Per NYC Reuse Sector Report, in 2017, New Yorkers threw away about 200,000 tons of furniture waste

Per Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia says, “the study tells us that our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste are working. The study also shows us that we have incredible opportunities to develop and grow programs to achieve even more. Together, we are working toward our goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2030.”

So many benefits:

• Avoid costs of garbage collection and transportation, which also reduces the associated environmental pollution

• Conserves energy and natural resources that would be needed for new goods

• Avoids the economical and environmental costs of manufacturing new products

• Social & Economical benefits that help alleviate poverty and fight social exclusion

User research

I conducted 12 interviews with the main goal being to identify and understand user behaviors and experiences with tasks that my product is trying to address.

Main Takeaways: 

• Wanting to buy second hand items, however is usually more expensive than new items

• Wanting more details or better photos

• Clear description of status of the item

• Would only pick up furniture items (no clothes or food)

• Logistics is a problem when you aren't close to home (in NYC)

• When they see items on the sidewalk they don’t know how to share (especially on the go, with places to be!)

User Pain points

Persona for Mobile App

Ella needs an easy and affordable way to get secondhand furniture and help her community reduce their waste stream

Competitive analysis

Now that I have defined the users, I needed to delve a little deeper into research. I started with the Competitive Feature Chart, which allowed me to discover who the direct and indirect competition was. From there I started to list the features, missions statements and other criteria each had to uncover any patterns, mental models, and areas of opportunities there might be.

Main takeaways

• Most competitors focus on only designer, high end, vintage pieces

• 4/5 do not address the sea of discarded items on our sidewalks

• Items, while discounted from new item pricing, are still expensive

• Most charge high percentages of sales revenue (for sellers)

• Instagram Account offers free furniture and a collaborative community space however lacks important features such as different photo angles, dimensions, state of item, and status of item. 

• Per the success of these companies and more notably the Instagram account with a cult following, we are able to see the large amount of people interested in secondhand furniture.

Hannah is a busy professional that wants to be able to contribute positively to her community and environment, who needs an effortless way to share discarded furniture finds because this way she can help her community obtain free furniture and help reduce the waste stream with minimal effort. 

I wanted to ensure the flow was as concise and minimalist as possible in order to provide a quick and easy way for the user to complete their goal. After a few iterations of the homepage, I selected the sections that best encompassed the mission of the app.

• Law of continuity

• Law of proximity

Usability Study

Goal was to determine if users are able to easily complete core tasks and uncover any user pain points.

Based on 15 Studies with participants ranging from 20 - 40:

Refined wireframes

Before

Based on the insight that users were confused when presented with two different save CTAs, I removed the heart and added a way to share the post as that would be needed as well upon further insights.

Based on users feeling unsure on what to expect in the next coming actions, I added a way users are able to get a preview.

Visual design

Vintage/Retro Feel

My approach for the app was to breathe new life into discarded furniture by incorporating captivating retro color gradients and typography. By leveraging these design elements, I aimed to infuse a sense of nostalgia and style, transforming forgotten pieces into eye-catching treasures.

MVP Prototypes

User flow 1 - Searching for a ‘Sidewalk Gem’

Accessibility considerations

1

Color & Contrast

The design takes into consideration contrast guidelines (WCAG 2.0) and passes with a ratio of 5.07:1 which allows any user to read text easily and comfortably

User Feedback

Participants found the app to be easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing. Participants felt that the concept was important and relevant to our community. They expressed that given its features such as the instant measurements they would be able to easily  contribute as well as locate items they might need or want. Participants expressed their excitement and would want to recommend to their friends.

Conduct additional usability tests and concept studies and further diversify the sample.