Overview

Company: Shopify, Markets
Industry: SaaS, Ecommerce
Timeline: 1.5 years (2022)
My Role: Lead Content Designer

Background

Integrated directly into Shopify Markets, Translate & Adapt is the primary tool for managing multilingual storefronts. It features a side-by-side editor that allows merchants to manually refine or auto-translate their entire store all within a centralized, native workflow.

Challenge

Expanding globally was costly and complex for Shopify merchants. Localization was a major hurdle with manual translation, clunky apps, and expensive workarounds.

Solution

I led the content design and strategy for Shopify's Translate & Adapt app, establishing the core concepts, hierarchy, and terminology for the app. By designing a side-by-side editing experience with clear, intuitive language, I turned a daunting technical task into a manageable workflow for merchants.

Outcome

My content strategy directly reduced operational complexity, resulting in a 13.3% lift in multilingual GMV. By providing a native, integrated tool that seamlessly handled store content, we eliminated the need for clunky third-party translation apps and gave thousands of businesses a way to reach new international markets.

Process

Step 1: Align on jobs to be done

I led a workshop with Markets leadership to define and align on key jobs to be done, establishing shared priorities across user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.

Step 2: Define core concepts and logic

I defined core concepts, including default and localized language, and collaborated with engineering to establish an inheritance model for localized content.

Step 3: Design and iterate

I mapped user flows, defined the app information architecture, and partnered with design to shape the UI.

Step 4: Research and refine

I led merchant interviews, translated insights into product decisions, and iterated the design through ongoing feedback and refinement.

Step 5: Launch to 100%

I collaborated with leadership and engineering to finalize the release and scale our solution to 100%. I made sure the final product met our quality standards and was ready for a global merchant audience.

Results

Since its launch, the Translate & Adapt app has become a primary driver for international growth on Shopify. By replacing fragmented third-party workarounds with a high-utility native tool, we’ve seen significant gains in merchant adoption and global sales volume.