Roblox
Mobile
2026
In June 2026, while designing tools to help developers identify potentially copyright infringing content, I noticed that Roblox’s Universal Search initiative did not cover the visual-search needs of two concurrent Safety projects.
That work prompted a broader question: how could visual search serve other contexts? With support from my skip-level, I identified Marketplace discovery as an opportunity for visual search at Roblox and developed a proposal with colleagues across Safety, Discovery, and Monetization. My contribution was connecting a gap in specialized workflows to a new consumer direction, then leading the initial direction for how this new functionality could fit the existing product.
Roblox's Marketplace offers people access to an expansive ecosystem of creator-made avatar items. But discovering something that matches a particular aesthetic can be difficult when users must translate what they see into the right keywords.
While working on a visual search product (Curated Match Search) aimed at helping developers identify potentially copyright infringing content on the platform, I began thinking about an opportunity beyond my team's immediate scope: what if people could search the Marketplace using visual inspiration instead of words?
The Marketplace workflows presented are fundamentally different problems from our Safety use cases. Roblox developers need to identify content for review; while players needed to discover items reflecting their taste. Some of the search capability could transfer, but the experience needed to serve a different decision-making goal.
I developed a proposal for visual search and color matching that would allow people to discover avatar items from reference images or colors. Through research, interaction design, and prototyping, I explored how these capabilities could integrate into the existing avatar customization experience and developed a concept for consideration by the product teams responsible for Marketplace and Avatar.
Roblox's creator economy offers an enormous variety of ways to express identity. Yet a user trying to recreate an outfit they've seen online, match an accessory from a friend's avatar, or find clothing in a particular shade may not know what to type into Marketplace search.
Traditional keyword search assumes people can describe what they're looking for. But fashion, personal style, and aesthetic preference are often easier to recognize than articulate.
Developing conviction for expanding beyond text-based search
People use images to express shopping intent.
Google reported that 20% of Lens searches were shopping-related in October 2025, with fashion accessories its most-searched shopping category.
Avatar shopping already attracts meaningful traffic.
Roblox reported an average of 18.8 million daily Marketplace visitors in the first half of 2025, up 17% year over year.
Users treat avatars as an evolving form of expression.
In Roblox’s 2025 U.S. Gen Z research, 47% reported changing their avatar to express creativity, and 76% said experimenting with style in immersive spaces was highly important.
Roblox is expanding its older audience.
In Q2 2026, Roblox reported 42% year-over-year growth in U.S. 18–34 DAUs and that U.S. users over 18 monetized more than 50% higher than younger users.
The range of avatar expression is expanding.
Roblox launched Marketplace makeup in March 2026, including modular facial cosmetics, face paint, and battle markings.
Our items don't adhere to standardized naming conventions
Items shared on Marketplace undergo some quality control and safety measures but there is a genuine discovery issue with user generated content being named by Creators. There could be an item on the platform that is exactly what I'm searching for but can't find it because I didn't know its name or it was named non-intuitively.
Core idea
The central conviction is that visual discovery could complement traditional search by accommodating the way people actually discover fashion and express personal taste.
Look Finder: A new way to find items you'll love on Roblox
In defining the experience, I started by exploring approaches already familiar to people through visual search products from companies like Google, Pinterest, and Amazon. The challenge was to translate relevant patterns into a gaming environment where the ultimate goal isn't simply purchasing an item, but customizing a digital identity.
The core experience allows users take or upload a photo, optionally frame an accessory, and tap the bounding frame to search. Results show similar Marketplace items, with optional region-of-interest refinement and additional filters to narrow the selection. Users can try items on their avatar before continuing through existing item details, purchase confirmation, and customization flows.
I extended the direction with color matching for a complementary need: finding items that work together. Both inputs lead into the same evaluation and try-on journey, keeping the experience coherent throughout a user's avatar customization journey.
Entrypoint
I proposed integrating visual search directly into the avatar customization experience on Roblox's mobile app, rather than introducing it as a standalone Marketplace feature. This was a deliberate decision to meet users where their intent to personalize was already established, creating a natural progression from visual inspiration to item discovery and avatar styling. I also recommended prioritizing mobile for the initial experience, using adoption and engagement data to inform potential expansion to web.
Live photo capture
I proposed integrating camera functionality into visual search to help users translate spontaneous, real-world inspiration into avatar customization. My rationale was to reduce the friction between inspiration and discovery by allowing users to search for similar Marketplace items directly from their camera, without first saving a photo.
From the visual search entrypoint, users could open their camera, photograph an outfit or accessory, and select the specific item they wanted to find using an adjustable bounding frame. Tapping the selected frame would initiate a visual search, returning similar items available on Roblox's Marketplace. This search action would give users control over what they were searching for while minimizing unnecessary processing requests.
Image upload
I proposed image uploads as a complementary entrypoint to live camera capture, recognizing that much of the inspiration for avatar styling comes from images people encounter and save across social media and other digital spaces. I designed this pathway around an existing behavior, collecting visual inspiration.
This would allow users to select a saved image, identify an item of interest, and discover similar products on Roblox's Marketplace. My rationale was to reduce the friction between inspiration and purchase while creating a stronger connection between users' online interests and their digital identities.
We hypothesized that making avatar item discovery more intuitive and accessible could increase Marketplace engagement, drive item purchases, and contribute to bookings and retention.
Color match
As I explored image-based discovery, I identified a complementary opportunity to help users find avatar items through color similarity. With countless combinations of clothing and accessories available on Marketplace, coordinating an outfit often requires searching across multiple item categories.
I proposed a color-matching filter that would allow users to select a specific shade and discover visually compatible items across categories, rather than relying on keyword searches for broad color names. This approach would account for subtle variations in hue, saturation, and brightness, making it easier to build cohesive looks while encouraging exploration of Marketplace inventory users might otherwise overlook.
Creating patterns for discovery and expression
This project challenged me to think beyond the boundaries of my immediate team and consider how an idea could create value across a larger product ecosystem. It also reinforced that recognizing an opportunity is only the beginning. Communicating a compelling vision, inviting others to shape it, and knowing when to pass the work forward are equally important parts of design leadership.
As the exploration matured, ownership naturally shifted toward the Marketplace and Avatar teams, who continued evolving the concept as I returned to my core responsibilities. Although the feature did not launch during my involvement, the experience deepened my appreciation for design as a way to open new possibilities, not simply deliver interfaces.
Additional research, design explorations, and technical documentation are available upon request.
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