Designing a trust-centered product framework that reduces shopper hesitation and increases decision confidence across the TikTok Shop ecosystem.
UX Researcher & Product Designer
Decision Confidence inSocial Commerce(Case Studies)
3 Months · Sept–Dec 2024
Figma, Miro, Optimal Workshop
End-to-End Concept Design
BACKGROUND
Social commerce, the fusion of social media content and shopping, has become a dominant force in e-commerce. Platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram Shop, and Shopee Live generate billions in transactions by compressing the path from discovery to purchase into seconds.
But this speed comes at a cost. Shoppers are making high-stakes decisions in low-information environments. They see a product in a creator’s video, feel interest, and are immediately asked to buy, often without the trust infrastructure they’d have on a traditional e-commerce platform.
This project investigates a central question: How might a social commerce platform reduce hesitation and increase decision confidence for shoppers, creators, and sellers, without resorting to pressure tactics?
The product concept, “Confidence Layer,” is a system-wide trust framework designed to feel native to TikTok Shop — surfacing the right trust signal at the right moment across the entire purchase journey.
THE CHALLENGE
Through competitive analysis, secondary research, and behavioral pattern mapping, we identified six core hesitation triggers in social commerce.
Shoppers can't verify whether the product matches what they see in fast-paced creator content. Lighting, angles, and editing can mislead.
Viewers don't know if a recommendation is genuine or paid. This uncertainty undermines the social proof that makes social commerce work.
Small and unfamiliar sellers dominate social commerce, but shoppers have no meaningful way to evaluate their track record.
Ratings feel inflated. Shoppers suspect incentivized or fake reviews but have no tools to distinguish authentic feedback.
Buyers don't know how return protection works or what happens when something goes wrong. This uncertainty inflates the perceived risk of purchase.
The delay between buying and receiving creates anxiety. Without proactive communication, doubt compounds during the waiting period.
“How might we help social commerce shoppers make faster, more informed decisions — while respecting their autonomy and building long-term platform trust?”
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
We mapped the goals, anxieties, and trust needs for each user group in the social commerce ecosystem.
Find products they'll love, avoid scams, buy with peace of mind, get help if something goes wrong.
“Is this too good to be true?” “Will it look like the video?” “Can I return it?” “Is this creator just doing this for money?”
Predictability — knowing what they’ll get and what recourse they have if something goes wrong.
Product authenticity signals, creator transparency, seller track record, return/refund clarity, platform protection scope.
PRODUCT CONCEPT
Instead of dumping all trust information in one place, Confidence Layer delivers exactly the right trust signal based on where the user is in their journey and what kind of hesitation they’re experiencing.
DISCOVERY
Is this creator genuine?
Creator Signal CardEVALUATION
Can I trust this product?
Confidence SummaryCHECKOUT
What if it goes wrong?
Protection SnapshotPOST-PURCHASE
When will it arrive?
Expectation TrackerKEY FEATURES
Each feature addresses a specific hesitation trigger identified in research. Click any card to preview the product screen.
At-a-glance trust dashboard on product pages showing product authenticity score, seller trust rating, and creator endorsement context combined with key purchase trust factors.
Shoppers
View screen
Transparent disclosure showing creator partnership status, past product recommendations, audience satisfaction rate, and the criteria they use when they choose products to feature.
Shoppers + Creators
View screen
AI-powered review scoring that highlights verified purchases, flags suspicious patterns, and surfaces the most relevant feedback by filtering by shopper, and tagging key product attributes.
Shoppers + Sellers
View screen
Clear breakdown shown at checkout explaining exactly what happens if the product is damaged, lost, or doesn't match expectations, and whether platform guarantees apply.
Shoppers
View screen
Context-sensitive prompts that appear at moments of uncertainty. If a user lingers on a gamut nudge surfaces the most relevant trust signal to address their specific concern.
Shoppers
View screen
Post-purchase reassurance showing shipment status, delay warnings, and one-tap support. Reduces anxiety by keeping buyers informed at every step until delivery.
Shoppers
View screen
USER FLOW
The primary shopper flow demonstrates how trust information is layered across the journey — each signal arriving at the moment it’s most needed.
User sees a product in their For You feed. Creator Signal Card is visible as a small badge.
Badge shows “Affiliate · 6 months · 89% audience satisfaction.” User feels informed about the relationship.
Lands on product page. Confidence Summary is immediately visible below the hero image.
Sees seller narrative (97% on-time, top 15% disputes), review authenticity score, and protection coverage at a glance.
Review Authenticity Layer shows 340 verified vs. 28 gifted reviews. Theme clusters help find relevant feedback fast.
Protection Snapshot appears inline. Free returns within 15 days, full refund if item doesn’t match listing.
Expectation Tracker activates with estimated delivery window and proactive shipping updates.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Each surface in the app shows only the trust information relevant to that moment — never overwhelming the user with everything at once.
NOVEL INTERVENTIONS
Five research-grounded product ideas that go beyond conventional e-commerce UX patterns — designed for the unique dynamics of social commerce.
Instead of showing raw metrics, the platform shows a personalized decision confidence score based on spend size & trust signals. Tap to see what you haven't checked.
Why it’s different
Most platforms surface all information equally or in standard 1 of 5 trust signals. This lets the user know what is relevant without decision-fatigue.
Key risk
Over-reliance on automation. Requires good UX that surfaces the information that builds LTV.
When creators promote a product, their score is temporarily "staked." If the product performs poorly, their reputation score drops, and future creator-recommendation slots become harder to earn.
Why it’s different
Most affiliate disclosure is passive. This system makes creator reputation a skin-in-the-game signal.
Key risk
Could discourage risk-taking, new or niche products, or creators trying interesting things.
Before purchase, a side-by-side of "what you saw in the video" vs. "what verified buyers photographed" — setting accurate expectations proactively.
Why it’s different
No other platform currently helps users calibrate expectations against reality upfront — it happens post-purchase.
Key risk
May reduce conversion on products where the video is better than reality, or reality is not visually appealing, but reduces returns.
When a dispute is filed, both buyer and seller see transparent progress steps, evidence submitted, typical outcomes for similar cases. No black boxes.
Why it’s different
Most platforms render disputes opaque. Transparency reduces anxiety and increases platform loyalty.
Key risk
Full transparency might reveal inconsistencies or bias in dispute outcomes, requiring fairer dispute resolution.
Aggregates product satisfaction rate, review sentiment, return rate, and creator audience satisfaction — reflecting what people do, not just what they say.
Why it’s different
Most platforms just show star ratings or "% would recommend."
Key risk
New products have insufficient data to build a signal. May need a clear "not enough data yet" state instead of showing a low score.
TESTING PLAN
The primary shopper flow demonstrates how trust information is layered across the journey — each signal arriving at the moment it’s most needed.
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3
PROTOTYPE SCREENS
Featured: the Feed flow. Additional screens are in progress.
LED Strip Lights
These LED lights transformed my room 😊 #roomdecor
LED Strip Lights 32ft
$24.9987 confidence
REFLECTION
The thinking, the growth, and the direction this work points toward.
Core insight
When shoppers feel genuinely informed and protected, they convert — not because of “better persuasion” but because trust is the strongest conversion lever social commerce has.
Design approach
It’s about giving users clarity to decide for themselves, not convincing them today.
Personal growth
Balancing shopper trust, seller fairness, and creator incentives taught me to think in systems — where every decision ripples across stakeholders.
Deeper behavioral modeling
Smarter hesitation detection
AR product previews
See it before you buy it
Cross-platform portability
Trust data travels with you
Seller coaching tools
Build credibility through transparency
Portfolio Statement
“The biggest conversion opportunity in social commerce isn’t more persuasion — it’s more confidence. I designed the system to deliver it.”