Depop

Portfolio.

Lila's Portfolio.

Depop Campus Circle

When: August 2024

Who: Lila, Josh, Andie, Jolla, Brian, Anya

What: Marketing, UX Design, Research

Role: Research Lead

Engineered (0 → 1) a secure student verification feature for Depop users, enhancing trust and promoting in-person transactions.

When: August 2024

Who: Lila, Josh, Andie, Jolla, Brian, Anya

What: Marketing, UX Design, Research

Role: Research Lead

Engineered (0 → 1) a secure student verification feature for Depop users, enhancing trust and promoting in-person transactions.

The Mission

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 approached us with a question: How might we make Depop the first place that style conscious students look for clothes?

My Role

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.

Personas in relation to Depop

Lila Cai

is a playful designer originally from Chicago.

WORK

㋡ Notion

㋡ Depop

㋡ Anna Freud

㋡ Coming Soon

RESUMÉ

ABOUT

From data collection to affinity-mapping to persona creation, I ensured we considered access points where Depop could solve student pain points and tap into key motivations.

The Solution

After evaluating ~15 high-potential ideas using an impact–effort matrix, one clear winner emerged.

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.

To initiate, a Depop user must select their school and submit proof of enrollment.
Once verified, users can toggle between tabs, buying and selling exclusively from peers.
Students can arrange meet-ups via messaging, ensuring that listings match their online descriptions while fostering a sense of community.

After evaluating ~15 high-potential ideas using an impact–effort matrix, one clear winner emerged.

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.

To initiate, a Depop user must select their school and submit proof of enrollment.
Once verified, users can toggle between tabs, buying and selling exclusively from peers.
Students can arrange meet-ups via messaging, ensuring that listings match their online descriptions while fostering a sense of community.

NEW: Secure onboarding.

NEW: Onboard securely.

NEW: Feed toggling.

NEW: Toggle your feed.

RECYCLED: Secure texts.

We also compiled a detailed market report with research-backed suggestions like in-person Depop events, linked listings, and more. In 2025, Depop rolled out summer thrifting events garnering 200+ attendees and launched "Outfits" (bundled listings) site-wide.

Conclusion

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.

Celebratory dinner!

WORK

RESUMÉ

ABOUT