Maluka
A handmade jewelry brand. Zero ads. $120K revenue in 8 months, just research and honest design.
Project Overview
I had an idea, a craftsman, and one developer. No budget. No playbook. Just research, design, and decisions.
$120K revenue · 1,600+ orders · 14 months · zero ad spend
The Problem
Handmade jewelry in a market full of cheap resellers. No budget, no team, no brand recognition. The only path to survival: earn trust faster than a customer could bounce. Every decision - research, design, copy, packaging was made through one filter: does this convert a skeptic into a buyer?
My Role
Founder · Product Manager · UX Researcher · Product Designer · Copywriter · Packaging Designer
Research
One finding that changed everything:
25 | 3 | 15 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
Interviews conducted | Guerrilla Observation Sessions | Competitors Audited | Affinity Clusters |
Price wasn't the barrier. Trust was.
Users checked Instagram before visiting the site. They abandoned checkout when asked to create an account. They hesitated because they couldn't see the earring on their skin tone. Three problems. Three decisions.
Design Decisions
6 Design Decisions that shaped Maluka
Decision 01 - Skin first, price second
70% of traffic came from Instagram. They'd already seen the product. They landed asking one question: is it safe for my skin? I moved the hypoallergenic badge above the price, above everything. Confidence before commitment.
Decision 02 - Navigation that speaks buyer language
22 of 25 users searched by occasion, not collection. Renamed every category to match how buyers think: Everyday Edit, Date Night, Celebrations. Removed one entire decision-making step for every new visitor.
What goes first on the product page, the photo or the material claim?
70% of traffic came from Instagram, users had already seen the earring. They landed wanting to know if it was safe for their skin before anything else. I moved the hypoallergenic badge and material spec above the fold, above the price, above the care instructions. Confidence before commitment.
Decision 04 - Kill the account wall
12 of 25 users abandoned checkout at account creation. Made guest checkout the default. Moved the "save your details?" prompt to the post-purchase confirmation screen when they're already happy.
Sample Product Descriptions
Packaging
Mobile-first website experience
Home
Product Category
Product Page
About and Contact
Impact and Outcome
Business | Product | Research |
|---|---|---|
$120K revenue | −18% cart abandonment | Trust, not price, was the barrier |
1,600+ orders | −30% time-to-first-click | 6 decisions validated from 25 interviews |
92% positive feedback | −12% mobile bounce rate | 15 competitors audited, 1 gap found |