Optimalprint
Cross-Platform Photo Printing Ecosystem
Unifying a global e-commerce print platform across web, iOS, and Android – and connecting it to a 30-country production network
Client
Optimalprint, a product by Gelato
Competitors
My Role
Lead Product Designer – system architecture, design system, multi-platform UX
Industry
E-commerce · SaaS · Print-on-demand
Deliverables
Unified design system (100+ components), web + iOS + Android product, checkout architecture
Optimalprint is a global platform for personalised photo products – cards, books, posters, calendars, gifts – printed and shipped through Gelato’s real-time API network of partners across nearly 30 countries.
The product had grown across web and mobile without a shared system. The checkout process was 6 –7 steps, the design language drifted across platforms, and the editor didn’t reflect what the user would actually receive. My job as lead designer was to architect a single product across all surfaces, plug it cleanly into the Gelato Network ecosystem, and cut the path from idea to print to a few clicks.
Keywords:
– B2B + B2C SaaS
– Multi-platform product
– Design system
– System-level interaction models
– API-driven UX
– E-commerce
The challenge
A complex domain – personalisation, print specs, dynamic pricing, multi-region production – that the user shouldn’t feel. The interaction model had to handle real-time previews, locale-specific catalogues, and live network data from the Gelato API, while remaining understandable in three taps. And it had to scale: every component had to work across web, iOS, and Android without diverging.
My Role
I led product design across the whole ecosystem – research, IA, core flows, design system, and the handover to engineering – partnering with the Gelato Network team, product managers, and local market teams in 30 countries.
– Defined the cross-platform interaction model (“Choose → Customise → Print”) and aligned web, iOS, and Android around it.
– Architected the checkout from 7 steps to 3, with one-tap re-order and persistent draft state.
– Designed a unified design system of 100+ components covering web and native platforms, respecting Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design where it mattered.
– Designed the real-time preview system that surfaced the live Gelato Network state – production location, ship-by date, and price – without overwhelming the user.
– Partnered with engineering to define the API contract for editor state, preview, and order, so design and data shared the same shape.
– Worked across product, engineering, operations, and 30 local market teams to keep one product feeling local in every region.
Impact
“A multi-channel product is only as coherent as its design system. If the same component behaves differently on two platforms, you don’t have a product — you have two.“
Key Screens
Editor (web + mobile)
- Real-time preview reflecting live print specs
- Behavioural-data template recommendations
- Photo upload from camera, library, or social
- One-tap variant switching (size, paper, finish)
Goal: Make personalisation feel like designing, not configuring.
Checkout
- 3-step flow: address → shipping → pay
- Live ship-by date from production network
- Saved drafts and persistent cart across devices
- 1–2 click checkout on mobile
Goal: Cut every second between intent and order.
Process
Discovery & research
I analysed the order funnel and the Gelato Network API surface, ran key-scenario research (creation, preview, order), benchmarked against Canva, Vistaprint, and Mixbook, and interviewed both end users and B2B partners.
System architecture
Before any UI, I defined the system: a single core flow shared across surfaces, a shared editor state model, and a contract with the Gelato API for previews and pricing. The platform-specific work then became local optimisation, not parallel reinvention.
UX strategy & wireframes
Unified the experience for web, iOS, and Android. Cut the path from selection to order from 7 steps to 3. Added real-time preview and templates derived from behavioural data.
Design system & UI
A unified design system for web and mobile with a minimalist UI that gets out of the way of the photo. Personalised template recommendations, interactive previews, and visual storytelling. Native components on iOS and Android that respected each platform without breaking the shared system.
Cross-functional handover
Worked tightly with Gelato Network product, development, and operations, and with local teams in 30 countries – the design hand-off through Figma Dev Mode plus written guidelines so engineering owned the same source of truth.
Outcome & Reflection
The outcome was a unified visual language for the entire Gelato ecosystem, an intuitive, fast interaction model, and an architecture ready to scale into new regions and product categories. The team gained a sustainable UX methodology embedded in the development process. Optimalprint is no longer just a printing service – it’s a digital ecosystem where web, mobile, and a 30- country production network turn user memories into physical objects in three clicks.
