Sustainable marketplace @ UCI

ARoundU

ARoundU

ARoundU

ROLE

UX Designer

UX Designer

UX Designer

EXPERTISE

UX/UI Design

UX/UI Design

UX/UI Design

YEAR

2025

2025

2025

Problem Statement

Problem Statement

Problem Statement

How can our team design a solution that allows students to safely buy and sell their home goods, promoting a sense of sustainability among the university community?

How can our team design a solution that allows students to safely buy and sell their home goods, promoting a sense of sustainability among the university community?

How can our team design a solution that allows students to safely buy and sell their home goods, promoting a sense of sustainability among the university community?

Timeline

8 Weeks

Team Members:

Patricia Abenoja, Grace Cabrera, Pacey Diep, Lauren Wong, Julian

Problem

College students move around frequently, so their material needs are always changing:

  • When moving out, many students resort to unsustainable practices (e.g., throwing away good furniture).

  • Students are often living on a tight budget and need affordable options.

  • Online second-hand sellers can be unreliable or unsafe, leading to trust issues.

UX Research

UX Research

UX Research

Process

Process

Process

Research & Planning

Our team conducted surveys, interviews, and a competitive analysis with over 20 participants to uncover college students’ needs and frustrations with existing second-hand marketplaces. We focused on key themes like trust, safety, and convenience.

Design & Prototyping

From multiple proposed features to prospective users, our AR tool was the most liked feature for viewing items and visualizing an item in their home environment. We worked to ensure this experience was effortless and intuitive.

Testing & Optimization

We continuously refined our prototype based on multiple rounds of interviews, before and after prototyping as well as A/B and usability testing. Through A/B testing and user feedback, we refined icons, adjusted design consistency, and improved AR navigation to ensure the interface felt intuitive yet trustworthy.

Solution

Solution

Solution

ARoundU is a UCI student-only resale platform designed to make buying and selling home goods safer, more transparent, and sustainable.

ARoundU is a UCI student-only resale platform designed to make buying and selling home goods safer, more transparent, and sustainable.

ARoundU is a UCI student-only resale platform designed to make buying and selling home goods safer, more transparent, and sustainable.

AR Visualization Tool

Lets users preview furniture in their actual space, improving understanding of item size, quality, and authenticity.

by UCI, for UCI

Only UCI Students can access the platform through google account authentication in order to buy/sell goods.

Security built-in

End-to-end encryption for all messages and verified accounts for well-known and trusted sellers.

A/B Testing and Usability Refinements

A/B Testing and Usability Refinements

A/B Testing and Usability Refinements

This project demonstrated the values of combining multiple rounds of UX research with iterative prototyping to ensure a cohesive product. By aligning my solutions with user needs, our team successfully built a sustainable alternative to furnishing waste.

This project demonstrated the values of combining multiple rounds of UX research with iterative prototyping to ensure a cohesive product. By aligning my solutions with user needs, our team successfully built a sustainable alternative to furnishing waste.

This project demonstrated the values of combining multiple rounds of UX research with iterative prototyping to ensure a cohesive product. By aligning my solutions with user needs, our team successfully built a sustainable alternative to furnishing waste.

AR Feature Enhancements

Adjusted the AR icon placement and visuals to make the feature more discoverable/intuitive and highlight as a central feature of the app.

Visual Clarity Improvements

Reduced bold stroke weights and colors across screens in order to emphasize safety and a light, welcoming design language.

Navigation Bar Optimization

Search was moved to the bottom navigation bar for easier access; icons were simplified for better intuitiveness.