High Poverty Levels in Russia and CIS Countries: According to data from Rosstat, over 18 million Russians, or 12.7% of the entire population, live below the poverty line.

Food Waste in Landfills: According to the Higher School of Economics (VSHĖ) and Rosstat, around 17 million tons of food products end up in landfills each year. The amount of food wasted in landfills could feed 30 million people for a year – more than the number of Russians living below the poverty line. However, instead of this, 94% of the unused food products end up in solid waste landfills, polluting soil, water, and air, releasing toxins and carbon dioxide.

Textile Waste in Landfills: According to Greenpeace, the global fashion industry produces 100 billion units of clothing annually. The volume of waste from the fashion industry reaches 92 million tons. According to the United Nations, clothing production ranks second only to the oil and gas industry in terms of environmental pollution from waste. Every year, 85% of purchased clothing items end up in landfills.

1. Giving a thing to someone or providing help, I would like to know that it is owned by a reliable person, that it's in good hands and being used and not sold or thrown away.
2. I would like to minimize the correspondence and give the item as soon as possible. I don't want to inform everyone in the end that the item is no longer avaliable.
3. I need a convenient search and filters to find the needed item.
4. It's easier to contact person directly in the messenger or on the phone and get immediate response.
5. I need a possibility to book the item right away.
6. I need a notification about new things of interest nearby.
7. For quality control there should be a photo and detailed description. Reviews and rating can help me understand that a person is reliable.

Through in-depth interviews with 7 potential users, I gained insightful knowledge about their needs and pain points. Their stories have become my compass, guiding me toward crafting solutions that truly matter.

I conducted in-depth interviews with 7 individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations. These interviews offered valuable insights into their unique experiences and perspectives. The participants included professionals, students, and artists from different cities. Through this diverse group, I aimed to uncover common themes and gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face, bridging both geographical and financial disparities.

• Users are motivated to extend the service life of things, save money, and care for the environment.
• Local communities and social organizations play a significant role in sharing and finding free items.
• Close relationships and helping people in need are important factors for users.
• Negative experiences with online platforms include poor communication, unreliable people, and spam.
• Selling items is often perceived as easier than giving them away for free.
• Users appreciate instant response, nice community, and safety in their sharing experiences.
• Users have concerns about the fate of donated items in charity shops and prefer supporting small local businesses.
• Users have a psychological need for a sense of purpose, progress, and social connection

• Lack of local organizations for sharing free items.
• Negative experiences with online platforms, including poor communication and unreliable users.
• Moderation issues and mixed experiences with the platforms they use.
• Difficulty in finding relevant and free items on social media groups.
• Concerns about wasted or lost items in charity shops.
• Difficulty in distinguishing between non-profit and for-profit organizations.
• Spam, doomscrolling, and irrelevant posts in local social media groups.

I conducted a competitor analysis at the start of my research to generate more hypotheses and interview questions.

In the competitive landscape of sharing platforms, Olio stands out for its focus on reducing food waste and building community engagement. Freecycle provides a platform for sustainable exchanges, while Listia introduces a points-based system for trading items. Avito offers a broader marketplace, though with potential challenges related to language, safety, and item quality.

Existing sharing platforms showcase appealing attributes but also display limitations affecting user experience and accessibility. These include regional constraints, quality control, language barriers, and safety worries. By addressing these concerns, our platform emerges as an inclusive, reliable option, meeting the diverse needs of individuals seeking seamless, secure item sharing experiences.

Drawing from the results of in-depth interviews, I crafted two distinct personas, each offering a unique perspective. While these personas share common traits, such as a commitment to environmental consciousness and digital engagement, they differ in aspects such as income, location, and family status. This approach allows me to effectively target a specific audience segment initially, ensuring comprehensive coverage of their needs before expanding to a broader user base.

Given the challenge of accommodating diverse user pathways across various platforms to fulfill their needs, I developed two distinct CJMs—one catering to those offering items for free and another tailored to individuals seeking items. This approach allowed for a more precise analysis of user motivations and pain points, leading to more targeted and effective design solutions.

By employing this method, I generated several valuable ideas for the app. This approach involved crafting targeted questions, proposing different solutions for each challenge, and evaluating these options based on their utility and feasibility.

Based on the research above and the, the arrangement of the existing sections has been restructured, and new sections have been organized:

1. Main Page with Listings
2. Listing Card
3. User Profile
4. Favourites
5. Posting Listing
6. Your Profile

By mapping out the sequence of actions and interactions that users would undertake within the app, I was able to identify potential bottlenecks and refine the navigation pathways. This approach not only facilitated a clear visualization of the user journey but also enabled me to anticipate user needs and preferences, ultimately leading to a more user-centric and efficient design.

I designed wireframes of the main user scenarios, based on the established Information Architecture and users' pain points that I had identified earlier, along with the solutions I had brainstormed. I put together the layout and functions, ensuring they fit snugly and create a seamless user experience.

1. Searching for a Suitable Listing — Users will be presented with the task of searching for a needed item nearby using various filters. They should also be able to save listings as favourites for later reference and view listings on a map to estimate proximity effectively.
2. Evaluating Listing Details and User Reliability — Participants will be asked to review the details of a selected listing and assess the reliability of the person offering the item. They should have the ability to contact the giver and report any concerns they might have.
3. Interacting with Other Users through Messaging — Users will test the messaging functionality by checking for any new messages received from other users. They'll also be prompted to engage in a conversation to arrange a pickup for an item of interest.
4. Managing Saved Listings — Participants will navigate through their list of saved listings, make modifications to the list, and then proceed to arrange a pickup time for one of the items.
5. Uploading a Listing — Users will be instructed to create a new listing to give away an item. This scenario will assess their ability to provide the necessary information and images for the listing.
6. Modifying Your Own Listings — Participants will access the 'My Listings' section and modify one of their existing listings. They should be able to change the status of the item as well.
7. Adjusting Settings and Personal Information — Users will explore the app's settings, specifically focusing on changing privacy settings, configuring notification alerts, and updating personal details.

Three people were recruited for the usability test. During the tasks, they were asked to verbalize their thoughts and actions as they completed them. The outcomes were consistently successful, with all scenarios being effectively executed. However, a few minor areas for potential improvement in user experience were identified during the process.

Usability test report

A list of potential feature improvements can be considered to elevate the user experience in future iterations:

• Incorporate animations or popup windows to indicate that listing cards in Favourites and My Listings sections can be swiped for easier interaction.
• Provide clearer explanations of the categories to enhance user understanding.
• Highlight the map function to emphasize its importance in estimating proximity and pickup points.
• Improve the visibility of the text associated with the timer feature to make its function more evident.