Low-Price Center Marketplace
Low-Price Center is an e-commerce platform built for UCSD students to buy, sell, and exchange goods on campus safely and efficiently. It also aims to help student organizations sell merchandise without the hassle of creating standalone stores. The project is part of CSES Open-Source, with the goal of building a usable MVP to transition to a fully community-maintained open-source project.
My Role: UI/UX Designer
As a UI/UX Designer, I worked in figma to lead the interface redeisgn to improve the home page, product listings, individual product pages, and the create listing flow. I focused on these three key elements in the redesign:
Visual clarity and engagement
- Increase visual hiearchy and emphasis.
User flows for browsing, posting, and purchasing
- Optimize the buyer and seller expereince.
Trust and usability through improved detail and consistency
- Increase transparency among users.
Current Design Challenges
Before: Boring Home Page
The original home page lacked emphasis and clear instructions, since users have to log in with their school email to use the platform.
After: Improved Visual Hierarchy
Added a clear title and brief instructions to guide new users, improving clarity and building trust immediately.
Before: Disorganized Listings
Listings were unorganized with no filters or categories, making browsing difficult for students looking for specific items.
After: Categorized Listings
Added a search bar and category filters to improve discoverability and organization of listings and adjusted some visual elements.
Before: Sparse Product Details
Product pages lacked seller details, accepted payment methods, and clear tags, reducing user trust and purchase confidence.
After: Detailed Product Pages
Added seller username, accepted payment methods, product condition, and tags to improve clarity and trust.
New: Create Listing Page
Designed a new Create Listing page from scratch, adding fields for item name, price, payment methods, condition, category, images, and descriptions, ensuring a complete, structured posting flow for sellers.
Impact
This redesign enhances visual hierarchy, making navigation clearer for both buyers and sellers. Category filters and an accessible search bar improve the discoverability of listings, while a detailed product page increases transparency and builds trust between sellers and buyers. Additionally, the streamlined create listing flow encourages users to post more complete and informative listings, enriching the platform’s overall marketplace experience.