Thriftrove.

Thriftrove.

An ideal service experience for donating clothes at thrift store

This year, I focused on improving the thrifting process in Savannah. Research revealed that while there’s a dire need for winter clothing for the homeless, many people struggle to donate due to time, effort, and inconvenient processes, leaving usable clothes unused in homes.

This year, I focused on improving the thrifting process in Savannah. Research revealed that while there’s a dire need for winter clothing for the homeless, many people struggle to donate due to time, effort, and inconvenient processes, leaving usable clothes unused in homes.

My Role

Service Designer

Date

7 Sept 2024

Timeline

3.5 Months for end to end planning & implementation

Project Introduction

ThriftRove is a project aimed at reimagining the thrifting experience, focusing on making donations more convenient and engaging for users, especially younger audiences. By addressing the challenges of donation processes and connecting users to the impact of their contributions, the project emphasizes the importance of community and sustainability.

Problems

Many people face significant barriers when it comes to donating clothes, including the time, effort, and lack of an engaging process. Items that could help the homeless or those in need often remain unused in homes due to the hassle of the current donation system. Additionally, users struggle to see the impact of their contributions, which can discourage future donations.

Solution

ThriftRove introduces an app that simplifies and enhances the donation process. Key features include:

  • Effortless Donation Locators: Users can find nearby thrift stores that align with their preferences using GPS-guided directions.

  • Gamified Rewards: Each donation unlocks a unique collectible character, adding a layer of fun and engagement.

  • Impact Notifications: Real-time updates notify users when their items are purchased, allowing them to feel connected to the difference they’ve made.

Our approach towards solving the problem

Our approach towards solving the problem

LEXTANT FRAMEWORK

The Lextant Framework is a tool for understanding and mapping user experiences. It focuses on identifying key emotional and functional drivers that influence how users interact with products and services.

The framework typically helps teams uncover deep insights into what motivates users, shaping designs that align with users needs and values. Below are a few examples.

Ideal experiences are future-focused.

Concentrating on current challenges and obstacles diminishes the potential for innovation.



Ideal experiences are aspirational.

Harness people's visions of an ideal future to cultivate strong connections with consumers.



Ideal experiences are actionable.

Explore how the design of products can create emotional bonds with individuals.

Creating an experience framework

Creating an experience framework

Experience framework is a tool that is used to describe experiences. It is broken down into 4 categories emotions, benefits, features and sensory cues. These categories represent the information you need in order to design something meaningful.

Experience framework is a tool that is used to describe experiences. It is broken down into 4 categories emotions, benefits, features and sensory cues. These categories represent the information you need in order to design something meaningful.

This is how our anatomy of experience framework looked like

This is how our anatomy of experience framework looked like

01 Emotions

Helpful / Valued / Connected

02 Benefits

Engaged / Supporting / Contributing

03 Features

Interactive / Rewarding / Sustainable

04 Sensory Cues

Clean / Celebrates / Updates

This is how our anatomy of experience framework looked like

This is how our anatomy of experience framework looked like

Following the creation of our Ideal Thrift Store Experience framework,

we proceeded to recruit participants for our interviews

Following the creation of our Ideal Thrift Store Experience framework,

we proceeded to recruit participants for our interviews

Our approach towards solving the problem

Our approach towards solving the problem

INTERVIEWS

In exploring the concept of 'The Ideal Experience,' we conducted in-depth interviews with over 15+ participants to understand their emotional responses. Through targeted questions, we aimed to uncover how specific words resonate emotionally with users, influencing their perception of an ideal experience of donation. This chapter presents key insights, illustrating connections between participants' emotions and the visuals that represent their ideal experience.

We collected the data and started affinitizing it

We collected the data and started affinitizing it

Affinitization helps by grouping similar ideas to reveal patterns, simplify complex information, and support better decision making.

3 Core stories we identified after the affinitization were

3 Core stories we identified after the affinitization were

We decided to design and ensure that the experience fulfills the core stories

We decided to design and ensure that the experience fulfills the core stories

Find the Perfect

Thrift Store Near You

Our app helps you effortlessly locate the best nearby thrift store that suits your donation preferences. With GPS-guided directions, we make it easy for you to reach the right place, ensuring a smooth and convenient donation experience.

Unlock Collectible Characters
with Each Donation

Every time you make a donation, you receive a unique collectible character, turning your good deeds into a fun and engaging collection. Scan the QR code on your thank-you tag to reveal your character, motivating you to keep donating and expanding your collection.

Get Notified When Your Item Finds a New Home

Stay connected to the impact of your donations with real-time updates! When someone purchases an item you've donated, the app will notify you, giving you the satisfaction of knowing your items have found a new home and continue to make a difference.

We always gotta have a conclusion right?

We always gotta have a conclusion right?

Through this project, we gained valuable experience in applying the Lextant Framework to guide our research process, which allowed us to delve deeply into user motivations, behaviors, and needs. This framework provided us with a structured approach to uncovering insights and understanding the emotional touchpoints in the donation experience, especially among young users.

By leveraging these insights, we developed a donation app that not only facilitates the act of giving but also rewards and connects users to the impact of their contributions. This project has highlighted the importance of empathy-driven design and has enhanced our skills in user-centered research and solution creation, preparing us to tackle similar challenges in future endeavors.

Through this project, we gained valuable experience in applying the Lextant Framework to guide our research process, which allowed us to delve deeply into user motivations, behaviors, and needs. This framework provided us with a structured approach to uncovering insights and understanding the emotional touchpoints in the donation experience, especially among young users.

By leveraging these insights, we developed a donation app that not only facilitates the act of giving but also rewards and connects users to the impact of their contributions. This project has highlighted the importance of empathy-driven design and has enhanced our skills in user-centered research and solution creation, preparing us to tackle similar challenges in future endeavors.