UniGoods – A Marketplace for Students to Buy, Sell, and Share
User-Centered Design
Mobile App UI/UX
Visual Design
Timeline:
3 weeks
Tools:
Miro
Figma
Overview
On college campuses, students often need certain items temporarily—like textbooks, electronics, or event attire—but buying these items new can be costly. At the same time, many students have items they no longer use that could be of value to others.
The aim of this project was to develop UniGoods, a platform where students can buy, sell, or share their items with others in the campus community.
The app not only provides a way to access needed items more affordably but also encourages a culture of sharing and sustainability.
Key Challenges
Facilitating smooth exchanges of items, whether they’re being sold, borrowed, or lent.
Building trust through verification and ratings to ensure safe transactions.
Creating an easy, intuitive design for different transaction types.
Process
Research and Feedback Collection
To understand students' preferences, I conducted surveys and interviews with university students. Key takeaways included:
Flexibility in transaction types: Students liked the idea of not just borrowing items but also being able to sell and lend them.
Security concerns: Verification systems, like student email authentication, were critical to ensuring trust in transactions.
Affordability and ease: Students wanted a way to access items cheaply and conveniently.
Competitive Analysis
I examined existing platforms for peer-to-peer exchanges, focusing on ease of use, trust-building features, and transaction flow. These platforms featured:
Clear and simple interfaces with minimal steps to list or borrow items.
User verification and rating systems to ensure trust.
In-app messaging to facilitate communication between users.
Feature Prioritization and Wireframing
Based on feedback, I prioritized features that would make the app both functional and secure:
Item Listing and Browsing: Users can list items to sell, lend, or borrow. A robust search function filters by category, location, or availability.
User Verification: Verification through student email ensures that only students can participate. Additional verification via transcripts could also ensure that only current students can be verified sellers/lenders.
Rating and Reviews: Users can rate each other after transactions, building trust within the community.
Swap Point System: Users can earn Swap Points for lending items, which can be redeemed to borrow from others.
In-App Messaging: Users can communicate directly to arrange pick-up/drop-off details.
User Flows
Sign Up & Verification Process
Item Viewing & Borrowing Process
Item Listing (For Selling) Process
Screens (In Video Format)
Item Browsing, Listing, & Swap Point System
Users can browse through items, filter them based on their preferences, and select what they want. If they don't have enough swap points to borrow an item, they can lend one to earn points.
The upcoming screens show the process of listing an item for sale (for selling, for instance) and getting it posted on the platform.
User Verification
In this segment, users are introduced to the platform and guided through the sign-up process.
After entering their information, including a school email for verification, they're prompted to upload a school transcript for optional extra verification.
Completing this step elevates them to verified seller or lender status.
In-App Messaging
In this section, users can view their loaned items, including details like borrower names and due dates. From here, they have the option to message borrowers directly.
The next screen shows a conversation between the user and a borrower, streamlining communication within the app.
Ratings & Reviews
In this segment, the user browses the marketplace and clicks on an item to view its details, including seller information, item specifics, and reviews.
Afterward, the user navigates to the item management section, where they check 'My Borrows' to see items they've currently borrowed.
A recent borrowing that is due soon gives the user the option to leave a review for both the item and the lender.
Next Project -> E-commerce Website for School Shopping