PROBLEM
Universities are massive sites of consumption and waste production. An estimated 200 million tons of waste is generated by college students alone in one year. Illini Swap seeks to promote sustainable behavior among UIUC students by designing an app that allows students to easily resell and purchase items from one another, fostering a habit of reusing and reducing waste.
Where does this waste come from?
A large portion of this waste results from students frequently discarding items, such as furniture, clothing, and electronics, at the end of semesters or when moving out
Current options for reselling or reusing items on campus are fragmented and inconvenient, often relying on social media or word-of-mouth exchanges
The lack of a centralized, accessible platform discourages sustainable practices and leads to unnecessary waste generation
Students lack incentives or guidance to adopt environmentally sustainable behaviors
How might we promote sustainable behaviors among UIUC students by developing a student-oriented platform that makes sustainability engaging, while also incentivizing and guiding behavioral change.
Solution
Onboarding & Login
Quick and easy onboarding to allow users to personalize their feed based on their interests and lets us know what students want to buy/sell.
Feed & Listings
The homepage displays the items students are selling on campus and an environmental fact of the day to educate and spread awareness. The listings have a gallery, description, and seller profile along with reviews.
Send Offer
Sending an offer enables the option to choose a meeting place and time. With students located on campus, transactions are simple with no need for shipping.
Messages (Buyer)
Buyers can view and manage the offers they sent in the Send Offers category. The Chat interface allows buyers to ask any questions to the seller and nudge them if they get no response.
Messages (Seller)
Seller can view and manage the offers they receive in the Received Offers category. The chat interface allows sellers to address any questions/concerns and work out logistics with the buyer.
Profile & Orders
Users profiles display the positive impact of their sustainable habits and allows them to customize bio/interests. The orders page organizes purchases and sales in categories — Pending, Confirmed, Completed, and Past Orders.
Confirmation
Order Confirmation conveniently displays all necessary details — location, date, time, order number, order date, and order total. It allows for timely meet-ups that are easy to manage.
RESEARCh
User Mapping
Design Goals
User Flows — Seller, Buyer
Research Data & How Might We Statements
DESIGN
Wireframes
Prototyping
This process of going from wireframes to prototypes had many steps in between. As a team, we individually created our wireframes according to the research data and then made mood boards to determine the design and aesthetics of the app. Most of our work was done in Figma which allowed us to collaborate our ideas and allocate the tasks.
EVALUATE
We asked a lot and learned a lot
After creating a working prototype, we wanted to gather feedback on the experience with using the app so we conducted user interviews after letting them click through our prototype.
Reflect
The benefits of empathizing with the team as a leader and understanding each members strengths and weaknesses
The value of iterative user testing in refining app functionality and user interface
The critical role of trust and safety features in peer-to-peer platforms, especially for campus-based transactions
The significance of intuitive navigation and clear workflows in app design, particularly for buying and selling
The impact of visual design elements, including color palette and aesthetics, on user engagement and app appeal
The importance of addressing specific pain points, such as end-of-year item disposal, in the app's functionality
The need to balance environmental goals with user-friendly features to encourage sustainable behaviors
next steps
Using the feedback we got from user testing, we refined and finalized the prototype. We then reached and formed a collaboration with Founders UIUC for the development of the app. Currently, we meet with the Founders team on a weekly basis working towards launching the app.