Hey - it’s Fiona

Between a fresh scoping project for a new marketplace founder and feature designs for a long-term client, I’ve been switching between big-picture UX strategy and the details that make a product feel polished. It’s the kind of variety I love.

Whenever I start a new marketplace project, there are 5 essential screens I always design first. They’re my starting point for scoping complexity, aligning with founders, and avoiding surprises later in development.

I’m sharing them with you today, along with some tips and real examples, in case you’re thinking about your own marketplace MVP.

What are the first 5 screens you design when starting a marketplace project?

When I start designing a new marketplace, I never start with ‘all the screens’. That’s a trap I see a lot of founders fall into. They assume they need to map out everything upfront: onboarding, messaging, reviews, settings, the lot. It’s overwhelming, and it usually results in design debt before you’ve even built anything.

Instead, I focus on the first 5 screens that unlock the marketplace experience. When these 5 work well together, the whole idea starts to feel real. You get the confidence to move forward, and clarity about the scope, features, and decisions ahead.

Here’s the process I follow, along with some tips, mistakes to avoid, and real examples from client work.

1. Homepage — Your Marketplace’s Front Door

You only get one chance to make a first impression. For marketplaces, that’s your homepage.

Most founders think of the homepage as a generic landing page. In reality, it’s a tool to:

• Communicate your value proposition fast (literally within 3 seconds)

• Direct users to the ‘next best step’ - usually to browse supply or sign up

• Reassure visitors they’re in the right place with social proof, brand voice, and benefits.

Before I even open Figma, I write down the answers to these 3 questions:

1. Who is the marketplace for?

2. What problem does it solve for them?

3. What action do we want the user to take first?

For example, a client building a marketplace for professional dog walkers didn’t need a flashy homepage. They needed a clear message:
“Find trusted dog walkers near you. Vetted, reviewed, ready to help.”

Once that message was clear, the rest of the homepage practically designed itself: a search bar, some category shortcuts, and trust signals like reviews and safety guarantees.

2. Search & Filters — The Engine Room

Search is the heartbeat of almost every marketplace. Whether it’s products, services, or people, your users need to find what they want, fast.

This screen is more than a search bar. It’s:

• The filtering system — by location, price, availability, category, etc.

• The layout of search results — cards, lists, maps?

• The first place you reveal your data model.

For example, in a B2B packaging marketplace I worked on, we had to introduce filters for minimum order quantity, material type, and lead time — things that would never appear on a typical e-commerce site.

If you’re designing your marketplace, think hard about what your supply side will need to communicate. That becomes the basis for your filters and search logic.

And if you’re not sure, don’t guess. Talk to potential users or supply-side providers and ask them:
“What would you need to filter by to find the right option quickly?”

3. Listing Detail Page — Where Decisions Are Made

Once a user finds something interesting, the listing detail page is where they decide whether to commit.

Most founders underestimate this page. They think “just show the details!” But the real work is in:

• Structuring the information in a way that builds trust

• Deciding which elements should be visual (images, videos) vs. text

• Including calls to action that convert

On one of my recent projects (a marketplace for personal trainers) the detail page needed to do two things:

1. Showcase the trainer’s qualifications and specialisms

2. Build a sense of personal connection (with a short intro video)

Without the video, users hesitated. With the video, bookings shot up in the test version.

My biggest tip here is to always ask yourself:
“What’s the user’s biggest hesitation here? How can we design to overcome it?”

4. User Dashboard — The ‘Control Panel’

This is one of the most overlooked areas when founders try to wireframe their marketplace. But the user dashboard is essential. It’s where users:

• Manage their presence on the platform

• Track activity (e.g., bookings, sales, messages)

• Update personal information or settings

The design here depends on whether the user is supply-side or demand-side, or sometimes both.

In a marketplace I scoped recently for tradespeople, the supplier dashboard was critical:
It had to show leads, messages, job status, and payments all in one view. A messy dashboard = frustrated suppliers = churn.

If you’re just starting out, don’t overcomplicate the dashboard. Focus on the 2-3 most important actions a user needs to take next. If they’re stuck thinking “what now?” — the design has failed.

5. Checkout / Transaction Flow — Closing the Loop

Finally, you need a smooth checkout or transaction experience.

Even if your marketplace doesn’t involve instant purchases (maybe it’s bookings or enquiries), you still need a clear, structured process for:

• Summarising the transaction

• Collecting essential information

• Explaining what happens next

In some of my Sharetribe projects, founders realise too late that the default transaction flow isn’t enough. Users get confused, or drop off because they don’t trust the process.

That’s why I design the key steps in Figma first, even if it’s just:

1. Review details

2. Add info / preferences

3. Confirm payment / send request

4. Confirmation and next steps

Always answer this question within the flow:
“What will happen after I click this button?”

If the user isn’t sure, they’ll hesitate, or worse, abandon the process.

Why These 5 Screens Matter

Once these 5 screens are mapped out, most of the core UX decisions have been made. It’s easier to scope features, clarify the data model, and estimate build costs (whether you’re going no-code, custom, or a hybrid).

If you want to explore what these 5 screens could look like for your marketplace, or need help scoping your project with Figma prototypes, hit reply and let me know. I’d be happy to help.

—> ✉️ Reply with your questions and I’ll answer them in a future issue.

I’m always saving articles, podcasts, and videos that help me think differently about marketplaces and design. Here are a couple of gems I’ve enjoyed recently.

Fiona Burns

Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 call

If you enjoyed this newsletter, why not forward it to a friend.

Did someone forward you this email? You can subscribe to Marketplace Minute here!