Trading Post
Trading Post
Trading Post helps people save money by building a community where people can trade belongings, services, and skillsets.
Overview
After leaving pharmacy school and resigning from CVS to focus on learning product design, I really needed to be smart about handling money. As I saw market prices in every industry rising, I became inspired to help others who may be in a similar situation. That’s when I realized there was a need for a simple marketplace where users can comfortably and safely trade both products and services
This conceptual app was a solo project for which I identified the problem, conducted research, developed a solution, ran user testing, and completed all product design artifacts from sketches to prototypes.
Role
Product designer
Timeline
Mar 2023 - May 2023
(6 weeks)
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Problem Statement
Rising prices make saving money a struggle for Gen Z.
White Paper Research
How is Gen Z coping with inflation?
User Research
Focus on convenience & security
To get a larger sample of data, I sent out a survey rather than conducting interviews. I collected survey responses from 18 people in their 20s. Then, I used affinity mapping to get insights from over 180 data points. I realized there were 2 key themes: convenience and security.
Convenience
People want an easier way to find local sales and available inventories at second-hand shops.
People want an easy way to budget.
People enjoy learning new skills as a way to save money but they can find it time-consuming and a chore
Security
Buying second-hand is a popular way of saving money, but people are wary of scams and quality of goods bought online.
People want an easy way to vet the legitimacy and trustworthiness of second-hand sellers.
People enjoy trading favors with friends rather than meeting with up strangers.
Exploring solutions
A trading platform performed best
I explored other solutions such as advocacy for lower-income populations and an approach to increase financial literacy. I used an impact-effort matrix to choose which solution to work on. The impact estimated the size of the population helped and the effort reflected potential obstacles to creating a start-up. With these parameters, a trading platform had the best impact-effort ratio.
Ideation and Iteration
No demand for a social feed
Originally, I believed creating an explore page with short-form video and photo content would be appealing to potential users. After creating user archetypes, user journeys, and working on the app’s potential user flow, I realized the social aspect that an explore page would bring was not in demand. Instead, it over-complicated the solution while taking focus away from the app’s purpose. These exercises helped me choose the solution’s core features.
Core features
Reviews readily available for each trader
Summarized trade offers to quickly view necessary info
Action buttons to accept or decline trades
Marketplace listings that allow for wishlists and trade-free posts
Crazy 8s to explore designs
I like to rapidly iterate via the crazy 8s sketching method before moving on to wireframes. This allows me to explore many ideas without spending too much time getting caught up in details too early on. I follow up the exercise by annotating my sketches in another color.
User testing leads to new user flow
I created multiple iterations of the app and conducted user testing with a low-fidelity prototype. I recruited 4 people in their early 20s for testing. The test was moderated as they completed a set of assigned tasks. Then, I did retrospective probing asking them to: rate each task’s difficulty, offer areas of improvement, and provide any additional comments.
Based on user feedback I chose to combine the trades and messages page as well as create a new homepage. I also made changes to the subsections within the profile and introduced new entry points for creating a listing.
3 key design improvements
User testing, mentor feedback, and audits for consistency and accessibility lead to continued iterations for each wireframe. Overall, there were 3 major improvements in my designs.
1. Reorganized item listing
Each item listing originally included the interests and wishlist of the trader posting the items. However, 4 out of 4 users commented being overloaded with information and becoming confused.
Surprisingly, 3 out of 4 users also did not realize they could also click on the trader’s profile picture and username to view their reviews.
I added a call to action profile link (as also seen in Facebook Marketplace) and rearranged the information on the page to better align with Gestalt principles and reduce confusion for users.
2. New home page
2 out of 4 Users misunderstood the marketplace to be a home page and commented that they prefer having a home page for familiarity.
Having users write reviews from the trades page and user profile page looked cluttered and was confusing.
To increase learnability, I created a home page to be a central location for upcoming scheduled trades and unfinished reviews.
3. Updated messages page
3 out of 4 users liked being able to review trade offers but felt that having both a trades page and a messages page that were similar made the app too complicated.
I removed the trades page and simplified messages to reflect the new user flow while keeping the features users enjoyed.
Final design
Easily save money by trading with a community of credible people
Quickly review and compare trade offers while negotiating
How Would This Succeed as a Business?
Ad revenue would be the main factor in generating profit because a paid-subscription model wouldn’t make sense since the target user base wants to save money.
Including a social feed should be revisited with methods such as A/B testing, Kano model questionnaire, user interviews. This would open up the possibility of incorporating a paid model to allow small businesses and creators to promote their content.
Metrics for Success Would Include:
Net Promoter Score to evaluate early on the potential popularity of the app
Average Session Rate to gain insights on customer satisfaction and whether this app is engaging
Task Completion Rate to assess usability of the app and helpfulness of the solution
If I Had More Time I Would…
Conduct concept tests early on to validate the solution that was narrowed down with the impact effort matrix
Prototype micro-interactions and motion graphics
Conduct another round of user testing and design improvements
Further research the business feasibility of this solution
What Did I Learn?
Creating a robust component system early in the design process would make updating the design more efficient
Set deliverables early on for the most important task flows, and stay focused on completing the necessary elements before designing additional flows