From Clicks to Conscious Choices — the plug-in that makes ethical shopping effortless.
I've always loved fashion as a form of self-expression. But as I learned more about fast and affordable fashion, I became aware of its hidden costs — environmental damage and unethical mass production.
Online shopping makes it easier than ever to buy more without thinking twice. I don't believe convenience and sustainability have to be opposites. Ethical Lens was born from that tension: my love for fashion and my desire to make conscious choices easier through design.
This project is also a product thinking exercise. I didn't just want to design a pretty interface — I wanted to understand whether the problem was real, who it was really for, and whether a viable solution was possible.
Before looking for a solution, I mapped real shopping behavior. Starting from a very specific story — someone trying to buy dog deodorant online — I traced a typical purchase journey to find where frustration, trust, and decision-making actually live.
What emerged wasn't a problem with price or delivery. It was information asymmetry: users suspected brands were hiding something, but had no easy way to verify it while shopping.
"In a world where buying takes just a click, the real cost is often hidden — paid by people and the planet."
With that insight in mind, two How Might We questions guided everything that followed:
Research supports the opportunity: studies show sustainability labeling at the point of purchase can directly move consumer behavior. → Read the research article ↗
After the competitive analysis (see below), one constraint became the design north star: the solution had to meet users inside their existing shopping flow — without requiring any behavior change.
I ruled out other formats before settling on a plugin. This was a deliberate product decision, not a design default:
I conducted two rounds of interviews — intentionally separate. The first was about understanding shopping behavior in general. The second was focused specifically on ethical shopping habits, trust, and real decision-making. I wanted to validate whether the problem was real before designing anything.
Goal: Understand motivations, not test solutions.
Key finding: The pain point wasn't price or delivery speed. It was information asymmetry — users suspected brands were hiding something but had no easy way to verify it while shopping.
Among all participants, Juliana emerged as the clearest signal — not just the most enthusiastic user, but someone who was already doing this manually. She validated that a motivated niche exists and is underserved.
Juliana has always cared about social and environmental issues. She follows sustainability creators on TikTok and Instagram, signs petitions, and tries to reduce waste in her daily life.
"I want to know instantly whether a brand aligns with my values — without having to open ten tabs or rely on vague marketing claims."
Juliana wasn't just the most enthusiastic participant — she was already doing a version of this manually. Google searches, Reddit threads, a mental blocklist of brands to avoid. She had the intent and the habit. She just lacked the tool.
Recognizing her as a strategic signal — not just a persona — reframed the entire product. Ethical Lens isn't for everyone who shops online. It's for people like Julia: proactive, values-driven, already motivated, just underserved.
From hand-sketched explorations to a tested Figma prototype — three phases, each one informed by what the previous phase revealed.
Ideation Sketches
I tested early and often — not to validate assumptions, but to challenge them. Two rounds of testing revealed what worked, what didn't, and confirmed who the product was truly for.
Juliana's Task Flow
Validating that a product solves a problem isn't the same as validating that it's worth building. Once I confirmed the interface held up, I stepped back and asked the harder question: is there a viable business here?