Community Gearbox
Community Gearbox
Building appreciation in a community based on collaboration
Building appreciation in a community based on collaboration
Alongside product designers Uyen Phan, Geena Yin, Michid Byambajav, project mentor Izabel Zheng
Jan - May 2023
Alongside product designers Uyen Phan, Geena Yin, Michid Byambajav, project mentor Izabel Zheng
Jan - May 2023
Alongside product designers Uyen Phan, Geena Yin, Michid Byambajav, project mentor Izabel Zheng
Jan - May 2023
OVERVIEW
During Spring 2023, I worked closely with a group of consultants and the founder of Community Gearbox, Dante Gracia, to envision what incentivizing features would look like on a non-profit app. Together we came up with innovative solutions that would make lending more gratifying and increase the network of gear available for borrowers.
As the ideation sprint lead, I prepared the team for high-fidelity prototyping by solidifying our design goals and choosing the MVP design.
As the ideation sprint lead, I prepared the team for high-fidelity prototyping by solidifying our design goals and choosing the MVP design.
THE FINAL DESIGNS
Maximizing Accountability
Worried about your items’ safety? Curious about how your friends are using the items you lend them? This community feed shows the borrowing transactions of a user and their friends, as a way to stay updated, share photos, and show appreciation.
FOMO- Nowadays people are drawn to social media due to their fear of missing out on the latest events and trends
Publicizing Achievements
This leaderboard tells you who lends the most and where you stand amongst your peers. It incentivizes lending through gamification and friendly competition.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and attention-seeking drives people to do things on social media — i.e. public rewards
Trendy Interactions
Low-effort emoji comment reactions that generate fun community appreciation and conversations with a more visual interface.
Low-effort emoji comment reactions that generate fun community appreciation and conversations with a more visual interface.
People prefer more casual and unfiltered conversations over deadpan serious ones, as it breaks the formal barrier, mimics real interactions, and forms deeper connections.
CONTEXT
What is Community Gearbox?
What is Community Gearbox?
Community Gearbox is a platform where friends can lend and borrow items for free, hence building deeper connections, decreasing individual consumption, and creating an abundance of shared resources.
Community Gearbox is a platform where friends can lend and borrow items for free, hence building deeper connections, decreasing individual consumption, and creating an abundance of shared resources.
THE PROBLEM SCOPE
The idea itself is good, but it isn't desirable…
The idea itself is good, but it isn't desirable…
Community Gearbox, being a relatively new concept, was limited in its appeal to wide audiences. There wasn't enough gear for borrowers to want to return and there weren't any rewards to make lenders eager to lend more. Most of its users were adventurous, sustainable individuals who occasionally used the app to borrow and lend unique gear. This minimized potential new user interest outside of the app’s presumed target audience.
Lack of Enthusiasm.
People use the app out of curiosity but don’t return due to the lack of available items
Low User Count.
Since it’s still a startup, not many people know the app and the community is too small
Safety Concerns.
Lent items are not guaranteed safety, interactions are solely based on trust
20% personality.
The interface is purely based on task completion and lacks visual attraction
Lack of Enthusiasm.
People use the app out of curiosity but don’t return due to the lack of available items
Low User Count.
Since it’s still a startup, not many people know the app and the community is too small
Safety Concerns.
Lent items are not guaranteed safety, interactions are solely based on trust
20% personality.
The interface is purely based on task completion and lacks visual attraction
THE PROBLEM
So Dante asked us…
How might we design more collaborative features within Community Gearbox to make borrowing amongst a network of trusting people delightful and/or rewarding, so people lending items feel appreciated and compelled to share more and borrowers think of Community Gearbox before purchasing a new item?
How might we design more collaborative features within Community Gearbox to make borrowing amongst a network of trusting people delightful and/or rewarding, so people lending items feel appreciated and compelled to share more and borrowers think of Community Gearbox before purchasing a new item?
RESEARCH DISCOVERIES
Understanding why people lend and borrow
Through our extensive research process, which included usability tests with the current interface, we noticed behavioral trends and motivational factors behind the act of borrowing and lending.
RESEARCH DISCOVERIES
Understanding why people lend and borrow
Through our extensive research process, which included usability tests with the current interface, we noticed behavioral trends and motivational factors behind the act of borrowing and lending.
RESEARCH DISCOVERIES
Understanding why people lend and borrow
Through our extensive research process, which included usability tests with the current interface, we noticed behavioral trends and motivational factors behind the act of borrowing and lending.
Lending Habits + Altruism
A willingness to lend depends on familiarity, and lenders are motivated by the act of doing good to strengthen mutual respect and aid.
Borrowing Habits
Since the exchange process can be difficult, people borrow for convenience, temporary and inconsistent usage, and saving money.
Digital Features
People feel more connected to others in digital communities when there is more unfiltered and casual exchange of comments or content.
Gratuity
People love to feel appreciated for their contributions and value reciprocity through words of affirmation, IOUs, gifts, and being publicly acknowledged.
REFINING THE HMW
Lenders dictate the platforms' success…
Lenders dictate the platforms' success…
Through learning about the motivations of lenders and borrowers, we realized that over 40% of survey participants borrow items more than once a week, but the problem lies with the lack of lenders. Without lenders, there is a lack of gear, and without gear, borrowers can’t “browse”. Hence, the chances of their desired item being available is much lower. So instead of honing in on both user groups, we decided to narrow the question and focus on designing for lenders. We rephrased our research question to...
Through learning about the motivations of lenders and borrowers, we realized that over 40% of survey participants borrow items more than once a week, but the problem lies with the lack of lenders. Without lenders, there is a lack of gear, and without gear, borrowers can’t “browse”. Hence, the chances of their desired item being available is much lower. So instead of honing in on both user groups, we decided to narrow the question and focus on designing for lenders. We rephrased our research question to...
How might we design more incentivizing features within Community Gearbox to make lending to a network of trusting people more delightful and/or rewarding, and build accountability that compels lenders to share more?
How might we design more incentivizing features within Community Gearbox to make lending to a network of trusting people more delightful and/or rewarding, and build accountability that compels lenders to share more?
OUR TARGET USER
Why lend?
Why lend?
Why lend?
We created a lending persona to solidify design goals and focus on much more specific needs and wants. This person would be someone young and attracted to Community Gearbox for more than just its function.
OUR TARGET USER
Why lend?
With our new focus on lenders, we decided to create a lending persona to solidify design goals and write out a typical lender's more specific needs and wants. This person would be someone young and attracted to Community Gearbox for more than just its function.
Kind Kelly
Fun-loving College Student
Age: 21
Status: Single
Location: Berkeley, CA
Hobbies: Backpacking, Hiking, Skiing, Rock Climbing, Reading, Scrolling on Social Media
Kind Kelly
Fun-loving College Student
Age: 21
Status: Single
Location: Berkeley, CA
Hobbies: Backpacking, Hiking, Skiing, Rock Climbing, Reading, Scrolling on Social Media
Traits
Caring
Generous
Sustainable
Friendly
Non-Confrontational
Adventurous
Values
Honesty
Accountability
Reliability
Respect
Sustainability
Convenience
Traits
Caring
Generous
Sustainable
Friendly
Non-Confrontational
Adventurous
Values
Honesty
Accountability
Reliability
Respect
Sustainability
Convenience
User Environment
Kelly is a college student who is involved in multiple clubs on-campus. She is reserved and dislikes confrontation. Due to her diverse set of hobbies, she owns and uses lots of gear weekly. Additionally, as a student, she tries to lend daily items such as clothes to roommates and other friends.
User Environment
Kelly is a college student who is involved in multiple clubs on-campus. She is reserved and dislikes confrontation. Due to her diverse set of hobbies, she owns and uses lots of gear weekly. Additionally, as a student, she tries to lend daily items such as clothes to roommates and other friends.
Frustrations
Communicating clear expectations to a borrower in a friendly, yet firm way.
Scheduling a convenient time and nearby location to hand off an item to a borrower.
Item safety — sometimes the item she lends is not returned in good condition.
Frustrations
Communicating clear expectations to a borrower in a friendly, yet firm way.
Scheduling a convenient time and nearby location to hand off an item to a borrower.
Item safety — sometimes the item she lends is not returned in good condition.
Wants
See borrowers frequently use and enjoy a lent item, especially when she doesn't use it often herself.
Nurture good relationships in hopes that her help will be reciprocated in the future.
Gratitude and appreciation through words of affirmation.
Wants
See borrowers frequently use and enjoy a lent item, especially when she doesn't use it often herself.
Nurture good relationships in hopes that her help will be reciprocated in the future.
Gratitude and appreciation through words of affirmation.
Needs
Items returned in good condition
Borrower responsibility for damaged items (replace, repair, or restore).
Transparent communication with the borrower regarding logistics and items' conditions.
For the items lent to be treated as they would treat it.
Needs
Items returned in good condition
Borrower responsibility for damaged items (replace, repair, or restore).
Transparent communication with the borrower regarding logistics and items' conditions.
For the items lent to be treated as they would treat it.
The next step to understanding our user was to illustrate all their frustrations through a scenario where the lender has a negative experience lending an item to a friend who damages it in the process. We identified areas of opportunity within the experience and set goals to combat communication problems.
The next step to understanding our user was to illustrate all their frustrations through a scenario where the lender has a negative experience lending an item to a friend who damages it in the process. We identified areas of opportunity within the experience and set goals to combat communication problems.
Kind Kelly
Fun-loving College Student
Age: 21
Status: Single
Location: Berkeley, CA
Hobbies: Backpacking, Hiking, Partying, Scrolling on Social Media
Traits
Caring
Generous
Non-Confrontational
Friendly
Sustainable
Lots of Hobbies
Values
Honesty
Accountability
Reliability
Mutual Respect
Sustainability
Convenience
User Environment
Kind Kelly is a college student who is highly involved in multiple clubs on-campus. She is quite reserved but has a more extroverted presence online. Due to her diverse set of hobbies, she owns, uses, and lends lots of gear weekly.
Additionally, as a student, she lends daily items such as clothes or tools to roommates and other friends.
Frustrations
Communicating clear expectations to a borrower in a friendly, yet firm way.
Saying “No” to borrowers she doesn’t fully trust or know.
Scheduling a convenient time and nearby location to hand off an item to a borrower.
Item safety — sometimes the item she lends is not returned in good condition.
Wants
Seeing borrowers frequently use and enjoy an item that she lent, like a reusable water bottle.
Nurturing relationships in hopes that their help is reciprocated in the future.
Gratitude through the form of words of affirmation and appreciation from borrowers.
Seeing borrowers making use of items she doesn’t frequently use herself.
Needs
Borrowers return items in good condition, whether that be paying to replace, repair, or restore the item.
Transparent communication with the borrower about how long an item is needed for and if anything happens to it.
For the items they lend to be treated as they would treat it, depending on how personal and fragile the item is as well.
DESIGN DECISIONS
So what should we design?
So what should we design?
We started the ideation process by setting refined design goals to help guide our brainstorming process, allowing us to better define valuable qualities necessary for our solution to create a lasting impact on lenders.
We started the ideation process by setting refined design goals to help guide our brainstorming process, allowing us to better define valuable qualities necessary for our solution to create a lasting impact on lenders.
Focus on making lenders feel appreciated by showing the borrowers' gratitude, giving them a reason to return to the app.
Focus on making lenders feel appreciated by showing the borrowers' gratitude, giving them a reason to return to the app.
Design a “personality” for Community Gearbox that focuses on community building, rather than just exchanging items.
Design a “personality” for Community Gearbox that focuses on community building, rather than just exchanging items.
Utilize gamification to lead users online, making it more incentivizing for them to borrow and lend through the app.
Utilize gamification to lead users online, making it more incentivizing for them to borrow and lend through the app.
Increase borrower responsibility to lessen lenders' concerns and hold borrowers accountable.
Increase borrower responsibility to lessen lenders' concerns and hold borrowers accountable.
NARROWING DOWN
Our initial designs were rough
Our initial designs were rough
With our goals aligned, we began thinking of solutions. We brainstormed over 12 creative features that would increase the enjoyability of the item borrowing process and encourage active conversations between lenders and borrowers. Our initial designs include…
Relationship tree
Send a treat
Conquer the map
Featured Feats
Build a bond
Dance Party
As the ideation sprint lead, I decided to utilize dot voting, affinity mapping, prioritization matrix, and heuristics to choose which ideas best matched our initial question and design goals. I ruled out ones that were too impractical or seemed fun, but didn’t have a big enough impact.
OUR 3 FINALISTS
Seasonal Statistics 👍
Users were interested in tapping further into the sustainability aspect of the app and were curious to see how this could be emphasized. This sustainability tracker could be a good way to motivate lenders, and could be tied into the aforementioned rewards, badges, and levels aspect of the app.
Users were interested in tapping further into the sustainability aspect of the app and were curious to see how this could be emphasized. This sustainability tracker could be a good way to motivate lenders, and could be tied into the aforementioned rewards, badges, and levels aspect of the app.
How it works 🌿
This motivational feature shows the impacts of their borrowing and lending behavior. Incentives for such behavior could be a virtual tree growing or encouraging messages such as , “you have saved carbon dioxide equivalent to taking __ many cars off the road!”
This motivational feature shows the impacts of their borrowing and lending behavior. Incentives for such behavior could be a virtual tree growing or encouraging messages such as , “you have saved carbon dioxide equivalent to taking __ many cars off the road!”
This motivational feature shows the impacts of their borrowing and lending behavior. Incentives for such behavior could be a virtual tree growing or encouraging messages such as , “you have saved carbon dioxide equivalent to taking __ many cars off the road!”
Lending Leaderboard 👍
The lending leaderboard encourages friendly competition and collaboration amongst users and their friends, fostering a supportive atmosphere where members engage actively in lending activities and celebrate shared achievements.
The lending leaderboard encourages friendly competition and collaboration amongst users and their friends, fostering a supportive atmosphere where members engage actively in lending activities and celebrate shared achievements.
How it works 🌿
This would be a leaderboard for who shares the most within their community, showing who's active and lending the most. This feature could further be extended to inter-community interactions, where there could be a leaderboard in which communities compete amongst themselves to see which lends the most!
This would be a leaderboard for who shares the most within their community, showing who's active and lending the most. This feature could further be extended to inter-community interactions, where there could be a leaderboard in which communities compete amongst themselves to see which lends the most!
This would be a leaderboard for who shares the most within their community, showing who's active and lending the most. This feature could further be extended to inter-community interactions, where there could be a leaderboard in which communities compete amongst themselves to see which lends the most!
Borrow selfies 👍
Borrow selfies 👍
This is a feature where the act of borrowing and lending is publicized, encouraging others to borrow more and guaranteeing safer returns. The emoji comment reactions also enhances the platform's visual appeal and strengthens user connections.
How it works 🌿
Users can post themselves using the item they borrowed; when they do so, it moves to the top of the screen. Other users can comment and react to keep interactions fun and casual.
Users can post themselves using the item they borrowed; when they do so, it moves to the top of the screen. Other users can comment and react to keep interactions fun and casual.
Users can post themselves using the item they borrowed; when they do so, it moves to the top of the screen. Other users can comment and react to keep interactions fun and casual.
OPTION 1
Seasonal Statistics
Seasonal Statistics
OPTION 2
Lending Leaderboard
Lending Leaderboard
OPTION 3
Borrow Selfies
Borrow Selfies
Low Effort
Low Effort
High reward
High reward
Community
Community
Accountability
Accountability
Appreciation
Appreciation
MVP DESIGN
Choosing the Borrow Feed
We ended up combining the "lending leaderboard" with "borrow selfies" because, compared to the other ideas, these two designs proved to be the most impactful whilst encouraging community building and maximizing accountability. We redesigned the community page with newly chosen illustrations and pops of color to boost Community Gearbox’s personality, making it feel more inviting and casual.
We ended up combining the "lending leaderboard" with "borrow selfies" because, compared to the other ideas, these two designs proved to be the most impactful whilst encouraging community building and maximizing accountability. We redesigned the community page with newly chosen illustrations and pops of color to boost Community Gearbox’s personality, making it feel more inviting and casual.
Maximizing Accountability
Worried about your items’ safety? Curious about how your friends are using the items you lend them? This community feed shows the borrowing transactions of a user and their friends, as a way to stay updated, share photos, and show appreciation.
FOMO- Nowadays people are drawn to social media due to their fear of missing out on the latest events and trends
Publicizing Achievements
This leaderboard tells you who lends the most and where you stand amongst your peers. It incentivizes lending through gamification and friendly competition.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and attention-seeking drives people to do things on social media — i.e. public rewards
THE FINAL DESIGNS
Maximizing Accountability
Worried about your items’ safety? Curious about how your friends are using the items you lend them? This community feed shows the borrowing transactions of a user and their friends, as a way to stay updated, share photos, and show appreciation.
FOMO- Nowadays people are drawn to social media due to their fear of missing out on the latest events and trends
Publicizing Achievements
This leaderboard tells you who lends the most and where you stand amongst your peers. It incentivizes lending through gamification and friendly competition.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and attention-seeking drives people to do things on social media — i.e. public rewards
Trendy Interactions
Low-effort emoji comment reactions that generate fun community appreciation and conversations with a more visual interface.
People prefer more casual and unfiltered conversations over deadpan serious ones, as it breaks the formal barrier, mimics real interactions, and forms deeper connections.
Trendy Interactions
Low-effort emoji comment reactions that generate fun community appreciation and conversations with a more visual interface.
People prefer more casual and unfiltered conversations over deadpan serious ones, as it breaks the formal barrier, mimics real interactions, and forms deeper connections.
MEASURING SUCCESS
Making sure our designs made an impact!
We gave Dante our deliverables and he implemented our Borrow Feed in further iterations of the platform. I am happy to say that the current version of the app utilizes elements of our design, including color scheme and illustrations. I brainstormed a few metrics I would use to measure success in case the Borrow Feed is ever shipped.
Item Return Rate
Item Return Rate
If our solution successfully increased accountability, then the percentage of items damaged/lost without repercussion would significantly decrease.
Customer Retention Rate
Customer Retention Rate
One of the biggest problems with Community Gearbox was the low lender return rate. Our hope is that the community building aspect of our ideas will make lenders eager to return.
Feature Engagement
Feature Engagement
If users are consistently interested in the feature, they will often interact with it — making this the best way to measure the success of gamifying the lending process.
REFLECTIONS
Gearboxers Unite
This project was a great learning experience because we had to completely change direction 2 months into the project. We were stuck in our research and had to return to the beginning and rethink who we were designing for. I learned that sometimes taking risks is ok, and that changing direction halfway can result in a positive outcome. It was insightful learning how to build relationships through the borrowing and lending process.
This project was a great learning experience because we had to completely change direction 2 months into the project. We were stuck in our research and had to return to the beginning and rethink who we were designing for. I learned that sometimes taking risks is ok, and that changing direction halfway can result in a positive outcome. It was insightful learning how to build relationships through the borrowing and lending process.
This project was a great learning experience because we had to completely change direction 2 months into the project. We were stuck in our research and had to return to the beginning and rethink who we were designing for. I learned that sometimes taking risks is ok, and that changing direction halfway can result in a positive outcome. It was insightful learning how to build relationships through the borrowing and lending process.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my work!
Let’s design together! 🤝
Let’s design together! 🤝
Let’s design together! 🤝