The shipped logo system
Primary, secondary, icon-only, tagline, and monochrome variants, each with a defined use case rather than left to discretion.
Brand stylesheet, logo usage page5 variants, each with a defined use case
This is the process behind Trove: the research that shaped it, the mark that represents it, the system that scaled it, and the accessibility decisions that ran through every layer.
Who was in the room, and what the engagement actually was.
This was a real-world product design engagement, not a redesign exercise or student project, focused on building an inclusive marketplace for neurodiverse entrepreneurs and creators.
As Senior Product Design Lead, I directed the research-to-system pipeline: framing the stakeholder and user research, leading the brand and logo direction, establishing the design system, and embedding accessibility as a design constraint from day one rather than a QA pass at the end.
The project has been in active development for 11 months. It has not yet launched publicly, so this case study documents process and design decisions rather than post-launch metrics.
Stakeholder interviews, seller interviews, buyer interviews, an accessibility audit, and a structured survey.
Neurodiverse entrepreneurs currently selling online or through local communities, mostly via Etsy, Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, and in-person events.
Shoppers interested in supporting independent creators and purpose-driven brands, motivated by discovery and connection over price.
Support networks assisting sellers with product management and fulfillment, plus accessibility advocates and inclusion specialists who reviewed usability decisions.
We want to create economic opportunities for neurodiverse entrepreneurs who often face barriers on traditional marketplaces.
Users preferred guided experiences over open-ended workflows.
Introduced step-by-step onboarding with visible progress indicators.
Participants reported feeling overwhelmed by information-dense interfaces.
Built a cleaner layout with stronger hierarchy and generous whitespace.
Buyers wanted a stronger connection to the people behind the products.
Surfaced seller stories and creator profiles throughout the shopping flow.
Trust was heavily influenced by transparency.
Made shipping, policies, and seller information consistently visible.
Accessibility improvements benefited all users, not only neurodiverse participants.
Applied accessibility principles across navigation, forms, content, and interactions, platform-wide.
The challenge: communicate social impact without borrowing nonprofit visual language, and communicate marketplace without losing warmth.
The Trove identity needed to do something most marketplace logos don't: represent both transaction and trust. Early directions leaned too far one way or the other before the final mark, a gift box opening into a burst of light, found the balance between the two.
People-centric symbols representing support, collaboration, and care.
Read as a nonprofit or support group, not a modern marketplace.
Not selectedTraditional retail motifs: bags, carts, storefronts.
Clearly "shopping," but no emotional tie to the mission.
Not selectedA gift box opening into light, simple, optimistic, scalable.
Discovering a product and discovering opportunity, in one mark.
SelectedPrimary, secondary, icon-only, tagline, and monochrome variants, each with a defined use case rather than left to discretion.
Scalable foundations for desktop and mobile, with predictable interaction patterns for users with diverse accessibility needs.
Every interactive component ships with five defined states. Focus states were given particular attention to support keyboard navigation.
Simple, line-based, and immediately recognizable, every icon is paired with a text label rather than relying on symbol recognition alone, a direct response to the research finding that icon-only navigation increased cognitive load for several participants.
Because Trove serves entrepreneurs with disabilities, accessibility had to extend beyond visual and motor considerations into cognitive accessibility.
Focused on color contrast, readability, navigation clarity, form usability, and content hierarchy across key screens.
Key user journeys evaluated for logical focus order, visible focus indicators, and fully accessible navigation paths.
Every color combination reviewed against accessibility requirements and documented directly in the design system.
Research participants repeatedly described feeling overwhelmed by information-dense interfaces. The response touched navigation, content, and workflow design alike.
Clear information hierarchy, reduced visual clutter, generous whitespace, progressive disclosure, and limited competing actions per screen.
Consistent navigation across the platform, familiar marketplace patterns, key actions always in the same location.
Plain language, clear labels, action-oriented instructions, reduced ambiguity throughout.
Complex tasks like onboarding and product management broken into smaller steps, reducing decision fatigue and improving task confidence.
Trove has not yet launched publicly. These outcomes reflect what the work was designed to achieve, and what the team produced to get there.
Empower neurodiverse entrepreneurs to participate in e-commerce
Reduce barriers to online selling
Improve accessibility across key marketplace workflows
Create stronger connections between buyers and creators
Deliver a more inclusive shopping experience
One of the project's most valuable learnings was that designing for accessibility and neurodiversity often improves usability for everyone. By prioritizing clarity, consistency, and reduced cognitive load, the team created experiences that are easier to understand, navigate, and trust across a broader range of users.