Noel Leeming Mobile App
From scan concept to mobile MVP
The project began as a small concept focused on scanning product codes in store. Roughly six months later, the team received approval to build a broader Noel Leeming app—with about two months to prepare an MVP ahead of a major annual sales event.
The business wanted a dedicated mobile experience for researching products at home and in store. With no time for a greenfield build, our challenge was to create a useful and recognisably Noel Leeming experience on an inherited retail-app foundation, while leaving room for future transactional features.
At a glance
Role: Lead Designer, alongside another Lead UX Designer
Team: UX, app engineering, content, brand stakeholders and store teams
Platforms: iOS and Android
MVP: Browse, search, scan, product information and comparison of up to three products
Status: Shipped without integrated checkout
Organisation
The Warehouse Group — Noel Leeming
My role and scope
Lead Product Designer
I was responsible for the overall experience and visual direction of the app, including representative commerce flows, prototyping and selected testing. I adapted designs for iOS and Android, prepared work for developer handoff and stayed involved during implementation.
I focused on the app’s visual language and branded content treatment. Engineering owned the build; the content team shaped content requirements; and brand stakeholders contributed requirements and feedback. The overall product direction and launch were team outcomes.
The real constraint was what not to build
Reusing an existing retail app made the deadline achievable, but it brought inherited structures and technical debt. We had to decide what Noel Leeming needed to change, what could be reused and what should wait.
The central question was: How could we create a useful and recognisably Noel Leeming mobile experience in roughly two months, while leaving room for future transactional features?
Three constraints shaped the MVP
• A fixed delivery window made scope control a product decision.
• The inherited technical foundation reduced engineering effort but limited how much we could change.
• iOS and Android needed a shared brand without forcing identical platform behaviour.
Three decisions shaped the MVP
1. Reuse the foundation, not the identity
A greenfield build was unrealistic. We reused proven commerce functionality while focusing design effort on brand expression, navigation, key discovery screens and content structure.
2. Make discovery useful before adding checkout
We prioritised browse, search, product information, barcode scanning and comparison of up to three products. Deferring checkout kept the MVP achievable, but meant the first release could not support a direct revenue claim.
3. Share the brand, not every platform behaviour
Typography, colour, imagery and content treatment created continuity, while interaction patterns followed iOS and Android conventions where appropriate.
Turning key screens into a product direction
I began with representative commerce experiences: the homepage, product listings, product details and comparison. These screens established the character of the product and gave stakeholders and developers concrete examples of how it would differ from the inherited foundation.
From these screens, I developed a broader visual language and introduced bottom navigation. I also worked with the content team on reusable homepage and brand-page templates so non-product content could be refreshed without redesigning every update.
The result was more than a set of finished screens: it was a repeatable visual and content framework for the app.
Direction without overstating validation
Stakeholder reviews helped surface business and content concerns while there was still time to respond. We also visited stores to test selected features with customers in the environment where they would be used.
These sessions provided directional feedback, but the surviving project material does not include participant numbers, a detailed protocol or findings that can be reliably tied to individual design changes. I therefore do not present the sessions as proof of customer preference, improved usability or market demand.
What we shipped
The team released the Noel Leeming app on iOS and Android, giving customers a dedicated experience for browsing, searching, scanning, comparing products and reading product information.
The project also produced a Noel Leeming-specific design language, reusable content templates and a cross-platform approach balancing shared branding with native conventions.
Checkout remained outside the first release. Verified download, engagement, conversion, store-visit and revenue measures were not available, so the demonstrated outcome is a shipped cross-platform product and operational foundation—not measured customer or commercial uplift.
What the project taught me
Reusing an existing product accelerated delivery, but it also carried that product’s constraints and debt into the new experience. The work forced me to decide where design attention would have the greatest effect rather than trying to change everything.
It also reinforced how much product delivery depends on relationships. Building trust between the app team and brand organisation, keeping design ahead of development, and understanding the impact on engineering, content and store teams were as important as the screens themselves.
Where the product could go next
Integrated checkout was the clearest next step in the planned product direction. A future phase would also benefit from an explicit measurement framework covering product discovery, scanning, comparison and purchasing behaviour.
Measures such as search-to-product progression, scanning activity, comparison completion and checkout conversion would need defined baselines, audiences, timeframes and attribution rules before supporting an impact claim.