MOKA
Sheena Maucuer
Choose
Product Designer
→ Led user research, and defined user personas around gifting psychology.
→ Built a recommendation system around giver–receiver profiles, using gifting psychology to guide smarter, more emotionally aligned product suggestions.
2 weeks sprint (2025)
Choose drops a curated list of new brands every single day on its app: in 2025, gifts represented 40% of global purchases.
KickoffUser Research
Data mining : Reading Articles & Thesis
Business Analysis : Understanding the Product
Topic Clustering
Research Objectives & Interview Guides
User Interviews
IdeationBenchmark
Mindmap
Crazy 8 Sessions
Effort/Impact Matrix
UI & PrototypingWireframing & visual design
Prototyping
User TestingTest objectives & protocol
User interviews & testing sessions
Synthesis: findings & insights
Iteration
Delivery
People are rarely purely altruistic when giving gifts.
Before conducting interviews, we first took a look online on existing research.The Economist Andreoni gave extensive insights on givers*. Our research revealed that people are rarely purely altruistic when giving gifts — they balance genuine generosity with subtle ego-driven motives. Because our users are the givers*, the ones spending money, understanding this balance was key.
(*) We will identify two types of actors in this project: the giver (the person offering the gift - our users) & the receiver (the one receiving it).
Working Methods
1. Context Digging, Data Mining in Notion
2. Preparation of User interview guide
3. Conducting User Interviews
4. Organising Ideas on Figjam Post-its,
5. Listing Insights, and selections
Understand users’ reasoning & emotions throughout the gift-giving journey.
Understand how ego influences the gift-giving experience.
Our panel aligns with Choose’s primary user group women between 25 & 35 years old.
“When I think of the gift, I imagine the reaction of the person. If she’s happy, tearful, surprised, bingo. The gift becomes the ultimate banger.” - Lisa
Design Implications
We should design flows that make the search feel rewarding, not rushed, highlighting discovery, storytelling, and personal meaning.
“I don’t want to be associated with mainstream things, something too common.”
- Victoria
Design Implications
The experience should help users avoid mainstream choices, offering curated, distinctive options that reflect individuality and taste.
“I gift things I would want to receive.”
- Hortense
Design Implications
The experience should highlight the giver’s identity in the selection process, reinforcing their self-image and ensuring the gift feels like a personal signature.
The app is content-rich, offering self-reflective tools,and opportunities for introspection.
The app is content-rich, offering self-reflective tools,and opportunities for introspection.
The app is content-rich, offering self-reflective tools,and opportunities for introspection.
Working Methods
1. Crazy 8, Effort/Impact Matrix, Mindmap
Design Goal
Enhance the giver’s self-image by starting the gifting journey with meaning, not merchandise.
Solution
A shopping flow inspired by premium editorial spreads where the first step is intention: the emotion the giver wants the recipient to feel.
By reframing the process around emotional storytelling, the giver’s role becomes that of a curator with taste and thoughtfulness.
Design Goal
Give givers a personalised lens for choosing gifts that reflects and validates their identity.
Solution
A quiz that reveals each user’s Gift Language: the unique way they express generosity.
This approach prompts self-reflection while curating products that fit their personal style, ensuring they feel recognised in the process.
Design Goal
Keep the giver feeling recognised and proud long after the gift has been given.
Solution
A History and Data space that tracks past gifts, surfaces insights about giving patterns, and offers meaningful reflections on their generosity.
Working Methods
1. Preparation of User test guide, Conducting User Tests as Moderator and Observant.
2. Listing key learnings, Ways to clear out the pain points, and priorisations
Shopping Flow
Ensure the navigation is intuitive and enjoyable.
Quiz Gift Language
Test the usability of the format, Navigation throughout the flow, Assess appeal of the feature.
Gift History
Test clarity of information and measure the emotional impact of the feature.
We had difficulties finding our core users, so even if they are all parents, most of them won’t support their children yet (age).
“I find this so good, it makes me feel things, I absolutely love it” - Elodie
“I always check the current brands and scroll. I thought everything was on the homepage.” - Marine A
“Oh woooooow I love the idea” - Elodie
Insight
4/5 users didn’t understand the point of answering a questionnaire about themselves, even though they liked the result. They wanted the recipient to feel more present in the flow.
Design Goal
Modified the quiz to connect both giver and receiver, framing it as a shared story rather than a solo self-reflection.
Expected Impact
Increase perceived relevance and emotional resonance, making the quiz feel more purposeful and encouraging completion.
Insight
Users responded positively to the giver’s role being highlighted, but the experience risked overshadowing the recipient.
Design Goal
Updated copy to include recipient-focused language while keeping the giver’s recognition central.
Expected Impact
Strengthen balance between self-image and empathy, ensuring the experience celebrates the act of giving as a shared emotional moment.
Insight
3/5 users had trouble finding the Inspiration page, and 4/5 didn’t find the Gift Language Quiz.
Design Goal
Reworked the information architecture and added multiple entry points to reduce friction.
Expected Impact
Improve discoverability of both shopping flows, leading to higher quiz participation and more product clicks.
Gift discovery conversion
→ % of users who click on a product
after seeing their results.
Multi-product purchase rate
→ % of quiz users who buymore than 1 gift.
Gift History page revisit rate
→ % of users who go back
to view a past gift they gave.
