.png)
The Commons
Borrowery
Conceptual end-to-end app design for a community-focused storefront that empowers people to live sustainably by borrowing instead of buying.
“Join us in our mission to create a more sustainable future, one borrowed item at a time.”
Role
Graphic Designer
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Tools Used
Figma
Otter.ai
Survey Planet
Optimal Workshop
Maze
Timeline
5 weeks
Solution
Our solution to the problem of accessing items and tools that people only need occasionally or temporarily is a unique borrowing platform that emphasizes community, sustainability, and convenience. Our branding and app design reflect these values with a bright and friendly color scheme, clear and user-friendly interface, and intuitive functionality. Through our innovative approach, we aim to make borrowing and sharing as easy and accessible as possible, while also promoting environmental sustainability .
Problem
People often face challenges when trying to access items and tools they only need occasionally or temporarily. Buying these items outright is expensive and wasteful, and borrowing from friends and neighbors can be awkward or unreliable. There is a need for a simple, affordable, and sustainable solution that makes it easy for people to access the items they need, without financial burden or waste of ownership, that also fosters a sense of community and collaboration and supports eco-friendly values.
What steps were taken to solve this problem?
By using the design process, we were able to truly understand our users and develop solutions that work for them.
![5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d [Converted]-01.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f861d_996824499b2a409282e512a658d35629~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_202,h_200,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d%20%5BConverted%5D-01.png)
empathize
![5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d [Converted]-02.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f861d_9be5e795af684c8eab2047499f930340~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_215,h_212,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d%20%5BConverted%5D-02.png)
define
![5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d [Converted]-03.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f861d_8b3733adf75b4880a7e567d79b4e1f13~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_222,h_219,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d%20%5BConverted%5D-03.png)
ideate
![5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d [Converted]-04.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f861d_a9208f3f393b4d149eb91cd8921e4c5d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_202,h_200,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d%20%5BConverted%5D-04.png)
prototype
![5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d [Converted]-05.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f861d_046ea9a65c4d45749c80dbc6fe1dfcf9~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_184,h_182,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5d7e5a7b90431740cc08730d%20%5BConverted%5D-05.png)
test
01. empathize
Research Goal
Develop a deeper understanding users perspectives on the shared economy model and the challenges and opportunities associated with building a borrowing platform that promotes sustainability and community engagement
Research Objectives
Identify Needs
Understand the needs of users who are seeking an effective borrowing system. What would encourage/ make users feel safe while more borrowing?
Catalog Experiences
Uncover the successes and frustrations users have faced while borrowing items in the past.
Analyze Competitors
Gain inspiration from other e-commerce and sustainability - focused app designs.
Competitive Analysis
In order to gain valuable insights and stay ahead of the competition, we conducted a thorough competitive analysis of other e-commerce, borrowing, and community-focused apps. This allowed us to identify what was working and not working in their application strategies, providing valuable information to enhance the concept behind The Commons.
Summary of findings:
• There does not seem to be any (functioning) community -based borrowing apps on the market.
• The popularity of Next door and Facebook come with a hefty dose of nasty commentary. We could avoid this by eliminating the social feed feature?
• All analyzed platforms are free for users!
• None of these apps had UI that we were impressed with.
User Interviews
Time to get some user insight!
In order to better understand the needs of our users..
12 participants between the ages of 24-36 were either interviewed or surveyed.
(10 survey takers, 2 interviews)
Other important deets:
* both the survey and the interview asked the same questions. the interview was done verbally and the survey was in essay question format on Survey Planet
* all participants identified as users wanted to use technology to live a more sustainable lifestyle
Affinity Mapping
After conducting the interview and sifting thought the data, an affinity map was created to identify the patterns among the users. We organized the data in various ways, but a few topics were most insightful.
Waste is on the minds of many
Users are open to sharing
There is a need for this service
click this to expand and browse!
Want to see how my brain organized the data? Check this out.
!!!
!!!
Key Takeaways
an "ah-hah!" moment:
The conversations we had with our participants were incredibly insightful. The concept of trust the users were expressing were the most telling. While all interviewees and survey takers expressed some interest in borrowing, there was a major commonality:
​
**Users want to borrow rather than buy, but the community trust/buy in is just not there**
User Personas
After listening to the participants and using this newfound information, we developed a user persona based on insights gathered during our research.
Our DIY-Guy, Dan, became the main persona the project was intended for.
​
Hi Dan!
02. define
POV & HMWs
Point of View Statement- Frames the problem in a way that keeps a focus on users, their needs, and the insights about them.
We'd like to discover ways for community members to borrow items in a way that feels authentic and trustworthy in order to make our planet a more enjoyable & sustainable place to be.
How Might We Questions- Turns the problem at hand into design opportunities.
(1) How might we incentivize community members to borrow rather than buy?
​
(2) How might we make users who want to borrow feel confident about finding items they need on the app?
Feature Set
In order to prioritize features in this end-to-end application, we outlined "must haves", "nice to haves", "surprising and delightful", and "can come later" features. This became our roadmap for the app.
Project Goals
To further define the product, we brainstormed business, user, and tech goals within the context of the research findings.
03. ideate
"Everyone has great ideas, but great ideators write them down."
- Anonymous
Site Map
Using the information gathered from our users, the inspiration from our user personas, and the opportunity spaces that were found by my HMWs and project goals, we developed The Commons site map for the app.
Task Flows
After the site map was solicited, task flows were created for the app's three main features.
Wireframes
Defining our task flows helped us to create the initial iterations of low, mid-fid, and high fidelity screens.
Brand Board & UI Components
Before creating The Commons' high-fidelity designs, we developed their brand board and UI Component Library in order to simplify the design process and create consistency across the platform.
04. prototype
Prototypes
Flow 1 of the high fidelity design allows users to sign up for The Commons using their email address, and navigate through the tutorial pages to the landing page.
The second flow encourages users to change their pickup location, choose their preferred borrowing dates, and reserve their item.
The third flow allows the user to navigate to their QR code to scan at the borrowery, scan the item they are 'returning', and return to the page where they would find another item to borrow.
05. test
Usability Testing
Time for testing! After finishing the high fidelity designs, we recruited 10 relevant participants to participate in usability tests; all tested virtually with Maze.
Testing Goals:
1. Evaluate usability of each flow.
2. Gather feedback on UI and user flow.
3. Identify common pain points.
4. Observe how users are feeling when navigating the product, noting how they feel about their overall experience.
Usability Test Findings
After our usability testing was complete, we organized the data to make sense of the findings for each task flow .
click this to expand and browse!
Task #1: Sign Up
90% Success
9/10 users successfully completed the task fully. 1 user did not complete the task because of a glitch with Maze.
The Expected
All users clicked the 'sign up with email' button on navigation and navigated through the tutorial pages.
The Unexpected
30% users were confused by the 'swipe' directions in the tutorial pages.
Task #2: Find & Reserve an Item
The Expected
All users were able to complete the task successfully.
The Unexpected
40% wanted to search for drill in a different way (either the search bar or by navigating to the tools category.
Task #3: Browse for more info; return to home page
The Expected
100% of users navigated to the barcode by either clicking the item to be returned, or by clicking the barcode icon in the navigation bar (both paths went to the same place)
Getting Home as Expected
The majority of testers navigated back to the homepage by clicking the "shop" icon in the navigation bar.
Priority Revisions
After analyzing the results of our testing and sorting through the written feedback from the users, peers, and mentor, a few priority revisions were obviously needed.
Iterations needed:
• Build out a alternative search flow to find an item
• Make swipe animation bigger/ less confusing
• Increase smaller font sizes throughout, especially location text
Old Flow vs New Flow
before
reservation flow
click to expand and peruse all of the changes
A search-bar flow was added to the prototype in addition to being able to expand the drill from the recommended items.
after
tutorial icon
before
The swipe annimation increased in size in order to provide clearer direction to users during the tutorial screens.
after
So... What's Next?
1. Retest updated wireframes using moderated usability testing
2. Hand off to app developers
3. Develop flows/wireframes for other features of The Commons app
Reflection
• Over these 5 weeks, I learned A LOT. The world of app design is it's own beast. I loved developing an app concept (and business) and taking that concept all the way through the design process.
• If I had more time, I would retest my iterations using a moderated test. While an unmoderated test helps in the realm of saving time, I feel like I lost valuable feedback without the ability to ask my users questions in real time.
• I love this process. App design is another UX niche that I really enjoyed! It was incredibly eye opening to design within the constraints (and flexibility!) of the app world.
Whew, thanks for listening!
questions? comments? constructive criticism? let me know.