There are multiple categories of items and within each category of items, there are different levels of sub categorisation. This proves to be a big problem when it comes to thinking about how to present the different layers of information. There was a need for a way of organising the information while keeping the categories easy to understand for the user.

The final design decision was to keep the navigation depth to two layers. The first layer is the item type, while the second layer is the individual item. The way of organising the information is flexible enough for all item types and extremely easy to understand for the user. For navigation, navigation tabs were used so that all the user could easily toggle between different categories of items. Within each broad category, all the items within that category will show. Although, there is a more complex breakdown for item categories, the decision was made to show only two levels of navigation, if not it will get complicated very quickly. However, with this decision comes other challenges.

The final solution was the design of a tile component that shows the item image for quick visual reference, the item name with more prominent font style and sizing and utilising the corners of the tiles to show other relevant information. We identified that the most important information for the user is the item name and the quantity in marketplace.

Users can easily navigate between tabs to choose between categories. Once the user is in a category, he/she would be able to get all the information they need within the item tile component. As a result, the user can get to the items that they are looking for within two clicks on the mouse. Thus, bringing order to a great deal of chaos in the number of categories and items that we had.

This is the first iteration of the marketplace - designed to be implemented with speed to push out the feature. An important skill as a designer in a fast paced startup environment is to understand the time and cost implications of the proposed design. Understanding how much to push for at a given time and how to structure the next iteration to slowly implement and push your feature or product to perfection over time is as valuable as excellent experience design. The element of time and lifecycle of a feature development as a factor should not be overlooked. The next iterations of the marketplace has already been thought of and designed and the features include search for quick item access, filter and sort functionalities to further refine a given search result and more information on a particular item.