Secondhand Love is a donation and virtual marketplace app with a mission to make it easier for parents to find new homes for their preloved baby/children items so that they don't end up in a landfill.
PROJECT
Design an app that makes it easier for parents to donate, sell, and shop used baby items.
TASKS
Concept Development, Branding, User Research, Visual Design, Wireframing, Prototyping
DURATION
2 months
PROJECT TYPE
Personal
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
Need:
Parents want a convenient resource that allows them to give away or sell items that are in good condition.
Opportunity:
How Might We
Facilitate the process for parents to give away or sell items?
Help parents find donation centers in their area?
Connect parents to ones with items they want?
Facilitate
Access to dropoff/pickup sites for donations and a sellers marketplace on one app
Help
A distance based search function to assist users in finding nearby donation centers
Connect
A community-driven map where users can browse for wanted items in their neighborhood and beyond
USER RESEARCH
90% of parents interviewed expressed a need for a convenient way to give away their children's gear.
97% of parents currently use either pickup or dropoff services to donate baby items.
85% of parents expressed a desire that their items are reused by another family.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
There are currently no similar apps on the market. I found Facebook groups focused on helping parents find used baby items as well as websites/apps to sell used items but none geared specifically towards parents.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
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Website Fonts
Jost
Inter
Logo Fonts
Mali
To capture the essence of the Secondhand Love brand and highlight its focus on parents and children, we selected bright, playful colors. These vibrant hues are designed to evoke a sense of childlike innocence and joy, aligning with the app’s mission to create a fun and engaging experience for families.
LOGO DESIGN
The logo design for Secondhand Love matches the brand's playful, fun nature. This is reflected in the use of the font Mali which was inspired by a 6th graders handwriting.
USABILITY TESTING
The goal of the usability test was to determine if the design of the app met the 3 goals of the app: to facilitate, to help, and to connect.
Feedback
Users found the app straightforward and easy to shop.
They liked that it was a "one stop shop" for all of their needs.
Users also expressed how convenient the app would be to use compared to using social media posts to find items that they want.
The quick access to drop off centers and the neighborhood map were often listed as favorite features.
The visuals and color scheme were described as being visually appealing and family friendly .
Revisions
Users wanted to know the recency of item postings.
A timestamp (JUST POSTED) was added so that recency would be easily visible.
Users wanted to expand their search so that they could see item postings that were not in their immediate area.
The map search feature was enhanced to allow users to customize the search radius. This improvement gives users greater control over their search results.
Users expressed an interest in a rewards system.
The user account page was rearranged to meet this need, adding the key stats so that users could quickly view their points.
If users need more information they can access their points page.
REFLECTIONS
For this project, I aimed to create a comprehensive app that offers parents a convenient solution for passing along their children’s items to the next family. My goal was to ensure the app is both user-friendly and visually appealing.
Users have shown enthusiasm for the app, highlighting its unique position in the market, ease of use, vibrant colors, and the convenience of being a “one-stop shop.” If I were to further develop this app, I would like to focus more on the process of how a user lists items on the site and coordinates donation pickups.
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