AKI
2022
-> Service design
-> UI/UX Design
-> Marketplace Design
Timeline : 3 months
Team : 4 Designers
Role : Lead UX Design
-> Service design
-> UI/UX Design
-> Marketplace Design
Timeline : 3 months
Team : 4 Designers
Role : Lead UX Design
A zero-waste trading platform that transforms how international students buy, sell, and share resources based on the academic timeline.
-> Entry as part of IKEA’s Service Design Challenge
Challenge
Rise in international students in the UK
In the 2022/23 academic year, a record 758,855 international students studied in the UK, which was a 12% increase from the previous year.
The buy–discard cycle
International students who are starting a new life as a student in London often purchase new items for short-term use, only to throw them away when they leave after 1–4 years of study. This creates a repeating pattern of waste with each new cohort.
In the 2022/23 academic year, a record 758,855 international students studied in the UK, which was a 12% increase from the previous year.
The buy–discard cycle
International students who are starting a new life as a student in London often purchase new items for short-term use, only to throw them away when they leave after 1–4 years of study. This creates a repeating pattern of waste with each new cohort.
Research
How did we start?
(1) Field Research + User Interviews (n=3)We wanted participants to show us what they do rather than just tell us. We conducted in-depth conversations with international students who were either in the process of moving or actively planning a move. This allowed us to capture their real-time challenges and decisions as they happened.
(2) Online workshop (n=5)
After speaking with individuals, we hosted an interactive workshop on Miro with mapping exercises. This collaborative session acted as a shared space to document research and insights contributed directly by students. We explored topics such as renting, deposits, planning to sell, and the difficulty of finding buyers when most of their cohort was also moving out.
(3) Competitive Analysis (n=3)
To understand why students still discard items despite existing solutions, we reviewed the three most commonly used second-hand trading platforms identified in our initial research: Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, and university group chats.
Research methods
Ethnographic research and observations
Design
How did we build it?
We developed a digital prototype: AKI. Feature Highlights
(1) Time-sensitive buying and selling
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(2) Student profile customisation
To
(3) Community building
Wireframe
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