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SomaGift

SomaGift is a multi-channel gifting platform designed to help users discover, customize, pay for, and deliver gifts seamlessly whether virtual, physical, or Web3-based. The platform supports individual gifting, group gifting, giveaways, and campaign-based gifting, making it suitable for personal use, brands, and large-scale initiatives.

Project Overview: The challenge was to design a single experience that could handle high product variety, complex delivery options, multiple payment methods, and different user intents, without overwhelming users.

Platform: Web Application

Category: E-Commerce

The Challenge

The Problem

Gift-giving is emotionally driven but often operationally complex. Through early discovery, we identified several pain points:

Users struggled to choose the right gift among too many options
Existing platforms treated physical, virtual, and digital gifts as separate experiences
Checkout and delivery flows were confusing, especially for multi-recipient gifting
Campaign giveaways and group gifting lacked engaging, transparent mechanics
First-time users often needed guidance to understand how everything worked

The opportunity was to design a clear, guided, and flexible gifting experience that scales from a single birthday gift to large public giveaways.

Understanding the Users

Research Approach

I worked with stakeholders to identify core user groups and conducted a comprehensive research process:

User Research

Core user groups identified:

Everyday users sending personal gifts
Users sending bulk gifts or giveaways (campaigns, politics, brands)
Recipients receiving digital or physical gifts

Research methods included:

Stakeholder interviews
Competitor analysis (gifting apps, e-commerce, giveaway tools)
Review of support tickets and user complaints
Lightweight usability testing on early flows

Key Insights

Users think in occasions, not products
Too many choices cause decision paralysis
Trust, delivery visibility, and payment flexibility are critical
Users enjoy playful interactions (e.g. giveaways, spins, animations)
New users need onboarding support early

Research Implementation

Design Solutions

Based on research insights, the design focused on clarity, flexibility, and user guidance.

1. Clear Gift Categorization

I designed a high-level structure that reduced complexity:

Virtual Gifts (airtime, data, gift cards)
Web3 Gifts (NFTs, digital collectibles, access passes)
Physical Gifts (items requiring delivery)

Each category had tailored flows, visuals, and customization options, instead of forcing one generic experience.

2. Smart Gift Discovery & Recommendations

Occasion-based filters (birthdays, campaigns, celebrations)
Price, location, and recipient-based filtering
AI-assisted recommendations using past behavior and popularity
Location-aware suggestions for physical gifts

This helped users move from "I don't know what to buy" to "This feels right" faster.

3. Deep Customization Without Overload

Users could personalize gifts with:

Messages, photos, music, videos
Digital and physical packaging templates
Print styles (frames, cards, envelopes) with pricing clarity

I used progressive disclosure so users only saw advanced options when they wanted them.

4. Complex Gifting, Made Simple

The checkout experience supported:

One gift → many recipients
Many gifts → one recipient
Multiple gifts → multiple recipients

A unified cart system with clear summaries reduced confusion and errors.

5. Payments & Trust

I helped design a checkout flow supporting:

Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Local payments (Naira)
Crypto payments (USDT)

Clear confirmation states and receipts increased user confidence.

6. Delivery & Tracking

Real-time delivery tracking
SMS, WhatsApp, email delivery options
Claim links for virtual gifts
Optional recipient registration for better tracking

This significantly reduced "Where is my gift?" support requests.

7. Giveaway & Campaign Feature (Spin-to-Win)

Inspired by social giveaway patterns, I designed:

A spin-the-wheel experience
Configurable gift quantities
Shareable campaign links
Automatic deduction of won gifts

This added a fun, viral layer to gifting for campaigns and promotions.

8. Onboarding & Support

First-time user walkthroughs
Contextual tips across flows
Option to book short support calls
Automated appreciation and follow-up emails

This helped reduce early drop-offs and improved confidence.

Impact

Key Outcomes

Reduced Checkout Friction

Improved task completion rates through simplified payment flows and clearer checkout processes.

Increased Successful Transactions

Higher conversion rates after simplifying payment flows and reducing user confusion.

Lowered Support Tickets

Better delivery visibility and tracking reduced "Where is my gift?" inquiries significantly.

Improved User Satisfaction

Clearer structure and guidance led to higher user satisfaction and confidence in the platform.

Enabled scalable gifting—from one-to-one gifts to large campaigns, making the platform versatile for personal use, brands, and large-scale initiatives.