UHand
Team Project,
My Role
Duration
User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Designing, Usability Testing
February 2021 - April 2021
UHand, your helping hand
Project Overview
The Problem
For undergraduate or graduate students, adjusting to a new country, or a new place can be very challenging. Finding affordable items be it furniture, books, or other miscellaneous items from a trustworthy platform can also be very intimidating due to the fear of getting scammed.
This is the main problem this app tries to solve
The Goal
Trusted and reliable source
Delivery to doorstep
Scam free and genuinity
Research
According to the report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the number of students in The United States is increasing rapidly.
As a result, student loan debt is rising at an exponential rate in the United States.
Early Stage of Research
Year
Amount
(in Trillions)
Starting small, our first target audience was Northeastern University students, to understand their problems transitioning to a new place, a new country, and their requirements.
Multiple interviews were taken through different mediums and they helped us uncover the problems they were facing.
User Research
We subdivided their issues into pain points.
Pain Points
01
02
03
New to the area, and concerned about being scammed
Would like items to be delivered as no conveyance
Wants to get rid of old items while generating income.
Based on the interviews taken, we charted out personas to understand that there were two categories of students.
Persona
Buyers
Sellers
Students who were new and wanted to buy products without having the fear of getting scammed.
Jane Doe: A first-year Northeastern University student seeking affordable and reasonable second-hand items without having to worry about getting scammed.
After determining the app's flow, we conducted a market analysis to identify existing solutions and how we could build our app differently to assist students in overcoming their fears.
After studying the personas, we charted a user journey map to help us understand the features the app would incorporate to meet the user requirements.
Students who were already in the country for some time, and wanted to get rid of their items.
John Doe: A second-year Northeastern University student seeking genuine buyers preferably students to sell his products without him worrying about having them delivered.
Competitive Market Research
User Journey Map
“Since I am a student, I may or may not shift someplace else for a job. Hence, I would not want to buy expensive items to help me get through my university days.”
- Northeastern Student
“I have plans to go back to my home country now that I have almost completed my degree, but I do not know what I should do with the furniture that I have here!”
- Northeastern Student
“I am unaware of the second-hand market websites, and I have the fear of getting scammed. To top it all, I do not even have the conveyance of my own for getting bigger items home.”
- Northeastern Student
Vision
Following Geoffrey Moore, we developed a positioning statement that best suited our product.
Design
In accordance with The Design Process, I began by sketching prototypes on paper as it is the most effective method for comprehending the design.
After we were satisfied with the flow, I used Balsamiq to make low-fidelity wireframes to better understand how the screens and elements would interact with one another.
And finally, to put life into our design, I created the interactive app using Figma.
Low Fidelity
Test
In order to get feedback and gain a better understanding of the user's perspective, we put the interactive Figma prototype through its paces with a few Northeastern students, utilizing both of the groups that we had outlined in our personas.
We received a lot of positive feedback from users who stated that the design was useful and not overly complicated.
But the one feedback that the users felt was the most important was:
Ability to sort based on zipcode
Iteration Modifications
Sort filter via Zipcode
Summary of Features
Verified students
Scam-free experience
Help the student community
For registered students only via their education e-mail address
Purchase items and build connections with fellow students
Generate income by selling items, and help the community
Going Forward
Not only do we want “UHand'“ to be available to Northeastern University students, but also want it to be available worldwide so that students from all over the world can have a smooth, risk-free experience, while connecting with one another.
Reflection
Creating the UHand app prototype was an enlightening and fulfilling experience. When my team and I had conceptualized UHand, our goal was to create a second-hand market tailored specifically for students, where trust served as a foundation. As I reflect on the process, I am proud of the progress made in building a scam and spam-free platform that truly benefits the student community.
UHand was created to serve as a hub for the student community, promoting sustainable practices by enabling the reuse and recycling of items. This not only would benefit the environment but also help students save money, which is often a crucial factor in their academic journey.
Looking ahead, I envision UHand as an essential tool for students across various educational instituitions, connecting them in a a meaningful way.
How would we become well-liked among students?
If we have partnerships with universities, “UHand” could be promoted on their official university website to inform students that we are here to lend a helping hand, offering them a seamless and risk-free experience.
