Overview

As part of my master's course, I embarked on creating UniBuy, a specialised marketplace app tailored for university students. The goal was to provide a platform where students could easily buy and sell used items within their community, ensuring affordability and convenience. This project involved a complete design cycle from initial research to final high-fidelity prototypes.

Skills

UX Research

Wireframing

Prototyping

Design Thinking

Visual Designing

2022, University of Winchester

The Problem.

University students often face financial constraints and the need for affordable resources. Existing marketplace apps like Amazon, eBay, and Olio though popular, don't cater specifically to the unique needs of university communities.

There was a clear gap for a dedicated platform that ensured safety, relevance, and affordability within the student community.

The creation of UniBuy began with an extensive brainstorming session, utilising mind maps and "how might we" questions to generate a wide range of ideas. Initial research included competitive audits of major marketplace apps to identify gaps and opportunities.

User research was then conducted with a small sample of university students to gather insights into their buying and selling habits. This informed the creation of detailed user personas and journey maps, which guided the design process.

and how I overcame it.

pic. Competitve analysis conducted in Google sheets

User Personas

The design phase started with paper wireframes to quickly iterate on ideas and test them with users. Feedback from these sessions was instrumental in refining the concepts.

Key Ideas

1

A forum page was included to facilitate users in requesting items needed for one-time use and items that are generally expensive for specific use cases.

2

A request page was created to allow users to request items not found on the marketplace, providing an easier way for the community to benefit from these requests.

Visual Identity

Simultaneously, the brand design was established, including logo creation, font selection, and color palette determination. Accessibility checks, such as contrast and readability, were integrated into the design process to ensure the app was inclusive and user-friendly.

pic. Logo iterations

pic. Logo exploration on paper

pic. Brand Guidelines

Prototyping

The project then progressed to low-fidelity prototypes, where more detailed interactive design elements were developed and tested through user testing.

Several major design and user interaction elements that hindered the user experience were identified during the prototype testing phase. Paying finer attention to details was also a key focus during this stage.

pic. Interactice flow of the lo-fi prototype used for testing. Click to view the prototype.

Final Designs

The final stage involved creating high-fidelity prototypes using Figma. The high-fidelity prototypes captured the polished design with all the refined elements and user feedback incorporated.

The visual language was intentionally chosen to be retro and minimalistic. This theme was selected to reflect the origins of early technology in universities and to promote a sense of community. By focusing on the bare essentials, the design emphasizes the close-knit nature of university communities.

View the interactive prototype here.

Learnings

This project provided invaluable insights into the complete UX design process, from ideation to prototyping. Key learnings include:

Niche Market Opportunities

Despite the abundance of marketplace apps globally, niche areas with unique needs remain unfulfilled.
UniBuy addressed the specific needs of university students, demonstrating that understanding and targeting niche markets can create highly relevant and valued products.

Importance of Understanding User Needs

This project highlighted the importance of understanding user needs in feature development.
Thorough research and detailed personas shaped features like the forum, chat, and request pages, ensuring the app was tailored to university students' specific behaviors and preferences.

Iterative Design Process

Creating a polished design is an iterative process. Multiple stages of wireframing, prototyping, and user testing continuously refined the design.
This approach improved UniBuy's usability and aesthetics while emphasising the importance of user feedback at every stage.

illustrations from freepik.com