Designing an AI-assisted cross-border commerce platform for diaspora-led businesses.
Designing an AI-assisted cross-border commerce platform for diaspora-led businesses.
Designing an AI-assisted cross-border commerce platform for diaspora-led businesses.
Designing an AI-assisted cross-border commerce platform for diaspora-led businesses.
End-to-end Experience Design
End-to-end Experience Design
02
Overview
Overview
Leoney helps Sierra Leonean diaspora merchants import from China without guessing. Before people spend money, they can see what to buy, what the full cost will be, and what the timeline looks like. I designed the core experience from first visit to signup, budgeting, sourcing support, and post-purchase visibility. The goal wasn’t persuasion. It was clarity, so users can decide with confidence.
Leoney helps Sierra Leonean diaspora merchants import from China without guessing. Before people spend money, they can see what to buy, what the full cost will be, and what the timeline looks like. I designed the core experience from first visit to signup, budgeting, sourcing support, and post-purchase visibility. The goal wasn’t persuasion. It was clarity, so users can decide with confidence.
Duration:
Duration:
2025–2026 (ongoing)
2025–2026 (ongoing)
Role:
Role:
Product Designer & Systems Lead (founding team)
Product Designer & Systems Lead (founding team)
Platforms:
Platforms:
Web application (desktop-first, responsive)
Web application (desktop-first, responsive)
Focus Areas:
Focus Areas:
Cross-border commerce, AI-assisted workflows
Cross-border commerce, AI-assisted workflows
Leoney’s primary interface for explaining value before commitment.
Leoney’s primary interface for explaining value before commitment.
Leoney’s primary interface for explaining value before commitment.
Context & Problem
Context & Problem
Buying inventory across borders rarely looks like a clean checkout. Most people stitch it together through brokers, voice notes, partial quotes, and updates that arrive late.
That setup creates three recurring problems:
Costs change mid-process and feel arbitrary
Timelines are opaque (you can’t plan around “soon”)
Once money is sent, people feel stuck even if something feels off
Leoney’s job was to replace “trust me” with “here’s what you’re paying for, what’s confirmed, and what happens next” without pretending the risk disappears.
Buying inventory across borders rarely looks like a clean checkout. Most people stitch it together through brokers, voice notes, partial quotes, and updates that arrive late.
That setup creates three recurring problems:
Costs change mid-process and feel arbitrary
Timelines are opaque (you can’t plan around “soon”)
Once money is sent, people feel stuck even if something feels off
Leoney’s job was to replace “trust me” with “here’s what you’re paying for, what’s confirmed, and what happens next” without pretending the risk disappears.
Early decisions required confidence without sufficient visibility.
Early decisions required confidence without sufficient visibility.
Early decisions required confidence without sufficient visibility.
MY ROLE &
CONSTRAINTS
MY ROLE & CONSTRAINTS
MY ROLE & CONSTRAINTS
I was the product designer embedded with the founding team.
What I owned:
End-to-end UX across web and dashboard flows
Budgeting + decision support UI (including AI-assisted recommendations)
Patterns for cost breakdowns, milestones, and order status visibility
Constraints we designed around:
The product shipped alongside real operations (quotes, sourcing, delivery)
Assumptions had to be tested through live orders not only interviews
One experience needed to serve both first-time importers and experienced traders
I was the product designer embedded with the founding team.
What I owned:
End-to-end UX across web and dashboard flows
Budgeting + decision support UI (including AI-assisted recommendations)
Patterns for cost breakdowns, milestones, and order status visibility
Constraints we designed around:
The product shipped alongside real operations (quotes, sourcing, delivery)
Assumptions had to be tested through live orders not only interviews
One experience needed to serve both first-time importers and experienced traders
DISCOVERY &
KEY INSIGHTS
DISCOVERY & KEY INSIGHTS
DISCOVERY & KEY INSIGHTS
What we kept seeing:
People don’t fear paying they fear being surprised later.
A single “total” isn’t enough. Users want the parts so they can sanity-check the quote.
Trust is pacing: show what’s knowable now, and label what will be confirmed later.
After payment, silence reads as risk. A simple timeline reduces anxiety and support chasing.
What we kept seeing:
People don’t fear paying they fear being surprised later.
A single “total” isn’t enough. Users want the parts so they can sanity-check the quote.
Trust is pacing: show what’s knowable now, and label what will be confirmed later.
After payment, silence reads as risk. A simple timeline reduces anxiety and support chasing.
Shifting from product browsing to outcome-led decision support.
Shifting from product browsing to outcome-led decision support.
Shifting from product browsing to outcome-led decision support.
Design Approach
Design Approach
Design principles we used:
Make the unknown explicit (and label what can change)
Break totals into parts that map to real-world steps
Keep recommendations explainable show the “why,” not just the output
After payment, switch from “shopping” UI to “tracking” UI (timelines, owners, next actions)
Design principles we used:
Make the unknown explicit (and label what can change)
Break totals into parts that map to real-world steps
Keep recommendations explainable show the “why,” not just the output
After payment, switch from “shopping” UI to “tracking” UI (timelines, owners, next actions)
Key Flows
Key Flows
Flow 1 — Source Smarter
Flow 1 — Source Smarter
Why this flow matters:
We start with constraints (budget, category, timeline) so the product can give grounded options instead of vague promises.
Why this flow matters:
We start with constraints (budget, category, timeline) so the product can give grounded options instead of vague promises.
Users begin by framing intent through budget, not products.
Users begin by framing intent through budget, not products.
Users begin by framing intent through budget, not products.
Flow 2 — We Source, Ship & Clear Customs
Flow 2 — We Source, Ship & Clear Customs
Why this flow matters:
Recommendations only work when they’re explainable. Each suggestion needs a reason users can agree or disagree with.
Why this flow matters:
Recommendations only work when they’re explainable. Each suggestion needs a reason users can agree or disagree with.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Helping users make tradeoffs without breaking their budget.
Flow 3 — Your Shop Earns, Send Less
Flow 3 — Your Shop Earns, Send Less
Why this flow matters:
This is where trust is won. We show what’s fixed vs estimated so users don’t feel tricked later.
Why this flow matters:
This is where trust is won. We show what’s fixed vs estimated so users don’t feel tricked later.
Users can interrogate recommendations, seeing cost, MOQ, and profit implications.
Users can interrogate recommendations, seeing cost, MOQ, and profit implications.
Users can interrogate recommendations, seeing cost,
MOQ, and profit implications.
Flow 4 — Commitment & Payment Structure
Flow 4 — Commitment & Payment Structure
Why this flow matters:
Once money moves, anxiety spikes. Clear milestones tell users what’s happening, who owns it, and when they’ll hear from us next.
Why this flow matters:
Once money moves, anxiety spikes. Clear milestones tell users what’s happening, who owns it, and when they’ll hear from us next.
Making logistics visible to reduce post-purchase anxiety.
Making logistics visible to reduce post-purchase anxiety.
Making logistics visible to reduce post-purchase anxiety.
Flow 5 — Post-Purchase Visibility
Flow 5 — Post-Purchase Visibility
Why this flow matters:
The moment after payment is where uncertainty typically peaks. This flow replaces silence with visibility by showing container status, timelines, and next actions. Clear post-purchase feedback reinforces trust and keeps users engaged beyond checkout.
Why this flow matters:
The moment after payment is where uncertainty typically peaks. This flow replaces silence with visibility by showing container status, timelines, and next actions. Clear post-purchase feedback reinforces trust and keeps users engaged beyond checkout.
A single source of truth after commitment.
A single source of truth after commitment.
A single source of truth after commitment.
Results / Evidence
Results /Evidence
Validation evidence: Interviews, usability tests, concept tests, pilot users, and stakeholders reviewed
Decision outcomes: what got approved/unblocked (pricing model, flow, roadmap, scope)
Quality outcomes: fewer edge cases, clearer requirements, reduced rework, faster handoff
Operational outcomes: reduced back-and-forth with ops, clearer quoting, fewer support questions during trial
Validation evidence: Interviews, usability tests, concept tests, pilot users, and stakeholders reviewed
Decision outcomes: what got approved/unblocked (pricing model, flow, roadmap, scope)
Quality outcomes: fewer edge cases, clearer requirements, reduced rework, faster handoff
Operational outcomes: reduced back-and-forth with ops, clearer quoting, fewer support questions during trial
Progress
Progress
Leoney is in private beta and still in active development. Instead of a final “outcome,” this section shares what’s live today and what I’m measuring next.
Early signals:
So far, Leoney is running with 12 families in the beta program. The current offer is $2,500 total saved and $400 average savings across those families. The signup flow also sets expectations for the first 500 founding members, which shaped how we framed trust and commitment.
What I’d measure next
Do users understand how Leoney works after the first screen, or do they need a walkthrough?
Where do people drop off: account creation, budget planning, or the first “start saving” moment?
Time to first action inside the AI partner experience
Support questions per user during the first two weeks (to see where the product still feels unclear)
Leoney is in private beta and still in active development. Instead of a final “outcome,” this section shares what’s live today and what I’m measuring next.
Early signals:
So far, Leoney is running with 12 families in the beta program. The current offer is $2,500 total saved and $400 average savings across those families. The signup flow also sets expectations for the first 500 founding members, which shaped how we framed trust and commitment.
What I’d measure next
Do users understand how Leoney works after the first screen, or do they need a walkthrough?
Where do people drop off: account creation, budget planning, or the first “start saving” moment?
Time to first action inside the AI partner experience
Support questions per user during the first two weeks (to see where the product still feels unclear)
Next steps are focused on instrumentation, launch readiness, and tightening
the handoff between product and operations.
Next steps are focused on instrumentation, launch readiness, and tightening
the handoff between product and operations.
Zoey a.
Product Designer · Systems & Marketplace Design
Phone: +234 805 131 3516
Email: israel.adeleke@outlook.com
