Role
Product Designer
Tools
Figma, Figjam, Adobe Illustrator
Involvement
User Research, User Experience Design, Interface design
Context
Relocating is a universal challenge, especially when it comes to handling large items. Without enough time or convenient options to keep, store, or pass on belongings, perfectly usable items are often discarded. Meanwhile, others struggle to find affordable and sustainable essentials. Having experienced these challenges firsthand through frequent relocations for schools and internships, I was inspired to create a practical, sustainable solution.
Problem Statement
With limited time and resources, managing large, reusable items during a move can be challenging. The need to completely clear out a space, combined with a lack of convenient options, often results in perfectly usable items being discarded.
This issue raises a key question: how can leftover items be handled more effectively in the moving process?
User Interviews and Surveys
To gain a better understanding of the factors influencing users' decisions around buying and selling second-hand items, we conducted surveys with over 20 participants, created customer journey maps, and analyzed their interactions with existing second-hand marketplaces.
Research Insights
Marketing Research
I conducted market research of current resale solutions to identify gaps in the market. While these platforms offer convenience for listing items, they often have unpredictable selling times and lack a sustainability focus. Most rely on users’ individual efforts to manage listings and transactions, which can be time-consuming and inefficient, especially for students with limited time to offload items before moving.
Here’s a summary of the limitations and frustrations with current solutions.
Customer Journey Map
Based on the user journey mapping, we identified key touchpoints where students face challenges in offloading items quickly, especially during high-stress move-out periods. We observed that the "waiting & uncertainty" stage is a critical area, where users feel anxious about selling items in time.
We hypothesized that a simple, step-by-step process for submitting items, along with timely approval, would ease this concern. This structure helps students feel reassured that their items are being managed effectively, giving them clear next steps for disposal or sale and reducing last-minute stress.
User Flow
The user flow outlines the key actions for buyers, platform processes and sellers. Buyers can browse, purchase, and track orders, while sellers submit items and receive updates. The platform efficiently manages listings, quality checks, and order fulfillment to keep transactions smooth and straightforward.
This case study highlights the business-facing side (B2B), focusing on the platform and its features. If you're interested in exploring a customer-facing (B2C) project designed for buyers and sellers, click the arrow below to learn more.
Site Maps
This site map outlines the core structure of the Thrifty Warriors Warehouse System. It provides an organized framework for managing user accounts, overseeing product listings, and streamlining order processing to ensure efficient platform operations.
How might we simplify warehouse operations for seamless order fulfillment and inventory management?
Design Exploration
The Thrifty Warriors Warehouse System simplifies operations by managing product approvals, assigning storage locations, and updating listings for purchase. It streamlines tasks like creating packages, generating tracking details, and processing seller payments. For unsold items, the system offers eco-friendly disposal options, returns, or donations, supporting the platform’s mission of sustainability and efficient inventory management.
Item Listing
The item page is designed with clarity and efficiency in mind, organizing data into a clean tabular structure to ensure users can quickly scan, sort, and act on listings. Key elements like status labels and pagination improve usability by helping users prioritize tasks and navigate large datasets. The inclusion of search and filter options supports customization, enabling users to find specific items with ease.
Item Details
The Item Details Page provides a structured and intuitive layout for managing and reviewing item-specific information. It ensures a clear separation of key functionalities, allowing users to easily navigate, access, and update essential details.
Header
The fixed header ensures core item details, such as product name, category, and seller, are always visible for context. This design decision minimizes user disorientation by keeping essential information accessible, regardless of the section being viewed.
Section Tabs
The section tabs divide information into categories like details, warehouse, and orders, helping users focus on relevant content while reducing cognitive load and avoiding information overload.
Additionally, the tab based structure supports scalability, allowing new features or sections to be added as tabs without disrupting the existing layout, ensuring a flexible and user-friendly design as the platform evolves.
Sections-Based Layout
Chunking (Cognitive Load Reduction)
The section-based layout organizes the interface into distinct areas, allowing users to edit sections as a whole rather than individual fields. This design enhances clarity, making the interface more structured and easier to navigate. Edits are made through a side panel that opens in place, eliminating unnecessary page redirects and maintaining a smooth workflow.
Contextual Side Panel
Progressive Disclosure
The contextual side panel allows users to handle tasks directly within the same interface. Clicking an action button, such as "Edit" or "Pay Seller," opens a side panel tailored to that specific task, minimizing disruptions and keeping the workflow focused.
Action Button
Visual Hierarchy
The action buttons are designed to separate key actions clearly. The top-right corner highlights the main action, like 'Unpublish,' making it easily noticeable. Inline 'Edit' buttons are placed next to specific sections, allowing users to update information directly without switching screens. This setup keeps the interface clean and helps users complete tasks quickly and efficiently.
Order Listing
The Order Listing Page makes it easy to manage and track orders. A simple table layout lets users quickly see key details like order status, date, and price. Features like search and filters help users find what they need without hassle, while status labels make it clear what needs attention. The page is designed to save time and make handling orders straightforward and stress-free.
Order Details
The Order Details Page offers a clear and structured way to manage and review specific orders. It organizes information like item ID, seller, location, and status into a user-friendly table, making it easy to scan and act on relevant details. Actionable buttons like "Create Package" and "Pay Seller" are strategically positioned for streamlined workflows, reducing the need for navigation and saving time. The clean layout ensures that all necessary details are accessible at a glance, reducing complexity and improving usability.
Action Bar
Direct Manipulation
The action bar is just placed above the item list, clearly displaying the number of selected items alongside the available actions. This design ensures users have immediate feedback on their selections and see the actions they can perform in direct context, reducing confusion and improving task efficiency.
Batch Processing
Error Prevention
For batch processing, the system supports bulk actions like "Create Package," allowing multiple items to be grouped for processing at once. However, "Pay Seller" is restricted to individual items to ensure accuracy and avoid potential errors during payouts. This thoughtful balance provides both efficiency for repetitive tasks and precision for critical actions.
Final Design
Try the Thrifty Warriors prototype and explore its design and features!
Design System
Usability Testing
Using our final prototype, we invited participants from our initial user research for usability testing. They were guided through tasks focused on the core functionalities of the Thrifty Warriors Warehouse System and encouraged to share their feedback throughout the process.
Takeaways
This was my first experience designing a B2B platform, which was a significant shift from my usual focus on B2C solutions. I typically approach design with a customer mindset, focusing on how individuals interact with products. However, this project required me to think from a business perspective, prioritizing operational efficiency and workflows.
One key difference I noticed is that B2B design emphasizes structure and scalability, ensuring tools like the contextual side panel support fast and accurate decision-making for teams. Rather than focusing solely on user engagement, the goal was to create systems that streamline tasks and integrate seamlessly into complex workflows. This experience taught me to consider the needs of entirely different user groups, such as administrators and staff, and helped me develop a more holistic approach to design.