Sofi Chacón | Lead Product Designer & AI UX Specialist

GoFeria

Bringing Farm-Fresh Produce Online in Record Time during COVID-19

PRODUCT DESIGN

app

DESIGN SYSTEM

How we launched a product that changed how small farmers and consumers connected, by focusing on impact over process perfection.

DESIGN THAT LEADS TO SUCCESS

1st

Market First-Mover

Costa Rica’s first farm-to-table App, replacing informal channels like WhatsApp & Facebook

63%

MAU Retention Rate

of new users remained active after three months, consistently browsing, purchasing, or engaging with deals

Defined as users engaging with the app (browsing, adding to cart, or purchasing) at least once per month after sign-up.

48%

Repeat Purchase Rate

Nearly half of first-time buyers made a second purchase within three months

Tracked through purchase logs, measuring users who placed a second order within 90 days.

The Reality Check: A real Agile approach over a textbook process

Not every project allows for a perfect, step-by-step UX process. GoFeria wasn’t about crafting a theoretical case study. it was about solving an urgent, real-world problem. When COVID-19 shut down farmers' markets, small farmers lost their main sales channel overnight, and consumers struggled to access fresh, local produce.

Instead of following a rigid UX framework, we focused on speed, impact, and usability. Skipping unnecessary steps, launching fast, and iterating based on real user behavior.

KEY TRADE-OFFS

MVP-first mindset | Launched with only core features: easy browsing, seamless checkout & digital payments.

No exhaustive personas | Instead, we went straight to interviews and surveys to pinpoint real pain points.

Minimal wireframing | Designed Mid-fi screens and tested them as soon as they were functional.

Overview

PROJECT

GoFeria

ROLE

Product Designer, Founding Team

DURATION

April 2020 - June 2020

The Challenge: Farmers lost their market overnight

Before the pandemic, buying farm-fresh produce was simple: people went to the weekend ferias (farmers' markets). But when restrictions forced these markets to shut down, consumers had only two options:

🚫 Expensive supermarkets with limited local produce

🚫 Informal WhatsApp/Facebook orders with no structure

This wasn’t just about building an App. We had to rebuild a broken supply chain, digitally.

The Goal: A Practical & Fast Solution

Get an MVP live: Fast | No one could wait months for a polished product.

Make buying effortless | The app had to be intuitive enough to onboard users without tutorials.

Make buying effortless | The app had to be intuitive enough to onboard users and allow them to buy effortless.

Research & Discovery

Focused Research: Fast but Effective

15 Farmers In-depth-interviews

5 Power-user In-depth-interviews

15 Surveys

To validate key features before development.

Key insights that drove the design

Analyzed collected data to identify key themes and issues.

What buyers need the most

Convenience | The ability to order anytime, not just on weekends.

Digital Payments | To avoid cash handling during the pandemic.

Product Transparency | They wanted to know exactly where their food was coming from.

I prefer not to use cash, especially during the pandemic.

#indepthinterview

I want to support small farmers, not big companies. I know supermarkets don't pay them fairly.

#indepthinterview

It's hard to organize my time to go to the farmers market on Saturday mornings when the market is happening

#indepthinterview

It's hard to organize my time to go to the farmers market on Saturday mornings when the market is happening

I prefer not to use cash, especially during the pandemic.

Fast Execution: What we prioritized (and what we didn't)

Skipped

Deep persona development: Instead we focused on real behaviors and pain points from direct user research.

Over-researched competitive analysis | The main competitor was people sellign via WhatsApp and Facebook, and we already knew its limitations.

Over-engineered UI explorations | Prioritized functionality over pixel perfection.

Over-researched competitive analysis | The main competitor was WhatsApp and Facebook, and we already knew its limitations.

Skipped: Over-engineered UI explorations | Prioritized functionality over pixel perfection.

Prioritized

Core MVP features | Ordering, payments, order tracking.

Usability testing | Ran quick, high-impact tests on mid-fi wireframes.

Iterate as we go | Launched fast, then refined based on actual user behavior.

Core MVP features | Ordering, payments, order tracking.

Usability testing | Ran quick, high-impact tests on mid-fi wireframes.

Iterate as we go | Launched fast, then refined based on actual user behavior.

🚀 Prototype, Test, Launch. All in parallel

Usability Testing Insights

We didn’t wait for a perfect prototype. We tested and improved while building:

Mid-fi wireframes | Validated ordering flow with 20 users before dev work.

Live order testing | Ensured smooth payments and fulfillment.

Design QA | Balanced speed with usability before launch.

🚀 Prototype, Test, Launch. All in parallel

We didn’t wait for a perfect prototype. We tested and improved while building:

We didn’t wait for a perfect prototype. We tested and improved while building:

Mid-fi wireframes | Validated ordering flow with 20 users before dev work.

Live order testing | Ensured smooth payments and fulfillment.

Design QA | Balanced speed with usability before launch.

Usability Testing Insights

Collected feedback to refine key areas: dynamic order totals (sub-total), guest access, and product source transparency.

APP SCREENS

Post-Launch: Feedback-Driven Iteration

Once live, we conducted surveys and quickly refined the experience:

Daily deals and WhatsApp customer service.

Established a roadmap for future releases to continuously improve the app based on ongoing user feedback and market needs like:

Expanded product categories, advanced search filters, loyalty programs, and enhanced delivery options to maintain long-term user engagement and value.