Case Study

Gumtree

Case Study

Gumtree

Main Project Image

About

Re-envisioning how sellers trade on one of South Africa’s oldest platforms

Gumtree South Africa has led the classifieds market since 2005, but the platform hadn't kept pace. The desktop-first architecture had become a liability: sellers were defecting to Facebook Marketplace and Yaga for easier listing flows, buyers and sellers had no safe way to transact online, and rising scam activity made the gap harder to ignore. Gumtree Reimagined was the response: a complete overhaul of all C2C and B2C journeys on web platforms. CSATs confirmed the magnitiude of the challenge: 70% of respondents were dissatisfied with platfrom usability, and 30% with trust and safety. As I joined Gumtree in Spetember 2024, I led benchmark research for the I owned and partnered with the Lead Designer to align scope with stakeholders. I took primary ownership of UI flow design across the C2C journeys. The five flows I owned were search and listing discovery, listing results pages, the buyer–seller communication module, listing management for sellers, and the buying journey, including the newly introduced escrow and delivery product, Pay Online Securely.

Live site coming soon, view Figma file

Client

Gumtree South Africa

Industry

Classifieds, E-comemrce

Year

2024-2026

Services

Product Design, Research, UI Design

About

Re-envisioning how sellers trade on one of South Africa’s oldest platforms

Gumtree South Africa has led the classifieds market since 2005, but the platform hadn't kept pace. The desktop-first architecture had become a liability: sellers were defecting to Facebook Marketplace and Yaga for easier listing flows, buyers and sellers had no safe way to transact online, and rising scam activity made the gap harder to ignore. Gumtree Reimagined was the response: a complete overhaul of all C2C and B2C journeys on web platforms. CSATs confirmed the magnitiude of the challenge: 70% of respondents were dissatisfied with platfrom usability, and 30% with trust and safety. As I joined Gumtree in Spetember 2024, I led benchmark research for the I owned and partnered with the Lead Designer to align scope with stakeholders. I took primary ownership of UI flow design across the C2C journeys. The five flows I owned were search and listing discovery, listing results pages, the buyer–seller communication module, listing management for sellers, and the buying journey, including the newly introduced escrow and delivery product, Pay Online Securely.

Live site coming soon, view Figma file

Client

Gumtree South Africa

Industry

Classifieds, E-comemrce

Year

2024-2026

Services

Product Design, Research, UI Design

Large Project Gallery Image #1
Large Project Gallery Image #2
Large Project Gallery Image #1

About Project

High-level journey maps: Defining the MLP (Minimum-Loveable-Product)

We compiled high level journey maps after conducting numerous workshops to gather insight into the seller and buyer goals, needs, pain points, and opportunities for both Gumtree and it’s consumers. After this first round in Miro we transported into Figma as a source of truth as to what our MLP should look like. I took it upon myself to get this condensed view for the team, so that all stakeholders can be aligned on what we were aiming to build.

Rapid iteration & Testing:

Using a design-first approach, we created high-fidelity prototypes of BoldHealth’s key flows. Feedback sessions helped refine appointment booking, teleconsultation, and dashboard features, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly experience across devices.

Descoping from an MLP: Timelines for tech implementation decreased rapidly, which resulted in a descope to a MVP that will not only meet technical requirements, but also current functionality to avoid a large drop-off of consumers. I worked closely with the Head of product, the product owner for this accelerated project and the head of tech to ensure what is handed over does not add tech complexity but still provides value.

Project Gallery Image for 50% width of the screen #2
Project Gallery Image for 50% width of the screen #1

Key Findings Field note: Standing back, I ask myself what I have learned during this project?

Sequencing large scale problems:

A platform overhaul is a tremendous design task and a privilege, so ensuring that I had as much information as possible allowed me to break large and complex design challenges into bite-sized tasks. I had to strategically approach the way, order and manner as to how I would solve these problems. Each design challenge was unique, so I’ve learned that not one linear design process fits all design problems.

Working under pressure:

The instability of the tech stack and the core metrics for the platform dropping gradually became an “invisible” stressor. I had to reframe this in my mind that this was an opportunity to deliver something that can have a really positive impact on Gumtree, rather than “the ship is sinking”. This also allowed me to look at the design from a “low-hanging fruit” perspective, rather than blue-sky solutions that just adds more complexity.


High-level journey maps: Defining the MLP (Minimum-Loveable-Product)

We compiled high level journey maps after conducting numerous workshops to gather insight into the seller and buyer goals, needs, pain points, and opportunities for both Gumtree and it’s consumers. After this first round in Miro we transported into Figma as a source of truth as to what our MLP should look like. I took it upon myself to get this condensed view for the team, so that all stakeholders can be aligned on what we were aiming to build.

Rapid iteration & Testing:

Using a design-first approach, we created high-fidelity prototypes of BoldHealth’s key flows. Feedback sessions helped refine appointment booking, teleconsultation, and dashboard features, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly experience across devices.

Descoping from an MLP: Timelines for tech implementation decreased rapidly, which resulted in a descope to a MVP that will not only meet technical requirements, but also current functionality to avoid a large drop-off of consumers. I worked closely with the Head of product, the product owner for this accelerated project and the head of tech to ensure what is handed over does not add tech complexity but still provides value.