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AliExpress' coach marks for mobile feature

AliExpress is one of the world's largest online retailers for discount products. Aware that their core audience cares more about getting a good price than shopping for a specific brand, the retailer introduced an app feature that allows users to search for products they like through an image search.

Why this is really good UX:

  • AliExpress waits to introduce users to their image-search feature when they're taking a similar action in the app (i.e. doing a regular search). This is a great way to introduce users to a new feature and get more engagement out of it.
  • The coach marks given in the first modal inform users on how to interact with the UI, letting them know that the camera icon is, in fact, a search mode.
  • The second modal appears inside the camera mode and gives a quick visual guide on what users can expect to see happen once they snap a photo.