Nadia Nusatea

Background

The idea began when I noticed piles of hard rubbish in Melbourne suburbs with high concentrations of international students. Still-usable furniture and electronics littered nature strips creating environmental issues and safety hazards. It struck me how much value was being wasted when these items could have easily contributed to a circular economy.

As a frequent eBay user, I saw its potential to be part of the solution. But eBay has been flooded by new merchandise, making secondhand listings difficult to stand out. The listing process also felt tedious. This sparked my initiative to streamline the seller experience through a neo-brutalist design approach. Which is minimal, bold and functional.

This passion project marks my transition from graphic design into UX design. I reimagined the eBay app through a neo-brutalist lens by prioritizing functional visuals while improving the user flow to promote sustainability and rekindle eBay’s role in the circular economy.

Understanding the Problem

Coming from graphic design, I was familiar with the Double Diamond framework conceptually but had never truly applied it. This project became my first real opportunity to work through all four phases systematically.

I began the Discover phase with a quantitative survey targeting Facebook groups of hard rubbish collectors, online marketplace sellers and international students. These communities offered firsthand insights into secondhand selling challenges. Then, I conducted a competitor analysis of eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Amazon. These are my findings:

• Amazon’s selling process is buried deep in menus and gated behind monthly fees
• eBay’s ‘Sell’ button lacks visual emphasis and blends with other icons. In addition to that, the listing process is tedious
• Facebook Marketplace offers fast listing once accessed but the button is hidden

Focusing on Real Users

Through user surveys, two distinct personas emerged. The Declutterer is pragmatic, selling during life transitions to simplify their space and earn extra income. They value convenience and sustainability, often accepting lower prices for quicker sales. The Collector is strategic and profit-driven whom frequently listing based on market trends.

I focused on The Declutterer, who represented the majority of responses. I created an empathy map to capture their motivations, frustrations and expectations. This practice forced me to think beyond visual solutions and truly understand user behaviors. Which led me to a problem statement below.

Environmentally conscious secondhand sellers in Australia feel frustrated about the time-consuming and complex selling process on eBay. They need to sell items quickly and sustainably but face limited time and an inefficient process.

Designing for Speed & Simplicity

With The Declutterer’s needs in mind, I designed wireframes prioritizing speed and ease of use. Essential navigation buttons were placed at the bottom for thumb-reach accessibility, making the app intuitive for one-handed use.

Users are directed straight to the listing dashboard after sign-up. Thus eliminating navigation through multiple menus. This reflects a core research insight. That the users don’t have time to waste and the UX should reflect that.

This phase challenged my graphic design instincts. Instead of starting with visual exploration, I began with functional structure by letting user needs dictate form.

Testing & Refinement

I conducted usability testing with three users using mid-fidelity wireframes. This approach kept participants focused on core tasks without visual distractions and allowed quick iteration. Here are what I discovered.

• One user hesitated to tap the “+” icon to start listing
• Another suggested adding a label for clarity
• Some found the layout initially unfamiliar but completed tasks using existing mental models

In response, I refined the prototype to prioritize clarity and accessibility. New users now complete a short onboarding questionnaire before reaching a simplified dashboard with a prominent centrally placed “+” icon for quick listing creation. A preview page allows users to review and edit details before posting. Therefore embracing principles of forgiveness and predictability. Listed items appear above two clearly marked promotional tool buttons for quicker sales.

Takeaways

This project taught me the value of structured design thinking. The Double Diamond framework became essential for navigating ambiguity and making user-centered decisions.

The challenges surround this project to get things done forced me to look for creative ways to solve problems. Limited research participants challenged me to supplement primary research with secondary sources like forums and industry discussions. Time constraints forced focus on a single high-impact user flow and one key persona to ensure depth over breadth. For usability testing, expanding outreach beyond my initial target group brought diverse perspectives that strengthened the final prototype.

This end-to-end design process became both a creative exploration and a practical exercise in applying human-centered design to a real-world platform. Unlike my previous work in graphic design, where aesthetics often led the process, this project required me to lead with an entirely new way of thinking.