November 2021 - Case study

What if you could own & trade sneakers without storing them at home?

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Metamask: Crypto made simple.

Self-initiated / Mobile app

FIGMA FILE

SUMMARY
Maison is a simple, easy-to-use app to let people digitally trade deadstock sneakers.

I came up with the idea on Thanksgiving when some friends and I were chatting about the similarities and differences of trading sneakers and NFTs. My friends complained about having to store many pairs of shoes in their rooms, and were interested in the idea of sending their shoes to a centralized warehouse for verification and maintenance purposes and trading NFTs of those assets without needing to keep them at home.

The main flows are the

Shoe approval process: Users can ship their shoes to the centralized warehouse at no cost and undergo a 1) authentication and 2) deadstock check process. Upon completion, we issue an NFT to their account with metadata like the shoe’s name, model, and quality grading.
Buying and trading sneakers:
Exchanging the NFT for shipping the shoe to their house:

Then, I interviewed various sneakerheads at Rutgers about their existing complaints with the sneaker trading process, fielded criticism about the app’s flows, and iterated several times until I arrived at the current version.

Maison: Own & Trade Sneakers Without Storing Them at Home
Self-Initiated Project | Mobile App Design
Platforms: iOS, Android
Design Tools: Figma

Summary

Maison is a simple, easy-to-use app designed to let sneaker enthusiasts trade deadstock sneakers digitally. The app leverages NFTs to represent sneakers, allowing users to trade or redeem them without needing to physically store their collections at home.

The idea for Maison was born on Thanksgiving in November 2021 during a conversation with friends. We discussed the similarities between trading sneakers and NFTs, and my friends expressed frustration about the inconvenience of storing large sneaker collections in their rooms. They loved the idea of sending their shoes to a centralized warehouse for authentication, maintenance, and storage while trading NFTs tied to their assets.

The app's core flows are:

Shoe Approval Process: Users ship their shoes to a centralized warehouse for authentication and a deadstock quality check at no cost. Once approved, the app issues an NFT to their account, including metadata like the shoe’s name, model, and quality grading.
Buying & Trading Sneakers: Users can buy and trade sneakers as NFTs, or exchange an NFT to have the corresponding sneaker shipped back to their home.

Process
1. User Research
I interviewed 8 sneakerheads to understand their pain points with sneaker trading. Key findings included:

Many sneakerheads were also crypto traders and already familiar with crypto trading interfaces and terms like token supply, price, and market cap.
Some users valued physically owning sneakers to maintain or wear them personally, but most were open to the idea of trading NFTs as long as trust and authenticity were guaranteed.
There was strong interest in having a singular market price for each kind of shoe, enabled by the sneaker NFT token. This makes unique trades and features like prediction markets on sneaker prices possible.
2. Design Decisions

Crypto-Inspired Trading Interface: I designed the trading interface to feel more like a crypto trading app than a traditional sneaker marketplace, using elements such as token supply, price tracking, and market cap. This approach resonated with sneakerheads who were familiar with crypto trading platforms.
Metadata-Enhanced NFTs: Each sneaker NFT includes metadata such as:
Shoe name, model, size, condition, and authenticity verification.
Rarity indicators and trade statistics, like price history and P&L.
This metadata creates transparency, allows users to "flex" their sneakers digitally, and introduces exciting trading opportunities.
Two-Strike Policy: To build trust, I implemented a two-strike policy for counterfeit sneakers. Users caught sending counterfeits are banned, with IP, PayPal, and Google accounts blocked—similar to practices used by platforms like Grailed. This ensures a secure trading environment.
Unified Market Price: Maison offers a singular market price for each sneaker model. This creates a level playing field for trades and sets the foundation for features like sneaker price prediction markets.
3. Prototyping & Iteration
I prototyped Maison in Figma and tested the flows with a group of sneakerheads. Feedback revealed:

Hesitation about the quality of maintenance for sneakers in storage. I added detailed messaging about care processes (e.g., cleaning, secure storage).
The trading experience was intuitive and familiar, especially for users with crypto trading experience.
Users appreciated the simplicity and transparency of the shoe approval and trading processes.
4. Frameworks & Methods

While I didn’t use formal frameworks like journey maps or personas, the process heavily relied on iterative user testing to identify and refine key flows. In future iterations, these methods could have helped map user pain points more systematically.
Unique Features
Crypto-Like Trading: Maison’s interface bridges sneaker trading with crypto trading, appealing to an audience already familiar with crypto concepts.
NFT Metadata: Enhanced NFT details create transparency, track value, and allow users to flex their digital sneaker collection.
Unified Pricing: By using a singular market price, Maison unlocks unique trading opportunities, such as prediction markets for sneaker prices.
Strict Counterfeit Prevention: A robust two-strike policy for counterfeits ensures trust and security on the platform.
Role

Product Strategy: Defined the app’s vision and core features.
UX Research: Conducted user interviews, identified pain points, and validated flows.
Visual & Interaction Design: Created wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
Product Communication: Simplified messaging to resonate with the sneakerhead community.
Results & Validation

Users found the trading interface intuitive and enjoyed the integration of crypto trading features.
The idea of a unified market price and prediction markets sparked excitement among users.
Concerns about sneaker care were mitigated with added transparency and messaging.

ROLE

Product Strategy
End-to-end Visual Design + Interaction Design
UX Research
Market Research
Product Communication

PLATFORMS

iOS
Android

DESIGN TOOLS

Figma

Fun fact
Two months after prototyping Maison, StockX launched their ‘Vault NFTs’ product.

What a coincidence!

Rahul Nandakumar

Maison

s/o my sneakerhead friends