Time
How recent
is this fish?
Licious · Building trust
Freshness
You can’t touch the fish.
You should still feel sure.
don’t just tell me.
The starting point
The brief was
one word.
I was given “Freshness”, and the room to work out what that should mean for the experience.
that was the whole brief.“Freshness”
My role
I took it from there.
With no PM on the project, I independently framed the problem, developed the direction, explored the approaches and designed the UX and UI.
Understanding freshness
What does “fresh” mean?
It depends on who you ask.
“Within 24 hours
of the catch.”
“The cold chain
is maintained.”
“Always fresh.
Never frozen.”
“A refund if
it isn’t good.”
and for design?Time, temperature, process
and delivery all matter.
But people need to feel that freshness, too.
What looks fresh
feels fresh.
A customer doesn’t see the cold chain or the process. They see the fish, and form an impression.
freshness is a perception.
How do we come to trust it?
What we see, and what we hear from others, give us something to go by.
“Heard it.”
Someone else had
a good experience.
“Saw it.”
I could check
for myself.
No smellNo touchNo visibilityNo one saidWhen those cues are missing online
Without those cues,
we default to doubt.
We can’t touch or smell the fish. Without a closer look or someone else’s experience, we’re left guessing.
The gap in the current approach
We say“Always fresh.”≠The customer feels“This is fresh.”
A freshness claim doesn’t automatically become freshness in the customer’s mind.
From missing cues to useful checks
What would help
someone feel sure?
The missing cues became four things to check, with one question behind them all: what would reduce the worry?
Senses
What can
I inspect?
Process
How was
it handled?
Proof
What do
others say?
Risk-free
What reduces
my worry?
From self-doubt
→“Is it fresh?”
To proof
“Here’s how you can be sure.”
The design question
How might we help people
check freshness for themselves?
Bring the evidence into the shopping journey, so people can judge rather than just take our word for it.
The architecture
A place for each check.
Two ways in from the FnS page: hear from customers, or look into today’s batch.
Check the batch
- Time
Today’s batch
See when the fish was sourced.
- Time + process
The fish’s journey
Follow it from source to delivery.
- Process + senses
A closer look
Quality stories or a fish from the batch.
Proof
Let customers
tell their side.
In a shop, another person’s experience can reassure us. Online, a freshness promise was mostly coming from the brand itself.
Customer stories bring that outside perspective into the FnS page.
“Someone else has tried it.”
Time
Not just in stock.
Sourced today.
“When did this fish arrive?” is a natural question at the counter. The answer needs to be visible before someone opens a product.
I added “Today’s batch” to the existing FnS cards. It connects the available stock to today’s sourcing, putting a specific time cue beside the fish and its price.
a date, not another promise.
Time + process
One tap.
The fish’s whole journey.
“Sourced today” answers when. The timeline opens up what happened along the way.
From source to delivery, timestamps connect how recent with how it was handled.
where it’s been, before it gets to you.
Senses
A fish from this batch.
A closer look for yourself.
At the counter, people look at the fish before deciding. A standard catalogue image cannot tell them what the current batch looks like.
A photo of a randomly selected fish shows the batch’s eyes and gills for people to inspect.
A batch sample, not the exact fish in the order. It brings the visual check online; it cannot replace touch or smell.
How it comes together.
Two ways to check while shopping: hear from customers, or look closer at the fish and its journey.
From browsing to someone’s experience
FnS page Customer story
From today’s batch to a closer look
Product card Timeline Quality story / fish photo
