Many of the smaller and medium auction houses in the US were not integrating technology and still relying on physical auctions to run their sales, using antiquated websites or relying solely on congregated marketplaces where their brand would get lost.
A group of 3 of us decided to tap into this market with the idea of creating a seamless digital experience for both bidders and auctioneers across various platforms. Our goal was to create a suite of digital products that we could brand to auction houses (white-labeled), and deliver a world-class user experience that enhanced engagement and brought auctions to the competitive online market.
Increased exposure drove at least a 30% rise in sales, fueled by competition between physical and online bidders for all our customers.
Our business model enabled us to brand hundreds of auction houses of all sizes and eventually expanding our reach internationally.
The start-up turned into a successful company over time and ultimately got acquired by a larger entity (ATG – Auction Technology Group)
Auction Mobility was founded to modernize and digitize the auction experience, empowering auction houses with cutting-edge technology. By bridging the gap between traditional auctions and the digital marketplace, we enable businesses to expand their reach, increase bidder engagement, and maximize revenue. Our mission is to provide a seamless, real-time, and accessible auction experience for both sellers and buyers, ensuring auctions thrive in the ever-evolving world of e-commerce.
- Increased Bidder Engagement — Our mobile-first and online bidding platform boosts both bidder participation and numbers, directly driving higher revenue for auction house clients.
- Expanded Global Reach — We help auction houses attract new international buyers, tapping into the growing e-commerce auction market.
- Seamless Real-Time Auctions — Buyers worldwide can participate in auctions effortlessly, experiencing them as if they were there in person.
As a mobile-first company, we needed to design a versatile app that seamlessly served key auction verticals, including real estate, wine, automotive, art, antiques & collectibles, machinery & equipment, livestock, charity, and personal property.
I focused on defining the needs of both sellers (auction houses) and buyers (bidders) to create a platform that would be performant for both. We partnered with a few auction houses as pilot clients, conducting in-depth interviews to analyze their workflows, pain points, and expectations. These insights shaped the foundation of our product, ensuring it was intuitive, efficient, and aligned with real user needs from day one.
My design process began with a mobile-first approach, starting with Android, followed by iPhone, tablet, and web. I developed preliminary designs while gathering feedback from both colleagues and auction houses, ensuring the solutions met real user needs. This iterative process helped refine the product into a viable market-ready solution. Over time, the product evolved, diversified, and was continuously improved to meet the changing needs of auction houses and the auction industry.
By opening the physical live auctions to online presence, it created a higher sense of competition and boost sales, while providing immersion to the online bidders thanks to the live video feed feature with a 20ms only latency.
- Minimizing Friction – The main challenge was to reduce unnecessary steps in the user journey, ensuring quick and intuitive access to auction catalogs and bid placement without overwhelming users.
- Seamless Browsing Experience – Ensuring smooth navigation across diverse auction categories (e.g., real estate, art, collectibles) to allow users to quickly find items of interest.
- Real-Time Updates – Creating a live bidding experience that kept users informed about bids, current prices, and auction status without lag or delays.
- Clear Call-to-Action – Designing prominent, easy-to-understand buttons and actions for bidding, so users never felt uncertain about how to place a bid or what step to take next.
- Responsive Design – Optimizing the bidding interface for different devices (mobile, tablet, desktop) to ensure a consistent, seamless experience across all platforms.
- Clear Bid States – Establishing distinct bid states was crucial for making bid battles engaging and transparent. By clearly showing whether a bid is pending, accepted, or outbid, users felt confident and motivated to participate.
We created different versions of the bidding room, including one tailored to high-end clients.
As Auction Mobility grew, we refined our product offerings to meet the unique needs of various auction houses. We created Core and Premium versions, which offered the same features but differed in design, with Premium focused on high-quality imagery for luxury auction houses. We also developed a specific template for real estate clients to address their unique requirements. Later, we introduced a mobile app with an embedable bid widget, allowing clients to keep bidders on their own sites while seamlessly integrating the auction experience.
As demand grew for custom auction house websites (not the bidding platform), I worked closely with the sales team to streamline the process. Initially, I managed website creation manually, but to handle increased demand, I helped redesign the onboarding flow, introducing an onboarding form and pre-recorded tutorial videos. We offered a free website as an incentive for new clients, many of whom had outdated sites. This approach not only improved the process but also helped support the sales team with custom sales comps and ensure clients received modern, functional websites tailored to their brand.
A comprehensive set of admin tools was developed to give auction houses full control over their data and sales process. This included an admin panel for managing sales efficiently, with pre- and post-auction analytics, a comprehensive invoicing system, and performance tracking for seamless financial management. On the day of the sale, physical buyers competed with online bidders through the live bidding room, while the clerk controlled the auction in real-time using our dedicated clerk panel.
My role extended beyond design; I worked closely with product managers, developers, and stakeholders to ensure that the final product aligned with both the user needs and business goals. I was involved in the product development lifecycle from ideation to deployment, providing input on usability, functionality, and visual design.
Auction Mobility’s platform scaled globally, becoming a trusted solution for auction houses in multiple markets. My consistent design efforts helped maintain a uniform, high-quality user experience, enabling the platform to grow its user base and expand into new regions.
Wearing many hats, I collaborated closely with engineering, product, and business teams, which gave me firsthand insight into not just design but also the financial and strategic aspects of scaling a business. This experience shaped my ability to create user-centric solutions while balancing business growth and technical feasibility.
After successfully launching our first-generation products at Auction Mobility, we saw the need for a more efficient and flexible design…
