UX/UI Case Study

Local resale marketplace + sustainability community

Local resale marketplace + sustainability community

Designing a more intentional secondhand marketplace for local communities

Designing a more intentional secondhand marketplace for local communities

People want to live more sustainably, but it is not always clear where to start, and most secondhand platforms do not help beyond the transaction. This project explores a local marketplace where people can buy, sell, and donate secondhand goods while learning practical sustainable habits and connecting with environmental efforts nearby.

People want to live more sustainably, but it is not always clear where to start, and most secondhand platforms do not help beyond the transaction. This project explores a local marketplace where people can buy, sell, and donate secondhand goods while learning practical sustainable habits and connecting with environmental efforts nearby.

How might we…

How might we improve the online resale experience for both buyers and sellers by promoting mindful, intentional consumption?

How might we improve the online resale experience for both buyers and sellers by promoting mindful, intentional consumption?

Affordability

Sustainability

Community

Education

01 / Problem

Secondhand shopping needs more trust, guidance, and local context

Secondhand shopping needs more trust, guidance, and local context

Problem statement

Users navigating rising costs, disconnected local communities, and more sustainable lifestyle goals need a trusted way to access secondhand goods while learning about environmental initiatives in their neighbourhood.

Users navigating rising costs, disconnected local communities, and more sustainable lifestyle goals need a trusted way to access secondhand goods while learning about environmental initiatives in their neighbourhood.

Marketplace structure

Use a familiar resale framework so buyers and sellers already understand the core behaviour.

Sustainable habits

Help users repair, reuse, repurpose, and care for items instead of treating recycling as the only option.

Local accountability

Make neighbourhood progress visible so users see how small individual actions contribute to collective change.

02 / Research plan

Interviews explored how people define sustainability and decide whom to trust

Interviews explored how people define sustainability and decide whom to trust

Daily sustainability

Understand how people define and practice sustainability in everyday life.

Trust and barriers

Identify opportunities, barriers, and trust factors in secondhand shopping and trading.

Community tools

Explore how community engagement and digital tools could encourage more sustainable lifestyles.

03 / Interview insights

The strongest themes were trust, proximity, repair, and shared accountability

The strongest themes were trust, proximity, repair, and shared accountability

Trust is still the biggest barrier

Participants believed in secondhand shopping, but hesitated around safety, privacy, authenticity, product condition, and unreliable communication.

Local proximity makes exchange feel easier

Users preferred nearby items because logistics felt simpler and buying from neighbours felt more personal and trustworthy.

Sustainability means repair, not just recycling

Users connected sustainability to practical habits: repairing, reusing, repurposing, and extending product lifecycles.

Community needs easier entry points

People said they would join local events more often if they knew what was happening, who was attending, and how to get involved.

Culture shapes sustainable behaviour

Participants connected sustainability to cultural practices around reuse, repair, and resisting overconsumption.

Users imagined one connected digital space

A marketplace alone was not enough. Users wanted learning, collaboration, messaging, events, and local sustainability stats in one place.

Research synthesis

The product opportunity is not just a better listing flow. It is a trusted local system that helps people exchange goods, learn how to keep items in use, and feel part of a visible community effort.

The product opportunity is not just a better listing flow. It is a trusted local system that helps people exchange goods, learn how to keep items in use, and feel part of a visible community effort.

04 / Competitor analysis

Existing marketplaces solve pieces of the experience, but leave trust and sustainability gaps

Existing marketplaces solve pieces of the experience, but leave trust and sustainability gaps

eBay

Strong buyer protection and ratings create trust, but the interface feels noisy and new sellers face steep onboarding friction.

Facebook Marketplace

Listing is fast and familiar, but weak structure, inconsistent listing quality, and limited protections create safety concerns.

Carousell

The photo-first flow and nearby listings feel hyperlocal and conversational, but protections and scalable seller tools are limited.

Vinted

Its sustainability mission and structured fashion data are clear, but the category focus, fees, and limited impact storytelling leave room for expansion.

05 / Low-fi wireframes

Early wireframes tested marketplace discovery, delivery, events, and messaging

Early wireframes tested marketplace discovery, delivery, events, and messaging

Low-fi wireframe photo

Low-fi wireframe photo

Low-fi wireframe photo

Category tabs beat search

Users skipped the search bar and browsed categories first, especially for open-ended secondhand discovery.

Delivery info felt buried

Users expected delivery options, vehicle type, and estimated price directly on listing pages — not hidden under Community.

Quick actions reduced chat friction

Users wanted Make Offer or Bid actions before messaging, with seller reviews, condition badges, and distance doing more trust-building first.

Events needed social proof

Users liked Add to Calendar, but wanted attendee counts, location filters, parking information, and nearby places to make events approachable.

06 / Feature set

The first iteration focused on trust, intentional discovery, and item care

The first iteration focused on trust, intentional discovery, and item care

Profiles + proof of ID

Buyer and seller profiles with ratings, reviews, proof of ID, and sustainability badges support accountability and reduce scam or troll accounts.

Product listings as item stories

Listings include core marketplace details, but also invite sellers to share the item’s history — especially for vintage or antique goods.

Mindful search + filters

Filters for condition, cost, age, materials, locally made items, and sustainability tags help browsing feel more intentional.

Product care information

Manual and AI-generated care guides help buyers maintain items, such as cleaning and repairing an antique wooden bookcase.

Major iteration

Neybr AI was introduced to support personalized, intent-led discovery

Neybr AI was introduced to support personalized, intent-led discovery

After the first usability tests, I introduced an AI assistant to help users ask more personal queries and narrow the overwhelm of secondhand browsing.

07 / Hi-fi usability testing

Hi-fi testing clarified where users expected marketplace conventions and stronger reassurance

Hi-fi testing clarified where users expected marketplace conventions and stronger reassurance

Neybr AI was findable, but needed clearer iconography

Users found the assistant, but some mistook it for generic help. They wanted clearer AI cues, better back/exit options, and skippable questions.

Selections, budget, and filters needed clearer patterns

Users wanted stronger selected states, flexible budget ranges, and robust filters for price, distance, product type, and sustainability tags.

Marketplace flows should mirror familiar platforms

Testers expected recent listing timestamps, multiple item photos, location filters, seller ratings, response time, favourites, and follow options.

Delivery boundaries eroded trust

Users were unsure whether the app handled delivery issues or only connected them to third-party services. Labels and responsibility boundaries needed to be clearer.

Community features were promising but under-explained

Users liked neighbourhood-specific events, but wanted organizer details, recurrence, attendee context, sharing options, and clearer section naming.

Users wanted to keep browsing after tasks

After completing a task, testers expected more related items and paths forward rather than a dead end.

08 / Final synthesis

Final takeaway

Neybr works best when it treats secondhand exchange as a community practice, not just a transaction: trust must be visible, sustainability must be practical, and local participation must feel easy to enter.

Neybr works best when it treats secondhand exchange as a community practice, not just a transaction: trust must be visible, sustainability must be practical, and local participation must feel easy to enter.

What this case study is still missing

To make the case study feel complete, add the final solution screens, a short explanation of the final user flows, clear success metrics, a reflection section, and a sentence explaining why the name Neybr fits the product.