Culture Circle — Building Trust in India's Sneaker Resale Market
Jan - May 2023
Culture Circle is a premium sneaker resellers comparison platform that helps users discover limited-edition sneakers, compare prices across verified sellers, and buy with confidence.
In India, sneaker resale is fragmented across Instagram pages, WhatsApp sellers, and small websites — with little transparency around authenticity or pricing. Culture Circle set out to become a single, trusted layer between sneaker culture and commerce.
I worked on the product at an early stage, where design needed to establish credibility immediately. The platform later appeared on Shark Tank India, where the branding and website design were appreciated by Aman Gupta — validating the importance of strong, trust-first design in B2C products.
Industry
B2C
What did I do?
Brand identity and positioning, Website design
Worked closely with
Founders and developers, translating business goals into a clear, scalable design system. With high autonomy, every decision had to justify how it improved trust, clarity, or conversion.
The Challenges
Designing Culture Circle meant solving three interconnected problems:
- Low trust: Fear of counterfeits and unreliable sellers dominates purchase decisions
- Price opacity: Users manually compare prices across multiple sources
- Hype vs credibility: Overly flashy design weakens trust in high-value purchases
The challenge wasn't to make the platform loud — it was to make it believable.
Design Goals
- Establish trust within the first scroll
- Make comparison effortless and transparent
- Support conversion without pressure
- Build a memorable, premium brand
- Most importantly make the checkout flow simple and trustworthy
Research & Insights
I grounded the product in behavioral patterns from the sneaker resale ecosystem. These insights became non-negotiable design principles.
Research Approach
- Analysis of Indian resellers on Instagram, WhatsApp, and web
- Study of global platforms like StockX and GOAT
- Trust signals from luxury resale and high-value tech products
Key Insights
- Users cross-check prices across multiple sellers before buying
- Authenticity matters more than price
- Visual maturity is equated with legitimacy
- Structured comparison reduces anxiety
Brand & Visual Direction
Sneaker buyers, especially Gen-Z and collectors, are highly sensitive to visual cues. From early research, it was clear that overdesigned or overly loud branding is often read as unreliable in resale spaces.
What Research Revealed
- Many Indian resellers use heavy graphics, bold colors, and urgency-driven layouts
- Users associate these patterns with fake products or inconsistent sellers
- Collectors prefer interfaces that feel stable, predictable, and focused on the product
This shifted the goal of the brand from “standing out” to being taken seriously.
Visual Exploration & Decisions
I positioned Culture Circle as a neutral, informed platform that helps users evaluate options rather than push a purchase and explored three early directions:
- Typography: Simple sans-serif fonts chosen for legibility and consistency
- Color: Neutral backgrounds to keep attention on sneakers and prices
- Layout: Clear spacing to reduce confusion and scanning errors
UX & Product Decisions
The UX was designed to reduce doubt before asking for action.
Information Order
Through multiple layout tests, I found that showing prices too early increased anxiety. Users first wanted reassurance.
I structured the experience to answer questions in this order:
- Is the sneaker authentic?
- What are the available prices?
- Which seller looks reliable?
This sequence made the experience feel slower — but safer.
Comparison as the Core Experience
Comparison is the main reason users visit Culture Circle, so it was treated as the product itself.
Design decisions included:
- Side-by-side price lists with aligned rows
- Consistent formatting to prevent misreading prices
- Clear indication of price differences without value judgments
Users could understand their options without doing mental math or switching tabs.
Trust Cues Without Clutter
Instead of adding labels everywhere, I placed trust indicators only where users hesitated:
- Near prices
- Near seller names
- At decision points
Anything that didn't reduce confusion was removed.
Designing for Fast Browsing
Sneaker drops are time-sensitive, but pressure reduces confidence.
The interface supports:
- Quick scanning
- Clear CTAs
- Stable layouts that don't change across pages
The design doesn't rush the user. It lets them decide.
Iterations & Trade-offs
Early versions leaned into bold visuals and dense layouts. They looked exciting but slowed decisions. I traded excitement for clarity by simplifying layouts, reducing visual noise, and strengthening hierarchy around price and sellers.
Key observations
- Trust is the primary feature in high-value B2C products
- Clear structure converts better than excitement
- Gen-Z responds to honesty, not pressure
- Strong design often comes from removal
Outcome & Impact
- Featured on Shark Tank India and design received direct appreciation from Aman Gupta.
- The product was perceived as structured and reliable, not just another resale page.
- Design clearly shaped trust and resulted in early adoption.