Project Overview

We’re planning to conduct user research to learn more about pain points that users may face when finding a good platform for borrowing items. We hope to create a friendly and fun outlook to the website, whilst still maintaining a tone of seriousness when it comes to borrowing items. We also want to make it more accessible, especially with font and colour choices. 

User Research

Affinity Diagram 

Interview analysis 

Several themes emerged from the interview analysis using an affinity diagram, including:

Borrowing Preferences

• Users prioritise reducing waste by borrowing items rather than buying. They find that doing so also save them money and space. 

• Additionally, they tend to borrow infrequently used items with no long-term purpose. 

Borrowing Needs

• Users would borrow items for various reasons, such as home improvements, hobbies and special occasions. 

• Some example include, textbooks, tools, DIY and gardening equipment. 

Challenges and Frustrations 

• Some challenges users included ensuring items are in good condition, frustrations surrounding item pick-up times, complicated terms and agreements, and sometimes peer-to-peer platforms can be too high to budget for.

Convenience and Relationships

• Mentioned that borrowing would be convenient to test products or for infrequently used items, and thus, save storage space. 

• Additionally, it is a way to build relationships with people with a common interest, especially when lending items.

Platform Requirements

• Features describes concerns surrounding ensuring data security, clear and easy communication between both parties, and item insurance. 

• Users also mentioned liking to have a way to build a community with other lenders/borrowers.

Definition & Ideation

Moodboard

Prototyping & Testing

Information Architecture- Sitemap

The problem and insights 

Problem Statement:

There is a growing need for a user-friendly and sustainable borrowing platform that addresses users' concerns related to convenience, cost, trust, and coordination while facilitating the sharing of a wide range of items.

User Insight:

Users are increasingly interested in borrowing items rather than buying, motivated by a desire to reduce waste, save money, and access a variety of resources for their diverse needs. They seek a platform that not only simplifies the borrowing process but also builds trust through clear terms, safety measures, and a sense of community.

Guerilla Test Findings 

We found several iterations that we could make to our prototype, this includes… 

Desktop

• Prefer if sign-up and login were separated 

• Prefer if the sections were separated better, e.g., hero, map, header etc. 

• Add a filter option to the map feature where users can select multiple options

Mobile

• Wish the homepage was the landing page instead of sign-up/in process

• Add a filter on the map feature

• Would like to have item details on the page rather than click on ‘go to details’

Both prototypes required colour changes as users reported the secondary colour to be more approachable and friendly

A/B testing landing page

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of Prototypes A and B in terms of user engagement and clarity.

Tasks:

• Task 1: General Website Overview and Information Gathering

• Task 2: Finding the Search Feature

• Task 3: Finding Contact Information.

• Task 4: Purpose of the Website

• Task 5: Long-Term Goals

Eye Tracking: Use eye tracking data to enhance insights into users' interactions with both prototypes.

Positive Findings:

Clear Call to Action: Eye-tracking data indicates that both Prototype A and Prototype B effectively captured participants' attention with a clear call to action. This is a positive aspect, as it ensures users understand the primary purpose of the website.

Finding Search Feature: In Prototype A, users generally found the search feature without major issues, which is reflected in the eye-tracking data. This demonstrates an efficient design and user-friendliness.

Contact Information Accessibility (Prototype A): Eye-tracking data for Prototype A suggests that the contact information was relatively easy to locate. The majority of users were able to find it without prolonged searches.

Negative Findings:

Colour Contrast Issues: Eye-tracking data indicates that users experienced difficulty with colour contrast in both prototypes. Prolonged focus or erratic eye movement in specific areas might suggest users had trouble distinguishing elements due to the colour scheme.

Finding Search Feature (Prototype B): In Prototype B, the eye-tracking data indicates that users struggled to find the search feature. Prolonged fixation or erratic eye movement in the middle of the page suggests a design issue that could confuse users.

A/B Eye Tracking Iterations

Enhance Colour Contrast: Address the colour contrast issue observed in eye-tracking data to improve overall readability and ensure that users can easily differentiate between different elements.

Prominent Search Feature: Improve the visibility of the search feature, especially in Prototype B, to reduce user confusion and ensure efficient access.

Clear Instructions or Prompts: Use eye-tracking data to identify areas where users spent an extended amount of time and provide clear instructions or prompts in those areas to guide users effectively.

User-Friendly Interface: Pay attention to areas where users found certain tasks hard, as indicated by eye-tracking data, and enhance the user-friendliness of those parts of the website.

Future Directions