Project overview
Preparation companion for one Nigerian cross-border trade corridor.
- Platform
- Mobile app · Android-first · portrait
- Screens
- 11 screens + 1 unhappy path (12 frames)
- Features
- 3 core features
- Bottom navigation
- Routes · Checklist · Costs · Profile
- Prototype
- 4 linked flows
Build order: Auth (screens 1–4) → nav tabs (5–8) → core flow (9–11) → unhappy path → link prototypes.
Problem & primary user
Small Nigerian traders moving goods to nearby African markets rely on agents and old chat messages for route requirements. Rules, forms, and likely costs need visible sources and review dates.
Primary user
"Tunde, a 34-year-old clothing maker in Lagos preparing his first wholesale delivery to Cotonou."
Geographic scope: National-level
Goals
User goal: Choose a route and complete a current preparation checklist before handing goods to a logistics partner.
Business goal: Trader associations, logistics partners, and export-support programs pay for route guidance.
Success: Trader selects a route and completes a source-dated document and cost checklist.
Market context
- Question
- Answer
- Who pays
- Trader associations, logistics partners, and export-support programs pay for route guidance.
- Why not WhatsApp
- Traders ask agents in chats, but requirements vary by route and old advice stays in circulation.
- Design focus
- Route-specific document checklist and cost worksheet with visible source and last-reviewed date.
Competitors to check:
- Agent or clearing contact (default)
- Government trade pages (fragmented)
- Paper document checklist (not route-aware)
Validate before you design
Interview 3–5 people who match your primary user. Update this brief if interviews contradict it. Do not start hi-fi until you complete the confirmation below.
- Validated user (name, age, city)
- Problem in one sentence
- One interview quote
- Success metric for your test
- Primary colour and tone
- One competitor you checked
Interview prompts
- "Walk me through the last time this happened."
- "What did you use instead? WhatsApp, paper, or nothing?"
- "What would make you trust this on a cheap Android phone?"
- "What would stop you from using this every week?"
Features & scope
v1 · three features
- Choose goods category and cross-border route
- Complete a source-dated document checklist
- Build a cost worksheet with confirmed and estimated items
Out of scope
- Customs clearance guarantee
- Cross-border payment processing
- Freight marketplace
Screens
Design every row in wireframe, high-fidelity UI, and prototype (where the flow applies).
| # | Layer | Screen | What to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auth | Splash Screen | App logo, name, and tagline for Border Trade Companion. |
| 2 | Auth | Onboarding (1 screen) | Explain the app in one sentence. One Get Started button. |
| 3 | Auth | Sign Up Screen | Name, phone number, state, and PIN. No email required. |
| 4 | Auth | Sign In Screen | Phone number and PIN. Forgot PIN link. |
| 5 | App shell | Routes (tab) | Nigeria-to-neighbour corridor cards with goods-category filters. Show bottom nav with Routes active. |
| 6 | App shell | Checklist (tab) | Route-specific documents with source link and last-reviewed date. Show bottom nav with Checklist active. |
| 7 | App shell | Costs (tab) | Worksheet separating official fee, logistics quote, and user estimate. Show bottom nav with Costs active. |
| 8 | App shell | Profile (tab) | Trader name, goods category, base city, and saved routes. Show bottom nav with Profile active. |
| 9 | Core flow | Route · Selected | Corridor and goods category selected. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 10 | Core flow | Checklist · Ready | Source-dated requirements completed for the route. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 11 | Core flow | Costs · Summary | Official, quoted, and estimated costs kept separate. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
Layers: Auth = 1–4 · App shell = 5–8 · Core flow = 9–11
Prototype flows
Link these in Figma. Examiners should click through without your voice-over.
Flow 1 · App entry
Flow 2 · Core task (all three features)
Core flow screens: Route · Selected · Checklist · Ready · Costs · Summary
Flow 3 · Navigation
Link every nav tab so examiners can tap each bottom nav item. Tabs: Routes · Checklist · Costs · Profile
Flow 4 · Unhappy path
Trigger the unhappy path edge case and link to that screen.
Unhappy path
Design this as its own screen state (frame 12):
A requirement is under review. Show: Confirm with the named authority or licensed agent before travel.
Link in Flow 4.
Design system
- Colour
- You choose. Keep it simple and readable.
- Type
- You choose. Keep body text easy to read on a phone.
- Tone
- Design for your user, not for a tech audience.
Reuse on every screen:
- Primary button (active and disabled states)
- Input field (empty, filled, and error states)
- Card or list item used across the app
- Navigation bar with correct labels and icons
- Empty state: what the screen looks like with no data
Submit & defense
Deliverables
| # | Deliverable | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wireframes | Every screen in this brief, plus the unhappy path. Layout and labels clear. |
| 2 | High-fidelity UI | Same frames polished. You choose colour and type. Bottom nav on every post-sign-in screen. |
| 3 | Prototype | Four linked flows (entry, core task, navigation, unhappy path). Examiners can use the app without your voice-over. |
| 4 | AI prototype | Figma Make: at least 2 screens. Share link. |
| 5 | Case study (1 page) | Problem · User · Who pays · Competitors · Solution · One design decision |
| 6 | Presentation (6–8 slides) | Name · Problem · User · Solution · Key screens · Flow demo · One decision |
Before you present
- Every screen designed in wireframe and hi-fi
- Unhappy path screen designed and linked in the prototype
- Four prototype flows linked end to end
- At least one empty state on a list tab
- Shared components reused: button, input, card or row, bottom nav
- Case study names who pays and one competitor you checked
- You can explain one design decision in critique (why, not what)
- Completed 5 user interviews or 1 usability test
- Checked at least one competitor listed under Market context