Product design
Mobile
Discount Shopping
2024 • 8 WEEKS
Finders
Keepers
Turning the overwhelming, maze-like hunt for in-store sale items into a playful treasure hunt
where every discount feels discovered, not scavenged.
4x
faster to find a deal
92%
Task Completion in tests
12
User Interviews + observations
Scroll to hunt
01 • OVERVIEW
The 30 second pitch
Off-price retailers like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack offer huge markdowns but the in-store experience is chaos. Layouts are inconsistent, signage is poor, and shoppers either give up or overbuy.
Finders Keepers is a mobile app that reframes bargain-hunting as a treasure hunt. It surfaces the best deals nearby in real time, shows a visual savings breakdown, and uses flash-sale mechanics to give shoppers a sense of play without the decision fatigue.
the outcome
A prototype that 5 of 6 users finished without hesitation, compared to 2 of 6 in the first round and that made 4 testers say they'd download it today.
ROLE
Sole product designer
tEAM
solo cSE 170 Capstone
timeline
8 weeks • fall 2024
tools
Figma • FigJam • Miro • Notion
scope
research → Hi-fi prototype → testing
platform
iOS Mobile first
02 • THE PROBLEM
How do you design for a thrill that's also a chore?
research question
"How do various factors influence shoppers to purchase sale items vs regular priced items"
Off price stores win on price but loose on experience. The same shoppers who love TJ Maxx will abandon a trip when they can't find their size, can't tell which rack is clearance, or feel rushed by a flash sale they don't trust.
73%
of surveyed shoppers said they often leave TJ Maxx/Ross empty-handed because "nothing was organized"
1 in 3
admitted to buying regular price items after giving up on finding a deal
4.2 min
average time to locate the sale section inside a unfamiliar off-price store
03 • RESEARCH
Watching shopper hunt.
I ran a mixed-methods study over three weeks — in-store observations at four off-price retailers, intercept interviews, and a survey of 42 discount shoppers.
when
Morning: Older shoppers
Mid-day: Younger & families
Weekends: All ranges
Peak: 2pm - 6pm
what
• Time spend per store visit
• Basket size & spend per trip
• Navigation patterns & zones visited
• Items touched vs. items purchased
how
• 4 store shadow sessions
• 4 intercept interviews
• 22 person survey
• 3 deep follow-ups
where
Ross • La Jolla Village
Marshalls • La Jolla Village
Nordstrom Rack• La Jolla Village
T.J. Maxx • Clairemont
WHAT THEY SAID
I walk in knowing I want a coat and I still leave with, like, five candles I didn't need.
maya, 28 • tj maxx • regular
If it says 70% off I assume it's a lie until I see the original tag.
JOHn, 43 • tj maxx • regular
The fun part is finding something no one else found. The annoying part is literally everything else.
Dani, 21 · Nordstrom Rack
I don't make the list. The store decides what I need.
Priya, 32 · Marshalls weekly
It's like a treasure hunt but the treasure is a $9 spatula you didn't know you needed.
Kevin, 57 · ROSS OCCASIONAL
04 • INSIGHTS
05 • WIREFRAMES & AI
Mapping the hunt.
I started on paper, then moved to low-fi digital to pressure-test the flow. The whole app collapses into four "moments" a shopper actually has: I want to browse. I want to find something specific. I want to see what's nearby. I want to check out.
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