Flikshop
Flikshop opens a conversation around the stigmatized topic of incarceration, and provides real support to those who are often overlooked.
I am redesigning the Flikshop app and website to make connections between incarcerated people, their families, and their community more seamless.
When I found out I could work on this project, I jumped at the opportunity. The Flikshop story is genuinely inspiring. The founder, Marcus Bullock, was sentenced to eight years in prison at just 15 years old. During that dark time, his mother sent him photos and letters to remind him that people on the outside loved him and were waiting for him.
After his release, Marcus created Flikshop to support his community. Flikshop has become a cornerstone for reentry support, bridging gaps between families and their incarcerated loved ones.
The problem
Despite widespread publicity and support from backers like John Legend, Flikshop has experienced a low adoption rate among its target users. To understand why, I conducted research to learn whether to find more users or make sure current users know about everything the app offers.
The outcome
I redesigned the Flikshop app with a seamless user flow that allows exploration of all Flikshop services while creating a cohesive design system.
What is Flikshop?
Flikshop started as an app helping people connect with incarcerated loved ones by sending personalized postcards with photos and messages directly from their phones.
It has since expanded into three main services:
Postcard delivery
Flikshop allows people to send photos, postcards, and albums to incarcerated family members and loved ones.
School of business
Formerly incarcerated people can sign up for business classes that help them gain skills to launch startups, build enterprises, or advance their career.
Neighborhood
Businesses that want to support reentry for formerly incarcerated people can find information and connect with them through Flikshop Neighborhood.
Flikshop Impact
Source: Forbes.com
“…it’s the only way for you to know that someone loves you on the other side of that fence.”Marcus Bullock on getting mail in prison
My role
As the UX designer in this project,
During the design phase, I sketched potential solutions and created both low- and high-fidelity prototypes.
I built and maintained a design system for consistent UI across platforms, aligning with scalability needs.
For research, I crafted survey and interview questions, and analyzed the data from research.
I facilitated meetings with all stakeholders to define a project scope that balanced the client’s needs and our timeline, ensuring change management adoption.
Final designs
Onboarding tutorial
One of the main solutions we incorporated was introducing an overview of Flikshop’s services in the beginning of the user journey.
Once users create an account, each service is introduced on a dedicated page, guiding them to the features they want to explore.
Angels donation and reward program
The Angels feature encourages users to actively support incarcerated individuals and their families through small, recurring donations.
The Rewards section encourages ongoing giving by unlocking perks as users donate, adding a light incentive to sustained support.
Services are accessible through the main app button
On the home page, we designed a single app button that allows access to all three services, and an introductory tutorial directs users to the information and services they need.
Research: methodologies
To decide whether Flikshop should expand its target audience, we used these research methods:
Competitive Analysis (8 competitors)
Flikshop’s landscape relative to competitors to identify growth opportunities.
Surveys (28 respondents)
Evaluate two potential user groups (military families and elderly people) for expansion.
Competitive analysis
Surveys
Flikshop team meetings with our client.
Retrospective
- We first explored expanding the user group, but a better approach would have been to assess whether the app fully meets current users’ needs. This would have provided a stronger foundation for growth decisions.
- Since we needed to design three user journeys for 3 different services, due to time constraints, we chose to test one design instead of conducting A/B testing.
- Explain technical terms to your client to avoid confusion and unnecessary emails.
- End each discussion by repeating the conclusion or next steps to stay aligned with your client.
- This project has been delivered and is currently in the implementation phase. The key KPIs I would track post-launch include:
– Service Exploration Rate – to measure user engagement with features beyond postcard sending
– App Share Rate – to assess emotional connection and likelihood to recommend
– Clicks on News Box – to evaluate engagement with impact stories and trust-building content