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A SOCIAL MARKETPLACE FOR NIGERIAN STUDENTS

Project Overview

Quickly Marketplace (QMP) was carefully designed to create a platform that not only made buying and selling easy but also encouraged social connections among students. We focused on making the interface simple and familiar, incorporating elements that resonate with Nigerian student culture. The design approach aimed to enhance the overall online shopping experience, making it a one-stop solution for transactions, social interactions, and community building.

My responsibilities

User Research
UI Design
Iteration

Tools

Figma
Figjam
Notion

Links

Background

Nigeria is home to thousands of university students who love to shop for everyday items, party supplies, and academic materials, and who often support small business ideas among themselves. Research showed a gap in the market: no platform was tailored specifically to make buying and selling easy for students. Quickly Marketplace was created to fill this gap. It reflects student culture and focuses on providing an easy, fast, and social online shopping solution.

My Design Process

With a clear understanding of the challenges faced by Nigerian university students, the design process for Quickly Marketplace followed a strategic path:

Understanding the Pain Points: Unravelling Frustrations

I got together with 25 students at popular campus hangout spots in two schools, Obafemi Awolowo University (15) and University of Lagos (10). My aim was to understand common pain points they face with other e-commerce platforms.

Confusing Clicks

Nearly 78% of students expressed confusion when dealing with existing online platforms. They found it tricky to buy and sell things, and that made the whole process frustrating.

Distrust

About 65% shared worries about trusting the person on the other side of the online transaction. Trust is a big deal. Students want to be sure they're dealing with honest sellers to avoid any problems.

Making Connections

An overwhelming 80% wished for a way to talk to sellers and maybe even negotiate, not just make transactions. Students wanted a more personal touch – not just a cold, business-like experience.

Visual Appeal

Almost three-quarters (73%) stressed the importance of having a nice-looking app. A visually appealing app makes the whole experience enjoyable and relatable.

Understanding the Pain Points: Unravelling Frustrations

I got together with 25 students at popular campus hangout spots in two schools, Obafemi Awolowo University (15) and University of Lagos (10). My aim was to understand common pain points they face with other e-commerce platforms.

Confusing Clicks

Nearly 78% of students expressed confusion when dealing with existing online platforms. They found it tricky to buy and sell things, and that made the whole process frustrating.

Distrust

Making Connections

An overwhelming 80% wished for a way to talk to sellers and maybe even negotiate, not just make transactions. Students wanted a more personal touch – not just a cold, business-like experience.

Visual Appeal

Almost three-quarters (73%) stressed the importance of having a nice-looking app. A visually appealing app makes the whole experience enjoyable and relatable.

Understanding the Pain Points: Unravelling Frustrations

I got together with 25 students at popular campus hangout spots in two schools, Obafemi Awolowo University (15) and University of Lagos (10). My aim was to understand common pain points they face with other e-commerce platforms.

Confusing Clicks

Nearly 78% of students expressed confusion when dealing with existing online platforms. They found it tricky to buy and sell things, and that made the whole process frustrating.

Distrust

Making Connections

An overwhelming 80% wished for a way to talk to sellers and maybe even negotiate, not just make transactions. Students wanted a more personal touch – not just a cold, business-like experience.

Visual Appeal

Almost three-quarters (73%) stressed the importance of having a nice-looking app. A visually appealing app makes the whole experience enjoyable and relatable.

User Personas

Ideating & Priortization

User Flow

Sketching & Prototyping

I tested our first sketch for this product and I realized that our bias greatly influenced the UI which was very similar to other e-commerce platforms, so users were more focused on completing the flow of buying and selling without interacting.

Sketching & Prototyping

I tested our first sketch for this product and I realized that our bias greatly influenced the UI which was very similar to other e-commerce platforms, so users were more focused on completing the flow of buying and selling without interacting.

Design System

I created a design system that includes QMP's brand colour, typography, icons, buttons and other components to implement my design solutions.

Colours

Typography

Iconography

Buttons

Design System

I created a design system that includes QMP's brand colour, typography, icons, buttons and other components to implement my design solutions.

Colours

Typography

Iconography

Buttons

Design Solutions

From the earlier user testing, we quickly realized that putting away our bias and focusing on what the students need was quite important and this improved the interface greatly.

Results and Takeaways

Working on Quickly Marketplace with my team taught me important lessons. We learned to work well together and focus on what users need by prioritizing effective communication and honing our problem-solving skills to address technical challenges. We made sure the design fit student culture and used feedback to make improvements. Using agile development helped us stay flexible and solve problems quickly. Managing tasks and timelines improved my project management skills. Understanding what the market needed guided our decisions. These experiences gave me valuable skills for future projects.

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