Nahuel D'Elias · Product engineer
( Index)

(S01)Study · 2024Concept

Bespoke

An artisan marketplace, from AI-designed commissions to authenticated handmade pieces.

Role
Co-founder
Dates
2024-01 – 2024-12
Stack
Figma
Status
Designs and prototypes

A look at how I thought about product in 2024, before the AI boom and before vers1ons. I designed both versions by hand, and they're shown as they were. Each tab covers how a version was supposed to work and why it wouldn't have. The last one is what I'd build today.

The decision

Halfway through 2024 we had two directions for Bespoke.

Chose
Build for artisans, with NFC tags and digital passports.
Rejected
A creative AI tool for buyers.
Cost
We gave up the buyer side we'd already designed. And we picked between two ideas without asking artisans what they needed, so both started from a solution.

The rule I broke

I fell in love with the solution, not the problem.

My rule is to fall in love with the problem, not the solution. With Bespoke I did the opposite. The real problem was artisans connecting with the people who’d buy their work. Both versions chased an idea that looked great, without checking that anyone wanted it.

Then and now

Bespoke on a phone: Discover, a feed of clothes, ceramics, and jewelry.
Find a piece, buy it, scan its tag, and it's in your wallet · muted0:42

The idea

Start from artisans who already have a style.

The second Bespoke built for the other side. Artisans who already make high-end work list it, and buyers find it. Each piece gets an NFC tag before it’s sold. Scanning the tag opens its digital passport, with the maker, the piece, and every owner since. When it sells, ownership moves to the buyer through a smart contract, and a share of every resale goes back to the maker and earlier owners.

How it worksA piece and its passportArtisans list their own work. Each piece gets an NFC tag tied to a digital passport, ownership moves by smart contract, and every resale pays the maker and earlier owners.
artisanArtisanverifiedlists their own work
NFC tagon the piecebefore it's sold
chainDigital passportmaker, piece, ownersan NFT twin
Listingbuy now or bid
buyerPurchase$200, paid
chainEscrowpassport helduntil delivery
buyerScan the tagitem foundpassport to wallet
Walletwhat you ownwith its history
buyerResalelisted again
chainRoyaltiesto the makerand earlier owners
  1. ready · press run, or hover any part of the system

What I was thinking

Handmade becomes the luxury.

As more things get made by machines, handmade work becomes what people pay more for. Many artisans already have a style and a following. What they don’t have is a way to prove a piece is theirs. An NFC tag on each piece gives it a passport. A smart contract sends the maker a share every time it resells.

Value Proposition slide: digital passports in users' wallets, stress-free second-hand purchases, and artisans earning on every resale.

The flow on a phone, from Discover to the wallet. Click any screen to see it full size.The flow on a phone, from Discover to the wallet. Each screen links to it at full size.

  1. Discover: a grid of clothes, a bag, ceramics, and jewelry, each with its maker.
  2. Sea Pot: one collection of pots by the same maker, each with its price and status.
  3. Sea Pot #2: the piece, its maker, its details, and Purchase for $250.
  4. Pay: $200 and a Pay button.
  5. Scan Tag: the pot behind a scanning frame.
  6. Added to Wallet: No. 8 on a card with confetti.

See all 14 screens (8 more)

Wireframe to design

The wireframes I started from, and the screens they became.

  1. Discover

    Wireframe: Following and Discover tabs over grey boxes.
    Before · Wireframe
    Design: Discover, a grid of real pieces with their makers.
    Now · Design

  2. A piece

    Wireframe: a grey image, the artisan's name, details, and Bid and Save.
    Before · Wireframe
    Design: Sea Pot #2 with its maker, details, and Purchase for $250.
    Now · Design

  3. The wallet

    Wireframe: a cube icon and Generate Wallet.
    Before · Wireframe
    Design: Added to Wallet, the pot on a card with confetti.
    Now · Design

Why it wouldn't work

The blockchain asked too much of buyers.

The marketplace was the closest we got. Established artisans did want more people to find their work. But NFC tags, NFT twins, and smart contracts asked buyers to adopt something people don’t use in everyday life. We also built the resale loop before anyone had made a first sale. A certificate of origin would have done the job.

A loop from artisan onboarding and RFID shipment through product listing, purchase, escrow, delivery, and resale.

Designs from 2024, shown as they were. The rings in Bespoke AI are AI generated. Product photos in Bespoke are stand-ins, and no affiliation is implied. The Today tab is a concept, not something built.