Passion Project
E-Commerce
Mobile App
Startup
Simplifying the way to manage belongings without stress for international students
A student marketplace where they can sell, buy or donate their belongings items to make moving in-and-out easy.
Time
4 weeks
Role
UX Research, UI Design
Tools
Figma
Managing leftover items often leads to waste when students move out.
When university ends and they move out, many hope to earn some money from their leftover belongings. Because of time constraints, they end up leaving everything behind or throwing it away leading to unnecessary waste.
A marketplace helping students pass things on through sustainable choices.
A student-to-student platform that helps international university students easily pass on their belongings by selling and buying. Items can also be donated, making moving out easy, efficient, and eco-friendly.
Breaking down student behaviours in managing their belongings
Digital Platforms
Offline Methods
Ecosystem
No app brings student selling, buying, and donating into one.
A deeper look into the existing second-hand marketplaces, most platforms are designed primarily for either buying and selling or for donations. These platforms typically serve a broad user base, which makes it challenging to ensure trust and safety, particularly for students.
Competitor Analysis
Exploring item offloading habits among international students.
I spoke with students to understand how they manage their belongings which is crucial in defining core MVP features. I went through a series of interviews with some international students to better understand how they figure out their unused items.
Understanding the students' behaviours and needs
To better understand the challenges students face, I create three representative personas based on user interviews. Each persona highlights common frustrations, and the temporary workarounds students use to manage their belongings—challenges that EcoBuddies is designed to solve.
“I only need things for a few months, so buying everything new feels like a waste.”
budget saver berlin
Exchange Student
Pain Points
Workarounds
Feels like buying new items is too expensive for short-term use.
Borrows from roommates.
Hard to find trust sellers on Facebook marketplace.
Asks around and buys from mutual friends or in same university groups.
Thinks it is not worth paying extra baggage to take back home when university ends.
Buys cheap new items and leaves them behind.
"I just want to make a little money from my leftover stuffs, or at least have it gone to someone who actually needs it."
Graduating girl Gigi
Final Semester Student
Pain Points
Workarounds
Unsure about what to do with last minute leftovers.
Leaves items in the hallway or throws them into trash.
Overwhelmed by packing and sad about waste.
Tries giveaway postings on student LINE groups and WhatsApp.
Not enough time to deal with multiple buyers.
Bundles items together at low price in Facebook marketplace.
"I wanted to donate my things, but I honestly had no idea where to bring them or who to contact."
donation seeking Dylan
Student Volunteer
Pain Points
Workarounds
Tries Googling but hard to understand about donation process.
Asks around in LINE or WhatsApp student groups.
No transport or time to drop things off.
Leaves donation bags near dorm common areas or hands off to friends.
Unsure about which local organizations accept what kind of items.
Keeps items packed and stored away in his rooms.
How might we help graduating gigi offload her items without stress?
The user journey begins with student verification. Sellers can list items, set a donation timer, or donate directly. Buyers can browse items by nearby university. Each step is designed to support a simple, student-friendly experience.
Graduating Gigi plans to sell and donate her belongings since the semester has come to end.
She opens EcoBuddies and verify student identity.
She lists her unused furniture with a limited-time sale.
She also sets any unsold items to be automatically donated afterward.
Budget-saver Berlin whose study lamp just broke, is on the hunt for an affordable replacement.
He opens EcoBuddies, filters items by his university, and spots a lamp being sold by Gigi who happens to attend the same university.
He messages her through the app and they arrange the exchange.
He picks up the lamp in person — smooth, safe, and affordable.
Once Gigi’s sale period ends, her unsold items are automatically donated through the platform.
Gigi earns some extra cash and feels good knowing her leftovers helped others. She moves out stress-free.
Berlin gets what he needs without breaking the bank.
Seller: From registration to sale posting
This is the main user flow of seller starting from student verification to successfully sale posting including the steps of both sales and donation.
User Flow of Seller
Buyer: From exploring items to checkout
This is the main user flow of buyer exploring different items, contacting sellers and successfully checkout item.
User Flow of Buyer
Donator: From choosing donation organization to claiming rewards
This is the main user flow of donator from finding donation place, confirming pickup point, tracking donation progress and claiming rewards.
User Flow of Donator
Structure of EcoBuddies
As a student-to-student platform, EcoBuddies begins with student verification to ensure a trusted network. The app is structured into three core sections: sell with auto-donation for unsold items, buy, and donate.
Information Architecture guides users easy to navigate and find what they need within the app with organized and structured way.
Information Architecture
Colors for reflecting sustainable solutions
EcoBuddies is built around the idea of turning unused belongings into shared value—creating meaningful, sustainable impact.
Primary
#015927
Represents sustainability, renewal, and trust.
Secondary
#FFC857
Symbolizes reward, and the warmth of helping others.
Tertiary
#CFE7C3
Uses for eco-friendly hints and subtle highlights.
Neutral
#2D2E2E
Uses for paragraph descriptions and labels.
Icons with outline styles
Outlined icons are chosen for a clean, minimalist look that enhances clarity and easy recognition for users.
Components
Creating components helps speed up the design process, maintain organization, and ensure consistency across all screens.
Sans-serif font for friendly and serious tone
A clean sans-serif font is used throughout the app to reflect a tone that is sustainable, serious, yet friendly—aligned with the platform’s student-first, purpose-driven mission.
Regular/ Medium/ Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789[{]}\|;:’”,<.>/?`~
!@#$%^&*()-=_+
Title
16px Regular/ Medium
Body, Paragraph
14px Regular
Label
12px Regular/ Medium
Wireframe
Earn, Share, or Save. EcoBuddies is for every student.
Not only international students who come to study in Thailand, but also local Thai students can use EcoBuddies. Whether they are buying on a budget, donating to a good cause, or selling unused items, it’s all possible in EcoBuddies.
Helps students move in and out easy
Affordable, trustworthy exchanges within student only network
Save time to manage unnecessary items
Supporting those in need through donation
Minimizing waste and promote sustainability
What I have learned from this project
Working on EcoBuddies taught me the value of grounding design decisions in both industry and user research—especially around how international students manage belongings, budget for short-term use, and prepare to move out. I learned to balance user needs with business goals while strengthening my skills in user flows, competitor analysis, and rapid prototyping. Most importantly, I realized how thoughtful design can create evergreen solutions for students everywhere.
