Amazon: Transparency

The Transparency program helps brands stop counterfeit products, improve customer engagement, and gain valuable insights into their supply chain.

Role & ownership

I was the Senior (only) UX Designer for the Transparency organization, collaborating with 14 Product/Program Managers and 20+ Engineers.

  • Transparency portal: Web app enabling brands like Microsoft and Samsung to:
    - Onboard products
    - Order/print Transparency codes
    - Access performance dashboards
    - Manage brand-specific operations through internal tools
  • Seller Central: Enhanced Amazon seller platform with Transparency product authentication features.
  • Fulfillment Centers: Designed UX for product authentication tools integrated into warehouse systems.
  • Amazon.com: Integrated Transparency features across key customer-facing pages and mobile scanning workflow.

The challenge

Low customer awareness

Amazon's Transparency program aimed to add trust signals to high-visibility touchpoints to combat counterfeits. Research on language and design helped secure leadership support by projecting gains in brand trust.

kickoff

Surveying the landscape

I conducted a competitive analysis early on to understand how other companies handle anti-counterfeiting features. This helped identify key gaps and best practices, which informed the design of Amazon's Transparency program to ensure it stood out and met user needs.

Themes

A common theme across the analysis was the use of familiar iconography and similar color palettes, which contributed to building trust with users.
Only half of the apps included a Call-to-action. In the shopping journey, this can be an opportunity to enhance the customer experience, not just a dead-end.
View full image

Experimentation

I worked with the Product Manager to use Lean Canvas for ideation, a structured approach that aligns with Amazon's writing culture mentality.

process

Prototype

I developed user flows and prototypes to share ideas, align teams, and gather unbiased customer feedback.

Transparency landing page

Prototype
Variants

Amazon Lens (scanning CX)

Prototype
I'm so sorry, this Ionic Framework app and PDF is only available on Desktop and Tablet devices.

Discovery

Customer Insights

Led the discovery phase using UserTesting.com for 366 unmoderated and 6 moderated sessions across the US, UK, and DE. Tested an interactive prototype (above), driving insights for content design and Amazon Lens changes.

Select quotes
"The scanner is excellent for verification purposes and offers additional opportunities for future enhancements."— Participant 6
"It's compelling when there's a problem, and I need proof to decide if I need to escalate the issue. This way, I don’t have to call the call center.— Participant 3

Report brief

The majority of participants were initially confused by the short text description, "Verify with Transparency." However, their confusion diminished as additional progressive content was revealed. Furthermore, after understanding how the Transparency program would impact their purchases, most participants expressed positive sentiment regarding the perceived value of the program.

Sentiment aggregation

View Google Sheet

My research tools & platforms

UserTesting.com• Moderated 1:1 interviews
• Unmoderated surveys
• Prototype walkthrough + questionnaire
Qualtrics• Complex, branching surveys
• Studies requiring statistical significance
Eye tracking• Used to compare stated preferences with actual behavior
 View a related evaluation I conducted for Buyer Risk Prevention
Mechanical Turk• Integrated for automated incentive payments
In-person sessions• One-on-one interviews
• Roundtable discussions

refinement

Finalizing Design

Incorporating feedback from interviews, surveys, and senior leaders, I made changes to address:

  • Meaningful content
  • Accessibility
  • Product owner page feedback
  • Iconography updates
  • Alignment with Amazon design system branding
Final screens

impact

Results of my UX/UXR

My work integrating Transparency into the Search, Detail, and Progress Tracker pages, as well as the Amazon Lens experience and content design, resulted in significant metric improvements for products enrolled in the Transparency program.

6%
Decrease in customer returns
2%
Increase in purchase rates
2x
Growth expected in product scans
NA
Expected repurchase rates
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