Betá Reviews App

Betá Reviews

Project Type

Product Design — Mobile App (Live Project)

Role

UX Researcher, UI/UX Designer

Duration

10 weeks

OVERVIEW

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

PROBLEM

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

Across Nigerian and broader African markets, a significant and well-documented problem shapes consumer behaviour: the proliferation of substandard products and services, often with little recourse or accountability for businesses that deliver poor quality. Unlike in markets where platforms like Trustpilot, Google Reviews, or Yelp are deeply embedded in purchasing decisions, African consumers have historically had limited access to reliable, aggregated peer reviews.

The consequences are real: consumers make purchases based on incomplete information, businesses face little accountability, and the overall market suffers from a credibility gap that makes trust-based commerce harder to establish. Betá Reviews was built to address this, creating a platform that gives consumers a voice and gives businesses an incentive (better reviews = higher BetáScore = greater customer trust) to raise their standards.

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

Across Nigerian and broader African markets, a significant and well-documented problem shapes consumer behaviour: the proliferation of substandard products and services, often with little recourse or accountability for businesses that deliver poor quality. Unlike in markets where platforms like Trustpilot, Google Reviews, or Yelp are deeply embedded in purchasing decisions, African consumers have historically had limited access to reliable, aggregated peer reviews.

The consequences are real: consumers make purchases based on incomplete information, businesses face little accountability, and the overall market suffers from a credibility gap that makes trust-based commerce harder to establish. Betá Reviews was built to address this, creating a platform that gives consumers a voice and gives businesses an incentive (better reviews = higher BetáScore = greater customer trust) to raise their standards.

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

Across Nigerian and broader African markets, a significant and well-documented problem shapes consumer behaviour: the proliferation of substandard products and services, often with little recourse or accountability for businesses that deliver poor quality. Unlike in markets where platforms like Trustpilot, Google Reviews, or Yelp are deeply embedded in purchasing decisions, African consumers have historically had limited access to reliable, aggregated peer reviews.

The consequences are real: consumers make purchases based on incomplete information, businesses face little accountability, and the overall market suffers from a credibility gap that makes trust-based commerce harder to establish. Betá Reviews was built to address this, creating a platform that gives consumers a voice and gives businesses an incentive (better reviews = higher BetáScore = greater customer trust) to raise their standards.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.
Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.
Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.
Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.
Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.
Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.
Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.
Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.
Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.
Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

DESIGN APPROACH

Multi-Format Reviews as the Core Design Challenge

The multi-format review capability was both the product's defining feature and its central design challenge. Supporting four submission formats (text, audio, image, video) within a single coherent mobile UI required careful attention to:

Format selection UX: making it immediately clear what options are available without overwhelming users or making any single format feel like the 'right' one.
Recording and capture flows: audio and video recording require permissions, real-time feedback, and reliable stop/save interactions on both iOS and Android. These flows needed to feel polished and predictable.
Review editing and preview: users needed the ability to review and amend their submission before publishing, particularly for audio and video where re-recording is more effort-intensive than editing text.
Business profile and BetáScore display: the platform's value to businesses depends on reviews being displayed clearly and compellingly, with the BetáScore visible and legible as a trust signal.

Multi-Format Reviews as the Core Design Challenge

The multi-format review capability was both the product's defining feature and its central design challenge. Supporting four submission formats (text, audio, image, video) within a single coherent mobile UI required careful attention to:

Format selection UX: making it immediately clear what options are available without overwhelming users or making any single format feel like the 'right' one.
Recording and capture flows: audio and video recording require permissions, real-time feedback, and reliable stop/save interactions on both iOS and Android. These flows needed to feel polished and predictable.
Review editing and preview: users needed the ability to review and amend their submission before publishing, particularly for audio and video where re-recording is more effort-intensive than editing text.
Business profile and BetáScore display: the platform's value to businesses depends on reviews being displayed clearly and compellingly, with the BetáScore visible and legible as a trust signal.

Multi-Format Reviews as the Core Design Challenge

The multi-format review capability was both the product's defining feature and its central design challenge. Supporting four submission formats (text, audio, image, video) within a single coherent mobile UI required careful attention to:

Format selection UX: making it immediately clear what options are available without overwhelming users or making any single format feel like the 'right' one.
Recording and capture flows: audio and video recording require permissions, real-time feedback, and reliable stop/save interactions on both iOS and Android. These flows needed to feel polished and predictable.
Review editing and preview: users needed the ability to review and amend their submission before publishing, particularly for audio and video where re-recording is more effort-intensive than editing text.
Business profile and BetáScore display: the platform's value to businesses depends on reviews being displayed clearly and compellingly, with the BetáScore visible and legible as a trust signal.

OUTCOME

A Product Built for the People It Serves

Betá Reviews launched on both iOS and Android, with a design system that supports ongoing feature development. The multi-format review submission — a direct output of early user research — became one of the platform's most distinctive features, differentiating it from generic review platforms that assume a single submission format.

The project also deepened my experience working on a product from zero; navigating the decisions that come with designing a new product category in an emerging market, rather than iterating on an existing one.

A Product Built for the People It Serves

Betá Reviews launched on both iOS and Android, with a design system that supports ongoing feature development. The multi-format review submission — a direct output of early user research — became one of the platform's most distinctive features, differentiating it from generic review platforms that assume a single submission format.

The project also deepened my experience working on a product from zero; navigating the decisions that come with designing a new product category in an emerging market, rather than iterating on an existing one.

A Product Built for the People It Serves

Betá Reviews launched on both iOS and Android, with a design system that supports ongoing feature development. The multi-format review submission — a direct output of early user research — became one of the platform's most distinctive features, differentiating it from generic review platforms that assume a single submission format.

The project also deepened my experience working on a product from zero; navigating the decisions that come with designing a new product category in an emerging market, rather than iterating on an existing one.

Return Home

Android

iOS

Let's Build Something Great Together

Whether you have a role in mind or just want to connect, I would love to hear from you.

Get in touch

Let's Build Something Great Together

Whether you have a role in mind or just want to connect, I would love to hear from you.

Get in touch

Let's Build Something Great Together

Whether you have a role in mind or just want to connect, I would love to hear from you.

Get in touch

Betá Reviews

Betá Reviews

Betá Reviews

Project Type

Project Type

Product Design — Mobile App (Live Project)

Product Design — Mobile App (Live Project)

Role

Role

Role

UX Researcher, UI/UX Designer

UX Researcher, UI/UX Designer

Duration

Duration

Duration

10 weeks

10 weeks

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Building a Trustworthy Consumer Voice for the African Market

Betá Reviews is a consumer review platform designed specifically for the African market. A multi-format mobile app that gives customers an open, credible channel to review the products and services of businesses they patronise, helping others make better-informed buying decisions.

This was not a redesign or self-initiated concept: it is a live product, available on both the App Store and Google Play. I was brought on to design the mobile application from the ground up, taking the product from early concept through to a shippable, production-ready design system.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

Live Product

Betá Reviews is available on iOS and Android. The design work on this project directly shaped a product that real users interact with today.

PROBLEM

PROBLEM

PROBLEM

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

A Trust Gap in African Consumer Commerce

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.

Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.

Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.

Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.

Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.

Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.

Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Understanding How Users Want to Share Their Opinions

One of the earliest and most important research questions for the product was: how do users actually want to submit reviews? The assumption that text reviews are the universal default turned out to be too narrow. Research conducted with target users surfaced a much more varied picture:

Many users found written reviews time-consuming and felt pressure to articulate their experience well, creating a friction that discouraged review submission entirely.

Audio reviews emerged as a preferred format for users who were more comfortable speaking than writing; particularly relevant in a market with high smartphone penetration but varying levels of comfort with extended typed input.

Image and video reviews were seen as more compelling and trustworthy by review readers. Visual evidence carries credibility that text alone cannot.

Younger users, in particular, expressed strong preference for multi-modal review submission, consistent with broader behaviours on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

Key Insight

Lowering the barrier to submitting a review by offering text, audio, image, and video. This increases review volume without compromising authenticity. More reviews mean richer data for consumers and stronger accountability signals for businesses.

DESIGN APPROACH

DESIGN APPROACH

DESIGN APPROACH

Multi-Format Reviews as the Core Design Challenge

The multi-format review capability was both the product's defining feature and its central design challenge. Supporting four submission formats (text, audio, image, video) within a single coherent mobile UI required careful attention to:

Format selection UX: making it immediately clear what options are available without overwhelming users or making any single format feel like the 'right' one.

Recording and capture flows: audio and video recording require permissions, real-time feedback, and reliable stop/save interactions on both iOS and Android. These flows needed to feel polished and predictable.

Review editing and preview: users needed the ability to review and amend their submission before publishing, particularly for audio and video where re-recording is more effort-intensive than editing text.

Business profile and BetáScore display: the platform's value to businesses depends on reviews being displayed clearly and compellingly, with the BetáScore visible and legible as a trust signal.

Multi-Format Reviews as the Core Design Challenge

The multi-format review capability was both the product's defining feature and its central design challenge. Supporting four submission formats (text, audio, image, video) within a single coherent mobile UI required careful attention to:

Format selection UX: making it immediately clear what options are available without overwhelming users or making any single format feel like the 'right' one.