Introduction

Challenge

Trade Hive began as a collaborative idea among a group of local designers, united by a shared vision to create something meaningful. While we knew from the start that we wanted to design an app, the specifics were still up in the air. Through brainstorming and discussion, we landed on the concept of a marketplace app— a space where users can bargain and trade items or skills. Thus, Trade Hive was born.

Our goal was to design an app where users could trade their skills or pre-owned items seamlessly. We were inspired by the idea of creating something sustainability-driven, community-focused, and also helps users save money. Staying true to a strong design process, we began by identifying our target users and exploring the challenges they might encounter. We were ready to take on the challenge! 

Research & Discovery

Define & Ideate

Prototype & Test

* Competitor Analysis *

* User Persona *

* 6 Hats Brainstorming Method *

* Problem and Solution of 6 Hats Exercise  *

* Feature Prioritization *

After we settled on an idea, we gathered a list of potential competitors and put together an in-depth competitor analysis. But just understanding our competitors wasn't enough. We also wanted to hear from users. To further the research phase, we conducted user interviews. 

Our user research revealed that financial savings and community building are key motivators. Many users are active on platforms like eBay and Facebook Marketplace, but struggle with trust and fear of scammers. We also found strong enthusiasm for an app that allows users to trade skills and items, emphasizing the need for a community-focused platform that fosters savings and trust.

We created a user persona, Chloe Tran, to represent our target user, someone who would thrive in an item and skills trading app. Our priority was to solve her problems and ensure a seamless, positive experience. A key challenge we identified was trust—users feared being scammed, encountering unreliable individuals, and struggled to exchange skills or items in ways that would provide valuable reviews and feedback.

My team used an in-depth brainstorming method called "6 Hats", which was ideal for this design process. To truly empathize with the user, we examined the problem from six different perspectives: facts, feelings, positives, negatives, the process, and creative thinking.

From there, we condensed the insights into key problems and their solutions. We moved forward with a feature prioritization matrix to pinpoint the essential features our app needed. These features included: 

* Site Map *

* User Flow *

• Visible user profiles & profile shops
• Verified users with profile ratings
• Reliable chat feature
• Search and filter (filter by items, skills, or both)
• Non-monetary (trade and barter only)
• A seamless way to add your own items or services to your profile shop

Before diving into prototypes, we first created a detailed site map and user flow to establish a clear structure for the app. The site map helped us organize the key pages and features, while the user flow outlined the step-by-step process users would follow to seamlessly navigate the app. This planning stage was essential in ensuring a logical and intuitive user experience before we began designing the interface.