Free Up, Mobile App
Final Project, Ironhack Madrid
Imagine. You are in the process of moving. You are packing up and realizing the quantity of items that you’ve accumulated over the years. You don’t know where they’re from or even why you have them, but you can’t take them with you, you are unable to sell them, and you don’t want to throw them away. What can you do?
I spent 2 weeks doing research, user testing, and UI designing in order to answer this question and solve the user problem for my final individual project with Ironhack, Madrid.
EMPATHIZE
User Research
Do you have unwanted or unused items around the house?
From over 50 surveys and 8 interviews, 90% of people answered yes in a recent survey conducted for my final individual project with Ironhack, Madrid. 70% of people also responded that they end up throwing these items away in the trash or leaving them on the street. Why? Not because people like littering or don’t care about the waste they are creating, but because they don’t know what else to do with them.
After research and thorough investigation, the problem was clear and I set my focus to tackle the problem of lack of knowledge and resources on where to give or receive unwanted and unused items in order to give them a second life. With a clear problem in mind, I completed a Lean UX Canvas to start to organize my ideas and develop tentative solutions and hypotheses to the problem.
DEFINE
Next, I completed a Competitive Analysis to compare various apps with ideas for solutions. I was unable to find a similar competitor in Madrid, but based my research on similar business models and identified their strengths and weaknesses in order to see opportunities for my project to succeed.
User Persona
After completing an Empathy Map, it was time to put a face on my target user, June Andrews, finding gems on a daily basis. June is environmentally conscious and an active member of her community. She is frustrated when she sees perfectly good items thrown away in the trash and wants to try to reduce her waste.
Knowing June and her motivations and frustrations allowed me to create a User Journey, taking June on a “journey” to get rid of an armchair that she no longer wants.
Her pain points were:
• Not knowing what to do with the unwanted item
• Difficulty in coordinating dates and times to give away the item
• Trying to sell the item on a similar platform without success
• A potential buyer who did not show up to pick up the item
• Wasting time and energy
• Creating waste by leaving the armchair on the street as a last resort
Each of these pain points represented opportunities for a better User Experience.
IDEATE
Solutions
Now it’s time for the fun part, ideation. I started by creating an Affinity Map with all the data taken from surveys, interviews, and testing and categorized into groups. From the pain points identified, I was able to come up with How Might We questions to try and solve them.
Next, it was time for a serious Brainstorming session. I timed myself for 15 minutes to come up with all possible ideas to solve my user problems.
Using the MOSCOW Method, I was able to prioritize these ideas into various features in order of importance.
Now with the idea clear and structured, I was ready to complete the User Flow where I took user June through the process of posting an item on the new digital product, a mobile application. This also allowed me to complete the Information Architecture with a Site Map.
PROTOTYPE & TEST
With the information architecture and user flow mapped out, I was able to complete the Low Fidelity version on paper. The next step was to test concepts with usability testing. I tasked 3 users with posting an item on the app and observed their process, noting any stalls or questions along the way. I was able to improve some screens that caused any questions or confusion, including simplifying the meet-up information page.
With the Low Fidelity version tested and finalized, I started the Mid Fidelity version using Figma. When finished, I completed another round of usability testing. This time with 4 users. I added more options for times to add on the meet-up page and was given direction to add confirmation before posting the item. I also received feedback that adding item condition was necessary to add for second-hand items.
UI
After finishing establishing structure of the app with the Mid Fidelity version, I was ready to make it all more aesthetic. I started with a Mood Board, showing green spaces, the importance of working together, and used objects to evoke the feelings of; Community, Collaborative, Eco-Friendly, Reuse. All chosen with a brand attribute test comprised of over 15 users.
Then, with the feeling of the brand determined, I set my mind to the colors. I chose colors that passed a color accessibility test. After testing various color palettes with my screens in Mid Fidelity and confirming with user testing, I was able to select a color palette that reaffirms my brand attributes; green. From there I started putting the pieces together by creating a Logo, selecting appropriate Typography and icons, and building components to be used throughout the app in the Style Tile.
After, I created a UI Kit and Style Guide for my brand to make sure that my design was coherent and consistent throughout. Using these tools as references along the way, I began my process of designing the final version; the High Fidelity.
SOLUTIONS
Post an Item
This feature allows users to quickly post items that they want to give away. It can be personalized, allowing users the option to add photos, a description, and condition. By choosing a meet up location, date, and time to complete the transaction, givers can organize according to their timetable and avoid a long process of coordinating complicated schedules or pick up times.
Search for an Item
With an advanced filter system, it’s easy to find items tailored to the needs of each user. Filter by condition, item type, or location to get the desired results. Users can add their location and choose a range to find results nearest to them. This creates a sense of community and allows users to find the items that they are looking for, and saves them the time and hassle of traveling long distances.
Reserve an Item
Users can view photos, descriptions, and the condition of items they are interested in. They also have the option to message the giver or reserve directly by choosing a time and date from those available.
Conclusions
With only two weeks to complete, it was difficult to implement all of the features my users had a need for and I would have liked to develop the app even further in a few different functions. Specifically, to make the process even easier by allowing the option of sending items by post for a small fee. Monetization is also an important factor to consider, and my option of featuring items or bundles of items for people looking to give their things away in a hurry. People who are moving, for example, or offices who are updating furniture could really benefit from this feature by having their items shown first on the home page, paying a fee for each month featured.
In this project, I discovered my passion for designing creative solutions to real problems and I was happy to mix my love of design and UI with solving an important issue that the world is facing, the need to reduce waste.
