Case Study 02
Engineered (0 → 1) a secure student verification feature for Depop users, enhancing trust and promoting in-person transactions.
August 2024
Marketing, UX Design
Overview
It all started with a partnership between Berkeley Innovation and Depop, a circular marketplace of more than 35 million users buying, selling and discovering desirable, affordable, second-hand fashion.
Depop asked us to answer the question: “How might we make Depop the first place that style-conscious students look for clothes?”. In addition, we were to research five sub-themes which guided a research report.
Depop site homepage
After analysing our HMW, I guided our team through methodical research: we administered a survey to 80+ students and conducted 15 in-depth interviews/10 guerilla interviews to capture depth, breadth, and detail, respectively. Our insights determined two sets of personas: the first captured general fashion habits and the second defined students' relationship to Depop.
Below, you'll find our takeaways from examining college students' general relationship with fashion.
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Thrifting is inherently social, with many people drawn in after being introduced to it by a friend.
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People use style to explore identity and want clothing to be accessible and easy to judge visually.
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For shoppers of all demographics, cost is the key motivator behind what they buy.
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Shoppers rely on thrifting as a primary means of finding unique, fun, or rare fashion finds.
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People typically give items to friends or donate first, then throw away, sell, or repurpose the rest.
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Shoppers buy clothes when they find a good deal, as a personal reward, or for special occasions.
Keeping these pain points, motivations, and Depop-specific challenges in mind, our team prioritized the factors that would most meaningfully improve the Depop experience.
Introducing Campus Circle, a new in-app hub that allows Depop users to thrift securely with verified peers, avoid extra fees, and build community through local meet-ups.
Ultimately, we decided to move forward with a solution built on the established communication systems, aligned with Depop's resources and branding, was easy to implement and had the greatest impact on trust, convenience and access.
Thank you Depop team, Josh, Andie, Anya, Jolla & Brian for your teamwork! I learned a lot about rejecting previous biases, the importance of advocating for my design-thinking, and the power of student creativity this semester.
