THE MENU
THE MENU
How I crafted key flows for South Africa’s first affiliate-driven engagement platform
How I crafted key flows for South Africa’s first affiliate-driven engagement platform
Domain
Domain
Business
Business
SaaS
SaaS
Services
UX / UI Design
Product Design
The Menu is South Africa’s first-of-its-kind interactive marketplace and rewards platform designed to connect affiliates, vendors, and buyers in a single, engagement-driven ecosystem. Over the course of this ongoing 2-month project, our goal has been to create a seamless, mobile-friendly experience that combines user onboarding, affiliate performance tracking, and marketplace discovery into one cohesive product.
The Menu is South Africa’s first-of-its-kind interactive marketplace and rewards platform designed to connect affiliates, vendors, and buyers in a single, engagement-driven ecosystem. Over the course of this ongoing 2-month project, our goal has been to create a seamless, mobile-friendly experience that combines user onboarding, affiliate performance tracking, and marketplace discovery into one cohesive product.
I owned everything from research synthesis and wireflows, to UI design, component systems, and handoffs to development in Figma. I collaborated directly with the project manager and development team in a fast-paced, agile cycle to iterate, test, and deploy key features.
I owned everything from research synthesis and wireflows, to UI design, component systems, and handoffs to development in Figma. I collaborated directly with the project manager and development team in a fast-paced, agile cycle to iterate, test, and deploy key features.
users on the waitlist prior to launch - validating core product-market interest.
users on the waitlist prior to launch - validating core product-market interest.
Days from concept to handoff - full affiliate dashboard UX/UI shipped on deadline.
Days from concept to handoff - full affiliate dashboard UX/UI shipped on deadline.
The Problem
The Problem
In South Africa’s rapidly evolving digital market, there was no unified platform that allowed buyers, vendors, and affiliates to interact in a seamless, rewarding way. Existing marketplaces lacked engagement incentives, affiliate systems were either clunky or nonexistent, and vendors struggled to build trust and repeat business.
Affiliates had no clear tools to track performance, vendors had no efficient way to run campaigns, and buyers received little value for their loyalty. This fragmentation created friction, reduced user retention, and limited the growth potential of local businesses.
In South Africa’s rapidly evolving digital market, there was no unified platform that allowed buyers, vendors, and affiliates to interact in a seamless, rewarding way. Existing marketplaces lacked engagement incentives, affiliate systems were either clunky or nonexistent, and vendors struggled to build trust and repeat business.
Affiliates had no clear tools to track performance, vendors had no efficient way to run campaigns, and buyers received little value for their loyalty. This fragmentation created friction, reduced user retention, and limited the growth potential of local businesses.
What I Did
What I Did
1
Role Based Onboading Flow.
Role Based Onboading Flow.
Designed a seamless onboarding experience that adapts to three distinct user types - affiliates, vendors, and buyers - ensuring users immediately see value based on their role.
Designed a seamless onboarding experience that adapts to three distinct user types - affiliates, vendors, and buyers - ensuring users immediately see value based on their role.
2
Affiliate Dashboard in 7 Days.
Affiliate Dashboard in 7 Days.
Delivered a complete affiliate dashboard UI in just 7 days, enabling fast development and internal testing - with role clarity, earnings breakdown, and performance tracking.
Delivered a complete affiliate dashboard UI in just 7 days, enabling fast development and internal testing - with role clarity, earnings breakdown, and performance tracking.
3
Landing Page That Converts.
Crafted a landing page that simplifies a complex 3-sided platform into one clear narrative — optimized for scroll depth, CTA hierarchy, and trust-building.
4
Scalable Design System.
Built a modular, reusable component system across all modules to speed up design-developer handoff and maintain consistency as the platform scales.
3
Landing Page That Converts.
Crafted a landing page that simplifies a complex 3-sided platform into one clear narrative - optimized for scroll depth, CTA hierarchy, and trust-building.
4
Scalable Design System.
Built a modular, reusable component system across all modules to speed up design-developer handoff and maintain consistency as the platform scales.
Design Process
Design Process
1 Role-Based Onboarding Flow
1 Role-Based Onboarding Flow
The client wanted an onboarding experience inspired by products like Canva and Facebook - familiar, fast, and personality-driven. My challenge was to create a multi-role KYC (Know Your Customer) flow that felt personalized, friendly, and most importantly, lightweight, despite the number of questions required.
We designed three distinct onboarding paths - one for vendors, one for buyers and one for affiliates - each tailored to the unique context, goals, and data points relevant to that role.
The client wanted an onboarding experience inspired by products like Canva and Facebook - familiar, fast, and personality-driven. My challenge was to create a multi-role KYC (Know Your Customer) flow that felt personalized, friendly, and most importantly, lightweight, despite the number of questions required.
We designed three distinct onboarding paths - one for vendors, one for buyers and one for affiliates - each tailored to the unique context, goals, and data points relevant to that role.
What I focussed On:
1
Progressive Disclosure
2
Tag-based Input
3
Mobile Responsiveness
4
Dark Theme + Custom UI
What I focussed On:
1
Progressive Disclosure
2
Tag-based Input
3
Mobile Responsiveness
4
Dark Theme + Custom UI
2 Designing the Affiliate Dashboard
2 Designing the Affiliate Dashboard
The affiliate dashboard was the core engagement hub for users driving traffic and earning commissions through the platform. Our goal was to provide affiliates with an experience that felt professional, motivating, and transparent - not bloated with data, but rich with insights.
The affiliate dashboard was the core engagement hub for users driving traffic and earning commissions through the platform. Our goal was to provide affiliates with an experience that felt professional, motivating, and transparent - not bloated with data, but rich with insights.
The design needed to cater to:
New affiliates, who needed clarity and onboarding cues
Active affiliates, who wanted to track performance and optimize campaigns
The design needed to cater to:
New affiliates, who needed clarity and onboarding cues
Active affiliates, who wanted to track performance and optimize campaigns
I focused on creating a dashboard that was modular, mobile-adaptable, and data-aware - capable of scaling with more features without losing clarity.
I focused on creating a dashboard that was modular, mobile-adaptable, and data-aware - capable of scaling with more features without losing clarity.
1
Earnings Overview
Designed a clean summary card showing current balance, lifetime earnings, and next payout, all in a glance-friendly layout. I intentionally surfaced “next payout” to create anticipation loops and reinforce continued engagement.
2
Redemption Trends
Created a dynamic chart to show weekly reward redemptions, with comparison metrics (e.g., “+13% from last week”). This wasn’t just for data - it was crafted to trigger motivation, highlight progress, and nudge users toward consistency.
3
Referral Stats
Segmented user acquisition into visual blocks - clicks, sign-ups, conversions - giving affiliates visibility into which parts of their funnel were working, and where drop-offs might occur. I emphasized color coding and iconography to reduce mental load.
4
Campaign Tracking
Designed a campaign table with status chips, earning potential, and direct CTAs (e.g., Share, View Details). This allowed affiliates to manage their pipeline of promotions like a pro, without feeling overwhelmed by marketing jargon.
5
Quick Actions
Strategically placed high-frequency actions like “Withdraw,” “Share Link,” and “View Leaderboard” where users could act instantly - minimizing navigation and enabling dopamine-triggered behaviors (sharing, checking rank, etc.).
3 Crafting the Landing Page
3 Crafting the Landing Page
Designing The Menu’s landing page meant simplifying a complex, multi-sided platform into a clear, scrollable story - one that speaks instantly to vendors, affiliates, and buyers, without overwhelming any of them.
Designing The Menu’s landing page meant simplifying a complex, multi-sided platform into a clear, scrollable story - one that speaks instantly to vendors, affiliates, and buyers, without overwhelming any of them.
The client wanted a design that felt premium, dark-themed, and engagement-driven, while still communicating trust and driving conversions.
The client wanted a design that felt premium, dark-themed, and engagement-driven, while still communicating trust and driving conversions.
The landing page clearly communicated the product's value in under 15 seconds of scroll time, helped funnel early sign-ups, and reflected the product’s positioning as South Africa’s first rewards-based, engagement-driven shopping platform.
The landing page clearly communicated the product's value in under 15 seconds of scroll time, helped funnel early sign-ups, and reflected the product’s positioning as South Africa’s first rewards-based, engagement-driven shopping platform.
The Result
"This wasn’t just another dashboard."
By transforming a complex 3-sided ecosystem into a clear, intuitive, and action-oriented experience, the platform has the potential to reshape how commerce, loyalty, and digital inclusion function across emerging African markets.
This project helped me sharpen:
Designing for impact across different user types
Structuring UX that’s scalable under startup constraints
Balancing speed with clarity, even in high-pressure sprints
"This wasn’t just another dashboard."
By transforming a complex 3-sided ecosystem into a clear, intuitive, and action-oriented experience, the platform has the potential to reshape how commerce, loyalty, and digital inclusion function across emerging African markets.
This project helped me sharpen:
Designing for impact across different user types
Structuring UX that’s scalable under startup constraints
Balancing speed with clarity, even in high-pressure sprints
Like What you See? Let’s build your next big thing.
Like What you See? Let’s build your next big thing.