Better Usability and Design for a Fine Wine Investment App

Refining the Fine Wine Experience

Our team of four teamed up with Vindome, a fine wine investment platform, for a ten-week project split into two phases: user research and prototyping. Vindome wanted to refine its user experience to attract new investors and make the platform easier to navigate.

Fine wine investment is niche, and Vindome’s app had usability issues that made it hard for new users to get started. Key problems included:

• Confusing onboarding that left users unsure of their next steps.
• Disorganized navigation, with scattered content and broken links.
• Lack of clear investment insights, making decisions difficult.

Our goal was to make the app more intuitive, engaging, and conversion-friendly.

User Research

Since none of us were wine investment pros, we started with desk research to get familiar with the industry. Although Vindome provided user personas, we closed the gap by reaching out to real investors.

• Reviewed the app and website to identify key friction points.
• Interviewed industry experts and active Vindome users via LinkedIn.
• Conducted usability tests with five new investors.

We used information architecture diagrams and a priority matrix to decide which fixes would have the highest impact.

1. Smarter Onboarding

We introduced a three-profile onboarding system, letting users choose their experience level and access relevant features right away.

2. Streamlined Navigation

Redesigned the main menu for better organization and improved the dashboard to make key actions easier to find.

3. Live Market Makeover

Added collapsible explanations for beginners and enhanced wine detail pages with deeper investment insights.

4. Portfolio Overhaul

Reimagined the portfolio as a virtual wine cellar, aligning the digital experience with the physical passion of wine collectors.

5. Better Collection Filtering

Users can now filter by price range and investment horizon, supported by helpful explanations throughout the flow.

User feedback highlighted meaningful improvements across the core product experience:

• Smoother onboarding – Users felt more guided and confident from the start.
• Effortless navigation – Reduced confusion led to higher engagement levels.
• Intuitive portfolio – Aligned better with real investor mental models.