ZeeVar
Co-Founder, UX Lead — Interaction Design, Visual Design, User Flows, Rapid Prototyping
Team
Ali Khorasani as Co-founder and Project Manager
Scope
Responsive website
Timeline
6 months
Highlights
Continious Product Discovery
This project includes various phases of product and customer discovery, incorporating a series of interviews at each stage to refine the product and define its target users.

AI: A Tool for Solutions, Not the Solution
During product discovery, we learned that AI should enhance, not define, the design process. By prioritizing user needs, pain points, and behaviors, we ensure AI serves a meaningful purpose in solving real problems.
Prioritizing Information for a Simplified, Intuitive, and User-Centric Zeevar UI
Zeevar streamlines engagement ring shopping by structuring the UI around user flows and decision-making behavior. With progressive disclosure, clear navigation, and AI-assisted recommendations, it presents key details—styles, materials, pricing, and customization—at the right moments, reducing cognitive load and ensuring a seamless, stress-free experience.

The Background
How did it start?
It started with a phone call discussing AI-assisted designs and exploring how AI could enhance the jewelry design process.
What was the goal?
Our goal evolved from using AI for efficient jewelry design to streamlining the entire engagement ring journey, making it faster, more intuitive, and enjoyable with an all-in-one solution.
Choosing an engagement ring is overwhelming, with countless options, lack of guidance, and complex pricing, leading to decision fatigue, frustration, and delayed purchases. Zeevar solves this by integrating AI-powered tools, including a studio for jewelers to refine designs and an interactive app for customers to co-create their dream ring with real-time AI suggestions. This streamlined, personalized approach makes the buying process faster, more efficient, and enjoyable while enhancing the customer-jeweler experience.
The Problem
Choosing an engagement ring is overwhelming, with countless options, lack of guidance, and complex pricing. Traditional stores and online platforms offer extensive catalogs but lack intuitive decision-making tools, making the process daunting rather than exciting.
The Consequence
This leads to decision fatigue, frustration, and delayed purchases, often resulting in dissatisfaction with the final choice. Jewelers also struggle to engage customers efficiently, limiting customization opportunities.
The Soloution
Assumption 1: AI Studio for Jewelry Designers – A specialized AI-powered tool within Zeevar to help professional jewelers design, refine, and render high-quality engagement rings with real-time adjustments and material simulations.
Assumption 2: AI-Powered Design App for Customers – A user-friendly app enabling customers to actively design their rings, selecting styles, stones, and materials while receiving real-time AI suggestions before finalizing with a jeweler.
The Research
Zeevar targets the engagement ring market, the largest and most profitable segment in the $73.32 billion U.S. jewelry industry. By focusing on engagement rings first, Zeevar can validate its AI-assisted design concept, refine personalization and recommendations, and establish credibility before expanding into other jewelry categories, ensuring a strong and scalable launch.
Market Research
Next, we delved into research, exploring the market through web analysis and industry reports. The U.S. jewelry market is substantial, with engagement rings representing a significant segment. In 2023, the U.S. jewelry market was valued at approximately $73.32 billion, with rings accounting for about 43% of the market share.
Let's zoom more
We chose Engagement as minimum viable product.The engagement ring segment is the largest and most profitable in the U.S. jewelry market, with high demand, emotional significance, and a well-defined customer journey.
By focusing on engagement rings first, ZeeVar can Validate the AI-assisted design concept in a high-value market.
CompetitorAnalysis
What did we learn from the Competitor analysis?
• Brilliant Earth excels in ethically sourced diamonds and sustainability, but its higher prices and complex UI limit accessibility.
• Blue Nile offers competitive pricing and a large selection, yet lacks user-friendly customization tools and strong ethical messaging.
• James Allen leads in 360-degree diamond viewing and customer trust, but its overwhelming selection and weaker sustainability focus present challenges.
• Etsy provides unique, artisanal rings, but suffers from inconsistent quality, lack of standardized viewing tools, and limited educational resources.
Key Opportunities for ZeeVar
• Enhance customization tools for a smoother design experience.
• Strengthen ethical sourcing transparency to align with growing buyer preferences.
• Improve user interface and guidance to simplify decision-making.
Starting to look around us to find our customers
What did we learn from the Initial customer discover interview?
Zeevar’s interviews uncovered key buyer challenges: choice overload, trust issues, and customization limitations. Customers value ethical sourcing, transparency, and intuitive design tools. Participants varied from jewelers to customers.
Insights
User Journey based on the interview result

Assumption 1
Assume and test
We anticipate that interviews will frequently reveal that the customization process is typically handled by jewelry designers or shops, who create renderings and images before finalizing the engagement ring. Based on this, we assume that jewelry designers and shops could be potential users of Zeevar. This insight leads us to explore a business-to-business (B2B) model, where Zeevar could offer tools to streamline the customization process for designers and retailers.
Assumption 1 focuses on the Decision & Customization and Purchase & Finalization stages of the user flow, where users work closely with designers or jewelers to refine their ring choices and commit to a purchase. By integrating Zeevar’s AI-assisted tools, we aim to enhance visualization, improve communication between buyers and designers, and simplify the final decision-making process.
Let's test it
Based on this assumption, we began our survey by speaking with a range of shops that sell or design engagement rings in San Francisco and Santa Fe. Early in the process, we realized that many people were unfamiliar with our concept, making it difficult to gather meaningful insights. To address this, we created a demo of a possible product, Zeevar Studio , to showcase to designers and sales associates. This helped facilitate conversations, allowing us to better explain our vision and collect valuable feedback.
Zeevar identified that customization is primarily handled by jewelry designers and shops, leading to a potential B2B model. To enhance visualization, communication, and decision-making, Zeevar developed Zeevar Studio, an AI-assisted tool for designers. A demo product was created to facilitate discussions, gather feedback, and refine the solution.
Key Insights after Interview 2
Assumption failed what we learned…
Initial assumptions failed as 83% of designers and salespeople prefer sketching designs or rely on customers to express preferences. The real challenge lies with customers struggling to articulate their vision, leading to decision fatigue and lack of confidence. This insight shifted Zeevar’s focus to solving user problems first—helping buyers refine their preferences, explore options, and communicate more effectively before involving a designer.
AI as a tool, Not the solution - A Realization
Additionally, we realized AI is a tool, not the solution. Instead of forcing AI into the process, we prioritized user behaviors, decision-making struggles, and communication gaps, using AI strategically for recommendations, visualization, and enhanced collaboration between users and designers.
What is Next?
With this understanding, we moved on to our second assumption, focusing on how AI can support customer decision-making and improve engagement ring customization without replacing the role of designers.
Assumption 2
Rerouting…
Assumption 2 considers engagement ring buyers as the primary users of ZeeVar. To validate this, we conducted a new round of interviews with individuals who had recently gone through the engagement ring shopping experience or were currently in the process.
Interview 3
Engagement Ring Shopping Journey
• Buyers experience challenges in decision-making, trust, and customization.
• Many rely on research, recommendations, and shop visits to gain confidence.
Trust & Confidence
• Users struggle with unclear pricing, credibility concerns, and trust in jewelers.
• They seek social validation, in-person support, and online reviews before making a purchase.
Decision Support
• Customers look for feedback loops, expert guidance, and personalized recommendations.
• Sharing options with friends/family is crucial for confidence before purchasing.
Design & Customization
• Buyers want unique designs, ethical sourcing, and material selection transparency.
• Complex filtering and interface expectations affect their experience.
Visualization Needs
• 3D modeling, AR, and VR tools could help customers better visualize their rings.
• Users find it difficult to picture the final product without interactive previews.
Define
A User journey
We identified that the biggest user pain points stem from the back-and-forth cycle between design and research. To create a more refined solution, we left out the purchase phase and focused on helping users define preferences, visualize options, and refine their designs. By streamlining these stages, we aim to make the process more efficient, user-friendly, and empowering for buyers while improving collaboration with designers.
Simplifying the process
Our research revealed that most user pain points occur in the back-and-forth between research and design, where users struggle to define preferences, visualize options, and communicate ideas to designers. To simplify the user journey and focus on core pain points, we intentionally left out the purchase stage and prioritized search and design. This allows ZeeVar to create a seamless, intuitive experience that supports confident decision-making before moving forward with a jeweler.
Ideate
Existing User flow
The existing user flow for purchasing an engagement ring on Brilliant Earth starts with a Google search or ad click, leading users to explore pre-designed rings, custom tools, and filters for price, metal, shape, and ethical sourcing. The process involves multiple decision points, product views, and customization steps, often requiring guidance, social validation, or in-person visits before checkout.
How it was
Traditional engagement ring shopping is overwhelming and complex, with users struggling to navigate options, visualize designs, and make confident decisions.
How it is going to be with ZeeVar
Zeevar simplifies this by introducing a guided, step-by-step experience, where AI assists with search, recommendations, and filters. Progressive information disclosure, 3D visualization, and social sharing enhance confidence, making the journey seamless, personalized, and stress-free.
Suggesting User flow for Zeevar
Zeevar enhances the engagement ring shopping experience with a structured, step-by-step approach, preventing user overwhelm and ensuring a seamless, intuitive journey. Information is revealed progressively, keeping users engaged. An AI virtual assistant supports every stage by providing relevant details, adjusting filters, and answering questions, enabling confident decision-making. The flow integrates saving, sharing, exporting 3D views, and collaboration with jewelers, with future plans for in-app shop recommendations based on user preferences.
Design
Grid Study
ZeeVar’s grid study analyzed how engagement rings are presented online, leading to a dynamic, responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes. Users can switch between a detailed view and comparison mode, enabling side-by-side ring evaluation. The AI assistant is integrated across devices, appearing as a floating icon on mobile and a dedicated column on desktop for seamless accessibility.
Mobile first design approach
Since most users browse on mobile devices, a mobile-first approach was prioritized, ensuring an optimized intuitive interface, scalable elements, and seamless navigation. As screen size increases, the layout expands dynamically, offering additional filtering, structured displays, and a more immersive experience for desktop users.
≤ 480px - Search
≤ 480px - Save
≤ 480px - Design
(1025px – 1366px) Save
(1025px – 1366px) Search
(1025px – 1366px) Design
(1025px – 1366px) Design with expanded tools options
Design exactly as you imaging
ZeeVar enhances engagement ring customization by breaking designs into three key components—gem, band, and setting—giving users more control and flexibility. The visual filtering feature lets users upload images, extract design elements, and seamlessly blend them with existing options, bridging the gap between imagination and reality. This advanced tool ensures an intuitive, interactive, and highly personalized shopping experience.
A slide-up panel for AI
To optimize usability, the AI assistant adapts to different screen sizes, appearing as a collapsible slide-up panel on mobile for better product visibility and a dedicated column on larger screens for seamless multitasking, ensuring a smooth and immersive shopping experience.

Test
Optimizing the User Flow for Instant Engagement
Before Testing
Landing Page
Sign In/ Onboarding
Ring Exploration
Customize $
Design
Save &
Share
Close
After Testing
Landing Page
Immediate Design Access
Ring Exploration
Exploration & Inspiration
Sign In/ Onboarding
Save & Share
Close
Reflection
Ongoing Test
The Zeevar prototype undergoes continuous testing, refining the experience through user feedback. The next phase involves live testing to analyze real user interactions, identify engagement patterns, and pinpoint drop-off points for optimization.
So much to learn
This project reinforced the value of iterative design and real user insights, emphasizing how collaborating closely with engineers and developers in an agile workflow allows for rapid iterations and seamless integration of user feedback. By balancing aesthetics with functionality, I ensured a scalable, user-centered design that evolves based on real-world interactions. I am excited to continue learning more about AI and exploring how it can further enhance user experiences.