GREEN ELEPHANT
An app for the gift economy
Branding
Mobile App Design
UI Design
UX Research
Save Money. Reduce Waste. One item at a time. Green Elephant is a New York City-based mobile app to support the “gift economy.” Users can freely exchange used items with friends and neighbors. It’s an easy and convenient way to reduce waste and save money.
New Yorkers want to give away their unwanted items. But the process is time consuming and cumbersome.
Despite the many organizations that collect gently used items and distribute them to those in need, the process of identifying a place to donate your unwanted goods can be time consuming and cumbersome — especially if you only have access to public transportation. And the donation drop off bins throughout the city may seem like the easiest option, but it’s not always clear where and with whom the items end up.
How might we create an app that makes it easier and convenient for people to participate in the “gift economy”?
People have various levels of comfort and experience in donating and receiving used items.
We talked to five people over Zoom to uncover attitudes towards giving and receiving used goods, understand motivations for engaging in the “gift-economy," and delve into the processes and resources used to get rid of used or unwanted items. Our research showed that people are more eager to donate their unwanted items, but less inclined to accept used items from people they do not know. That said, our interviewees valued the “cool factor” and enjoyed buying used and vintage items. The top five insights from that process revealed that users prioritized:
Research methods
We chose to interview individuals with diverse perspectives, spanning different boroughs. We used an affinity diagram to sort and group key insights as well as identify trends. To supplement this small data set, we distributed a survey to 30 participants, and conducted competitive research.
1. Concern for the environment
2. Loves to shop second-hand
3. Cares about donating to those in need
4. Values convenience
5. Lacks storage
54%
consider convenience a major factor when deciding where to donate unwanted items
80%
are most motivated to donate to help those in need
100%
donate or receive a minimum of 1-3 items per year
Survey data uncovered further pain point and motivation factors.
Competitive research
We conducted a features analysis on seven different apps and digital platforms that offer similar services. These include direct competitors: Trash Nothing, Facebook Marketplace, and the Buy Nothing Project; and indirect competitors: Craigslist, Salvation Army, NYC Donate, and Goodwill.
What's the unique value proposition?
While there are a number of apps and services that facilitate the exchange of unwanted goods, we found that many of these platform lack key features that would address some of the salient reasons why people choose to donate and exchange used items.
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How might we harness motivational factors by tracking personal impact metrics?
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How might we mirror a retail experience to enhance the "cool factor" of buying used/vintage items?
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How might we prioritize ease and convenience?
Introducing Green Elephant
After identifying the value add of our product, we used a storyboard to illustrate how the app would function in practice and what the concept might look like in reality.
Why a storyboard?
While we created user personas and an empathy map to capture potential users, for the purpose of this product, we felt like illustrating a very common EXPERIENCE better communicated the value add.
Andrew and Rita just moved in together
They're excited to embark on this new chapter in their relationship and to make a home together.
1/6
They find they have more stuff than they need or can fit
In consolidating their apartments, they realize they have some duplicate furniture, houseware, and a lot of clothing for a shared closet.
2/6
Andrew doesn't want his perfectly good lounge chair to go to waste
He cares a lot about reducing his environmental impact and would prefer to gift or donate his unwanted chair to someone who could use it.
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Shortly after listing his chair, Andrew is notified that someone nearby is interested
Andrew is elated that his chair will get a second life with his neighbor. He didn't have to worry about transporting the chair to a donation center, and wondering where it would end up! With Green Elephant, Andrew easily coordinates and date and time for his neighbor to pick up the chair.
5/6
Andrew sees his impact
The more Andrew uses Green Elephant, the more he sees his impact in action! He loves knowing how much he is reducing his environmental impact and saving money.
6/6
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It can be challenging to build an elegant solution that meets the needs of multiple user types.
When we started to draft sketch and low-fi digital wireframes, we realized a complexity to our app design. We wanted to ease the user experience of both listing and finding used items, but in order to generate sufficient data to fuel a search and filter tool, the listing feature needed to have a significant amount of steps, which could increase friction. We knew usability testing would be a crucial way to assess our design solutions.
We conducted tests with 5 people to help us identify specific areas for improvement. Test participants identified features that confused them and shared insights on how to reduce friction in the listing feature such as showing the number of steps and progress bar. These insights helped inform the final product design.
Approach to wireframes
I love working on paper first before moving any designs to Figma. Creating components on paper and then moving them around and figuring out what solution work best helps me work faster and more effectively.
Creating an accessible brand identity
“Green Elephant” is a sustainable spin on the holiday gift exchange “White Elephant” that encourages participants to contribute unwanted items and to freely trade items at will until everyone ends up with something they want (or nearly!).
MESSAGE
Users can securely message in-app to hand off their items.
SEARCH
Users can search for their specific needs and filter their search results.
CREATE A POST
Users are taken though a ten-step process for creating a post and ensuring all the necessary information is included in the post.
Product features
PROFILE
Users can track their impact through their profile to see how much they're saving financially and environmentally.
An MVP with a lot of potential
In future iterations, we’d like to incorporate features considered during brainstorming such as providing an option to connect with and give “first dibs” to friends, and suggesting local donation centers or drop-off sites if no one claims an item you share.
Additionally, we’d like to make it easier for users to track their environmental savings and receive incentives to continue using the app and participating in the “gift economy.”