CRCLE
Reselling within the Circle
Role
Project management
User research
Workshop design and facilitation
UX/UI design
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Timeline
15 weeks
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Team
Nikita Deshpande
Lucia Chen
Nikki Dube
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Skills
UI/UX Design
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Interaction Design
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Social Good
Overview
Our team started with the challenge of moving in New York City (NYC). Having moved several times within the city and having walked by countless heaps of discarded furniture in perfectly good condition, we knew that waste was a huge problem that is exacerbated when people move. We set out to narrow in on the problems that those moving to, from, or within NYC face in terms of responsibly discarding of items that they no longer need
Problem
600,000
1,000
X
600M
=
Pounds of Junk
Households
Total Pounds of Junk
Within one year approximately 600k NYC households move and they throw away an average of 1k lbs of junk per move. That’s 600M lbs of junk a year. Our goal is to make selling and donating second hand items just as easy and more rewarding than simply throwing them away
Solution
CRCLE was born to influence a stronger circular economy for secondhand items and deliver monetary value and convenience to its users
A digital concierge service that facilitates the entire exchange process between buyer and seller while minimally impacting the environment
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Reduce the complexity of selling
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Make money
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Minimally impact the environment
Process
We followed the design thinking process as outlined below. Through extensive research and user testing, our goal was to identify a solution that could help NYC residents move more sustainably.
Scope
Research Insights
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People are aware of the amount of waste produced but don’t have an optimal way to handle the waste
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Lack of clarity on standards for items in ‘good condition’ or worth selling
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Time commitment, planning, and logistics were barriers to reselling/ recycling
Mindsets
Based on our primary research and the feedback we received, we landed on three mindsets to illustrate how users might handle unwanted items during their moves
Customer Journey
We created a journey map to better understand the highs and lows of a user’s moving experience
Ideation
Through the ideation session, we identified key themes among the participants’ ideas as they answered this question from each mindset’s perspective:
How might we make reselling enjoyable for movers?
Community marketplace
Building-specific exchange Storage companies
Value estimation tool
Prototyping & Testing
Several rounds of rapid prototyping and testing were conducted using the below process. Each round of testing included 10+ assumptions tested with 4+ users.
Task Flow
Before jumping into the wireframes, the team created a task flow that represented a user’s journey through our app. This helped us view the app as a whole instead of single pieces of content in isolation. The task flow was used to test key features with users and informed our information architecture.
Testing - Round 1
Through this round of testing, we:
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Validated that key features like the value estimation tool were valued by users
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Identified ways to build trust between buyers and sellers through features like seller reviews and item condition details
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Collected ideas for additional features based on what users asked or commented on
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Gauged overall interest in the product
Testing - Round 2
Testing - Round 2
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Through this round of testing, we:
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Confirmed sellers and buyers would like the option to have the item shipped and would pay for the service
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Found that sellers and buyers had mixed feelings about a bidding system and decided that fixed pricing would be easier for sellers who need to get rid of their items in a time crunch
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Validated that most users preferred to try selling their item first but would try the donation option if they weren’t able to sell in time before they move
Final Designs
High fidelity wireframes were more complete representations of our end product. They helped validate complex interactions during our final user testing. These wireframes provided our test participants with realistic representations of what CRCLE will look and feel like, as well as how it will respond to them.
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Through this final round of testing, we:
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Identified opportunities to improve usability and clarity, such as changing icons or having clearer instructions in the selling and donating user flows
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Confirmed user acceptance of fee structure to gauge viability of our business model
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Tested user perception of the CRCLE brand
Price Estimation Tool for Sellers
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Increased Profitability: Set optimal resell prices, maximizing profit margins while avoiding underpricing or overpricing.
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Time Efficiency: Automate complex calculations and market analysis, saving time and effort for sellers to focus on other business tasks.
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Competitive Advantage: Gain a competitive edge by utilizing comprehensive market insights to align prices with trends and competitor strategies.
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Improved Customer Satisfaction: Accurately price products based on market value, fostering trust, loyalty, and positive reviews from customers.
Key Features
Smart Pricing Recommendations for Moving: Nudging Sellers to Lower Prices or Donate as the Move Date Approaches
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Users are encouraged to update their move-out date to facilitate the selling process.
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Nudges are sent to users, suggesting them to lower the price of their product or consider donating it.
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Users are provided with information about nearby donation options.
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The goal is to sell their product based on their updated move-out date.
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The nudges aim to prompt users to take action and either sell or donate their product.
