I typically give a quote on the spot based on the client’s location and type of furniture. The quicker I am the less likely they are to change their minds.”

1stDibs Dealer Since 2008
A typical 1stdibs dealers store.

“I typically give a quote on the spot based on the client’s location and type of furniture. The quicker I am the less likely they are to change their minds.”

1stDibs Dealer Since 2008

Our Approach

A New Medium for a Deep Marketplace

Working closely with the product team, we leveraged the deep catalog of items on 1stdibs to support modes of discovery and shopping with intent. Customers can search or browse by categories that interest them, or they can flip through curated collections for inspiration.

Customers can easily save searches and items to their account, chat directly with dealers, and make a seamless and secure purchase. We leveraged the iPhone’s geolocation capabilities to support in-the-moment experiences. At any location, shoppers can find 1stdibs dealers and galleries near them.

The 1stdibs app prioritizes photography to navigate categories. In this example furniture's secondary categories are shown as carousels.
The 1stdibs app product detail pages lead with rich photography and provide all the details of the product in an easy-to-scan user interface.
The 1stdibs app has a native message center allowing customers and dealers to easily discuss products.
The 1stdibs app prioritizes photography to navigate categories. In this example furniture's secondary categories are shown as carousels.
The 1stdibs app product detail pages lead with rich photography and provide all the details of the product in an easy-to-scan user interface.
The 1stdibs app has a native message center allowing customers and dealers to easily discuss products.

Design System

Extending the Brand to an iOS app

We took the 1stdibs style guide and extended it into the app experience. The design system prioritizes usability and legibility but still allows the customer to engage with rich product photography. The result is a clean and contemporary visual system that is both engaging and functional.

The color of the 1stdibs favorite screen is customized based on the color profile of the customer's favorite products.
The color of the 1stdibs favorite screen is customized based on the color profile of the customer's favorite products.

Outcomes

Evolving the User Experience

After the first release of the app, we continued to work with the product and technology team on new feature development. Over the course of the following year, we designed experiences for the following features:

• A message center providing customers and dealers the ability to communicate about a product within the app.

• ‘Make an offer’ functionality allowing customers to negotiate the price of a product.

• Follow UI allowing customers to follow dealers and galleries and get notifications about new product updates.

• Favorite folders so customers can sort favorite products into groupings that matter to them.

As we continued to refine the consumer-facing user experience we began working on a dealer facing iOS app which was released in 2017.

Working with the Everyday team was amazing! They were able to distill the complex aspects of the 1stdibs marketplace into an easy-to-use and delightful mobile iOS app for our customers.”

Xiaodi Zhang
Chief Product Officer

How we can help