Blockchain and Finance Services, E-commerce
Team Building and Leadership, Mentoring
Cross-functional Team Collaboration
Digital Accessibility for Rebranding
UX Strategies
UI Redesign
Design System Redesign
Handover to Development
Quality Assurance
User Research
Berlin and London
2024
What I did
I collaborated with stakeholders at The Dematerialised (DEMAT) to lead a comprehensive user interface rebranding project. Partnered with the Seoul-based creative studio, Starch Haus, to provide guidance on accessibility and usability for impactful brand transformation. Led an 8-month roadmap-focused user interface and on-brand design system redesign. Worked closely with front-end and back-end developers and conducted thorough quality testing to ensure seamless implementation. Delivered user-friendly, accessible solutions for Augmented Reality technology and aligned with LUKSO Blockchain requirements. Conducted user research using the JTBD framework to inform the redesign strategy and success metrics for the future admin panel.
Since 2020, the DEMAT partnered with 26 brands/creators, launched 34 campaigns, listed 94 unique items, acquired 20k NFTs, gained 13k loyal users, reached 1M in transactions, 90% of launches were sold out in less than 1 hour. In 2024, before the extensive rebranding project, the DEMAT was nominated in the Digital Solution category at the National Design Award of Latvia.
Accessibility in Rebranding
Every rebranding begins with shaping a strategy for a refreshed visual identity. A founder of DEMAT, Marjorie Hernandez, selected Starch Haus, a creative studio based in South Korea, to lead the rebranding efforts, which included redefining the target audience, refining branding direction, and designing new visual elements. At the stage of creating these elements, I joined the project to review the proposal and provide my expertise in digital accessibility, specifically focusing on AAA-level accessibility for visually impaired users. My goal was to ensure that the primary, secondary, and utility colors proposed for the new brand would be accessible when applied to the user interface.
Rebranding the User Interface
Rebranding the user interface (UI) includes redefining the visual identity and design elements of a digital product to align with an updated brand strategy. This process goes beyond aesthetics, focusing on creating a cohesive user experience that reflects the brand’s values, tone, and market positioning. It includes redesigning color schemes, typography, icons, and layouts to ensure consistency across all touchpoints. The designers at Starch Haus provided initial concepts for the web shop layout, filters, and interface guidelines, outlining their recommendations for the UI rebrand. Recognizing the importance of accessibility and usability in the rebranding process, I guided the Starch Haus UI/UX team to ensure these elements were effectively addressed. A key part of this was offering context on why certain features were designed in specific ways—primarily driven by blockchain requirements, mobile and desktop interaction needs, and initial decisions from The Dematerialised’s business development and product teams. Once we refined the initial UI redesign suggestions, I took on the task of leading a comprehensive interface rebranding process to bring the vision to life.
Design System Enhancements
While rebranding the entire design system, I meticulously redesigned each component, including the shop and product pages, as well as the profile pages, which contain profile, orders, collections, and creations. My goal was to ensure that the interface resonates with a broader audience while maintaining its core functionality. The design system itself presented a significant challenge, as many existing components had to be reworked to align with new color schemes, typography, and interaction requirements. It has been proven that by integrating brand storytelling with intuitive design, a rebranded UI enhances user trust, strengthens brand recognition, and reinforces the product’s market presence.
Checkout Redesign
One of the most complex tasks was reworking the checkout system, which involved redesigning shipping and billing for phygital NFTs, integrating wallet connectivity for NFT holders, adding payment options for both fiat and cryptocurrencies, and incorporating discount functionality.
Designing a checkout system for cryptocurrency payments presents unique challenges compared to traditional payment methods. These challenges include user education, transaction speed and confirmation, value volatility, security and privacy concerns, regulatory compliance, refunds and support, and integration with traditional payment methods.
To address these challenges effectively, we set a long-term goal to create a seamless, secure, and user-friendly crypto checkout experience. Solutions included simplifying the UX with clear, step-by-step guidance for new users, using APIs for real-time pricing and transactions, supporting popular wallets and multiple cryptocurrencies, incorporating error-checking mechanisms to prevent payment issues, and educating users on security and the specifics of crypto transactions.
A team
The DEMAT rebranding year was intense, but we pulled it off seamlessly! I’m deeply grateful to the incredible team that worked at lightning speed, collaborating remotely from across the globe. A special thanks to founder Marjorie Hernandez for her unwavering dedication to The Dematerialised, developers Michal Marciniak and Alexander Ryazanov, CEO Ivo Betke, Graphic and 3D Designer Madison Whalen, and the production team Nicolai Haas and Kezia Alaia. Your hard work and passion made it all possible!