Project Type
UX Design, Branding,
App Design
Timeline
2 weeks
Role
Sole UX Designer (DesignLab Bootcamp)
Background
As a pin collector, I have noticed that there are many social media platforms that are utilized to trade pins with other collectors. So I started to wonder:
“Why isn’t there a service dedicated for trading collectibles?”
“What are the experiences other collectors have with the current pin trading system?”
“Are there any problems with the current pin trading system that are worth exploring?”
A mobile app that automatically connects users to potential trading partners and provides the necessary information for them to make informed trading decisions.
Matches automatically generated based on what users have in their ‘ISO’ and ‘For Trade’ collections
Trade value breakdown for users to make informed decisions about the trades they want to take part in
Trade scores and reviews so users are fully aware of who they are trading with
An organized space for users to keep track of all the trades they have set up
SECONDARY RESEARCH
How does pin trading currently work?
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
What platforms are currently being used?
I analyzed the most common apps that are currently being used by pin collectors and noticed that each had their strengths and weaknesses but none were optimized for pin trading.
USER INTERVIEWS
What do current pin collectors think?
After learning a little bit more about the trading process, I asked 3 pin collectors who have traded at least 20 times in the past year some questions about their experience.
Tell me about your last trade.
What went well and what didn’t go so well?
Which part of the trade do you find to be your least favorite and why?
Tell me about a time when a trade didn’t go so well.
“Some pins have taken me over a year to find.”
“When I first started collecting pins, I traded a very high value pin for a low value pin and my trade partner didn’t let me know. “
“I get nervous when my trade partner doesn’t respond to my messages after dropping off their pin at the post office.”
MAIN INSIGHTS
Pin collectors use various platforms depending on the type of collector they are or the information they need.
While there were a variety of issues my users brought up about their experience with pin trading, pin collectors find themselves worrying over 2 main things:
Pin Value: Whether the trade they are performing is a fair trade
Reputable Trade Partners: If the other person is a scammer or someone who constantly backs out of agreed trades
PERSONAS
Who are my users?
From my research, I identified 4 main archetypes of pin traders/collectors, each having slightly different motivations and behaviors.
Click to see mindset segmentation
The archetype I decided to focus on was the one with the most needs, the ISO Hunter.
There are many groups on various platforms dedicated to pin trading. As a result, there is no centralized area for trading, making it more tedious for pin collectors to find trustworthy trading partners and fair trades that would help them obtain the pins they want.
IDEATE + DESIGN
What should the solution look like?
Because this is a unique problem space, I didn’t really have a direct competitor to look at. In the end I opted for a mobile app design because most of my users traded pins using mobile apps.
Additionally, there were a few apps that my users associated with pin collecting.
Rather than come up with something that is entirely new, I decided to take bits and pieces of these apps so that there will still be a sense of familiarity when users are conducting trades through the app.
How might we improve the trading experience with our app? Back to the Pain Points
While there were many issues my users brought up, it was important not to try to take on too much as I only had 2 weeks for this project. I opted to address the 2 most prominent pain points my users had.
Not understanding the value of pins
Many of my users expressed frustration with unfair trades they have done because they were unfamiliar with the value of the pins they were trading.
Scammers and back-outs
My users felt restless when trading with collectors they are not familiar with.
I condensed the information my users needed to know during a trade so that it is simple and easily digestible.
TESTING + ITERATION
After testing the first iteration of the app, I discovered that the main points of friction was icon comprehension
before
after
Adding text labels to reinforce the meaning of the icon
Because an “initiate trade” button is quite obscure, adding a text label can help users learn the meaning of the button.
Additionally keeping the arrows consistent across all scenarios where they are used to denote “trade” will aid in this process.
Actual meaning:
Add images to gallery
Perceived meaning:
Add images by taking a picture using phone camera
Actual meaning:
See all images in gallery
Perceived meaning:
Add images by choosing from phone gallery
before
after
Changing placement of icons to provide more context of their use
Because the 2 icons were close in proximity, the users thought their meanings were similar.
I transformed the icon button and moved it to the end of the gallery preview so it is now shown on-demand based on the user’s actions, which also provides context to its use.
before
after
Providing an intuitive way for users to get more information if they need it
The edit icon this screen was meant for editing the pins that would be part of the trade. There were 2 issues with this screen
Because the icon was placed outside of the trade card, users thought the icon pertained to the entire screen as opposed to just the pins being traded.
Users weren’t aware the trade value card was clickable because there were inconsistencies in how clickable cards were displayed. As a results, they didn’t know where to go to learn more about the pins.
before
after
Remove out of context icons
Users were unsure what the edit icon on the empty ‘Collection’ page meant. Because there were no pins added yet, the button rendered useless and had no meaning. I opted to remove it when pins haven’t been added to the collection yet.
Since Pinder started as an MVP app, there is much to be desired from the app. As of now, the app offers a way for users to make simple trades (one pin for one pin).
However, there is a lot more potential for the app. Based on the information gathered from my research and usability tests, these are the features that should be focused on next to help the app grow and further improve the trading experience for pin collectors:
Tracking for partner’s pin
Trades are a 2 way street and a trade is only considered a success if both parties receive their pins.
The ability to sort ISO and For Trade by priority so that app can provide a better and more personalized sorting of matches for users
This is a bit more difficult to design and implement but provides a lot of value to the trading experience
Incorporating other types of trade
Some collectors are open to trading their own pins for other collectibles or cash (sometimes in addition to pins)
Some trades may involve an uneven number of pins to help balance out the value of each side of the trade
Some pins in users’ ‘For Trade’ collection only apply to certain pins in their ‘ISO’ collection