Problem

People struggle to discover and engage in straightforward and safe trade practices for items and services as current solutions are cumbersome and known to be untrustworthy.

Objective

The purpose of this project was to design a modern solution that allows users to easily trade items or services.

Solution

Introducing Trade Up! A platform that simplifies the trading process by allowing users to create listings, browse for items, and propose trades in a secure environment.

To thoroughly understand the behaviors, needs, and challenges that individuals face when discovering, and trading items with others.

Based on the data above, a new competitor could successfully enter the bartering space by offering a secure, gamified trading platform with trust-building features, item authentication, eco-conscious incentives, seamless trade logistics, and a community-driven marketplace for both goods and services.

I used affinity mapping to organize and analyze data from my user interviews, grouping insights into key themes and patterns to better understand patient pain points and needs in the healthcare navigation process.

The empathy map was created using insights from secondary research, five interviews, and an affinity map, highlighting the thoughts, feelings, actions, and challenges commonly faced in bartering.

The customer journey map was created using insights from secondary research, five interviews, an affinity map, and an empathy map. It outlines the key actions, goals, emotions, and challenges users experience throughout each stage of the bartering process.

I created POV (Point of View) and HMW (How Might We) statements to clearly define the user's needs and challenges.

Based on my research, I formulated the following goals to guide the direction of the design.

• Make trading items and services seamless, efficient, and user-friendly
  
• Provide a centralized space for users to discover, negotiate, and complete trades
• Implement verification methods and community driven user ratings to ensure safe and fair trades
• Encourage users to trade rather than discard to promote eco-conscious habits
• Simplify coordination, messaging, and logistics to make bartering more practical

I had to narrow down the list of features for this project due to time constraints, focusing on those that would deliver the most immediate value to users. To achieve this, I created a feature matrix, ranking features as high, medium, or low priority.

Based on the insights from the card sort exercise, I narrowed down the key features to four main options, focusing on those that aligned most closely with user preferences and would deliver the highest impact in improving the healthcare navigation experience.

I conducted an open card sorting exercise, allowing users to organize and prioritize elements based on their preferences, which helped shape an intuitive navigation structure.

• Open card sort
  
• 53 topics
• 3 participants
• Ages 31 - 35
• Completed on UX Metrics website

• Participants grouped topics into around 9 categories on average
  
• Participants used different naming conventions but were generally similar in their grouping
• Common categories centered around trust, security, logistics, communication, rewards, item information, and item categorization
• Some participants preferred more granular categories while others preferred broader categories

• Focus on integrating logistics, communication, and security features
  
• Provide comprehensive item information as that was a commonly considered theme among the results
• Utilize gamification elements like rewards and achievement badges to engage and retain users
• Consider the naming conventions participants used to include intuitive terminology throughout the design
• Include robust security features as that seemed to be the most common theme among the results

I created a sitemap based on results of the open card sort to establish the information architecture, ensuring a logical and intuitive structure for the platform that allows users to easily navigate and access key features.

I created low-fidelity wireframes to outline the basic layout and structure, allowing me to quickly visualize and refine the overall design before moving into more detailed iterations.

I conducted low-fidelity usability testing to evaluate the core functionality and user flow, allowing me to identify key pain points and make necessary refinements before progressing to high-fidelity iterations.

• Participants: 5 individuals (1 woman, 4 men)
  
• Age Range: 31 to 70 years old
  
• Methodology: Conducted usability testing with the low-fidelity prototype to evaluate the ease of use, functionality, and overall user experience of key features
• The goal was to identify usability issues, gather feedback, and suggest improvements based on user interactions with the platform.

• Users felt that the listing creation process was intuitive
  
• Some users felt the labeling of the plus button could be clearer
  
• Searching for items was straightforward for all users
• Submitting trade proposals was “simple and clear”
• Some confusion over terminology in various sections

• Consider adding clear labels to buttons such as the create listing button (+)
  
• Rename the “Payment Details” section to be clearer
  
• Include help text in the “Preview Listing” screen for increased clarity

I developed high-fidelity wireframes to provide more detailed visual elements and interactions, ensuring the design was ready for prototyping and user testing.

I conducted high-fidelity usability testing to assess the final design’s functionality, usability, and overall user experience, ensuring a polished and intuitive interface before implementation.

• Participants: 5 individuals (2 women, 3 men)
  
• Age Range: 31 to 70 years old
  
• Methodology: Conducted usability testing with the high-fidelity prototype to assess the visual design, interaction flow, and overall user experience of key features.
• The goal was to validate design decisions, refine functionality, and gather user feedback to enhance clarity, efficiency, and engagement before final implementation.

• Creating a listing was intuitive for most participants
  
• Searching was straightforward for all participants
  
• Participants submitted trade proposals easily, but desired larger images and a list view option
• Some participants struggled to find updates surrounding their pending trades
• Messaging and communication was clear for all participants
• Some participants mistook the “action required” status as an interactive button

• Consider adding clearer button text so users better understand their purpose
  
• Add larger images or labels for trade items to make them more identifiable
  
• Provide additional access points to view pending trades from the “You” and notifications page
• Include a banner on the home page to alert users about action required for pending trades
• Include a button to the Trade Details page to allow users to execute on the action required

After implementing priority revisions based on usability testing feedback, I finalized the design, ensuring a seamless user experience, improved functionality, and a visually cohesive interface.