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01 · Campus marketplace

LinQ

A minimal, modern mobile solution built through UX research, turning everyday student item exchanges into a smooth, affordable on-campus ecosystem.

Year
2025
Type
Academic project
Role
UX design · UI design
LinQ app screens shown as an isometric mockup: queries, order confirmed, list an item, wishlist, chat, profile, request an item, notifications and search.
LinQ: all app screens
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Challenge

Designing an end-to-end UX/UI product meant defining a problem space myself and building a consistent design system: clear typography, colour and icon usage.

Research

I ran user research to understand student needs and behaviour. The insights pointed to unused supplies, financial waste and limited options for exchanging things on campus.

Primary research : Survey

Survey responses: Which year are you currently in?Survey responses: How often do you need supplies for classes or projects?Survey responses: Have you bought expensive tools or supplies that you rarely used later?Survey responses: What do you do with unused supplies or tools?Survey responses: Would you sell unused items on a reliable college platform?Survey responses: Would you prefer renting items for short-term use?Survey responses: Concerns about renting or buying used items.Survey responses: Items most useful to buy or rent second-hand.Survey responses: How likely are you to use this system?
Survey question: Any suggestions or thoughts to share?Survey suggestions: No, Nice Idea!, and None!Survey suggestion about usefulness for communication design students.Survey suggestions: Nope that’s all! and Not really.Survey suggestion: This would be great and save a lot of money.Survey suggestion about trust, clear pricing, campus verification, coordination, and reviews.

Affinity mapping : Insights

Affinity mapping: cost and wastage, and current disposal habits.Affinity mapping: interest in a rental platform, and concerns.Affinity mapping: types of items students want, and timing and frequency.Affinity mapping: suggestions from students.

User personas : Aditi & Rohan

User persona: Aditi Sharma, 21, third-year B.Design student living in a hostel. Her about, needs, preferences rated out of five, pain points and expectations around passing on unused supplies.User persona: Rohan Mehta, 18, first-year B.Design student living in a hostel. His about, needs, preferences rated out of five, pain points and expectations around sourcing affordable supplies quickly.

User journey mapping : Aditi & Rohan

User journey map for Aditi Sharma across five stages: realization, exploration, listing, transaction and reflection: showing steps, thinking, doing, pain points, feeling and opportunities.User journey map for Rohan Mehta across five stages: realization, exploration, browsing, transaction and reflection: showing steps, thinking, doing, pain points, feeling and opportunities.

Empathy mapping : Aditi & Rohan

Empathy map for Aditi Sharma: says, thinks, feels and does.Empathy map for Rohan Mehta: says, thinks, feels and does.

User flows

LinQ user flows for Rohan Mehta as a buyer and Aditi Sharma as a seller.

Information architecture

LinQ information architecture connecting onboarding, listings, buying, renting, requests, queries and profiles.

Solution

LinQ is a community-based platform that lets students buy, rent and sell essentials within their own campus network.

Low fidelity

Low-fidelity LinQ home screen with expanded popular-item carousel.Low-fidelity onboarding: Welcome to LinQ.Low-fidelity onboarding: Introduction with next and skip options.Low-fidelity onboarding: Create your LinQ account.Low-fidelity onboarding: Login to LinQ.Low-fidelity onboarding: Profile complete and campus community joined.Low-fidelity browsing: Item listings.Low-fidelity browsing: Search filters.Low-fidelity browsing: Wishlist.Low-fidelity browsing: Product details with buy and rent options.Low-fidelity purchase: Buy confirmation and terms.Low-fidelity rental: Rental period and confirmation.Low-fidelity purchase: Order confirmed with exchange OTP.Low-fidelity selling: List an item.Low-fidelity requests: Request an item.Low-fidelity requests: Queries and status.Low-fidelity messaging: Conversation with a campus member.Low-fidelity account: Profile and settings.Low-fidelity account: Edit profile.

High fidelity & mockups

Finished LinQ interface screens arranged on a bright yellow-green background.LinQ screen collection displayed on a laptop in a dark setting.Two phones showing LinQ interfaces on a sunlit concrete surface.LinQ app icon on a phone home screen.High-fidelity LinQ screen collection displayed on a desktop monitor.LinQ marketplace home screen on a phone over yellow-green tiles.Stacked phone mockups showing LinQ listings and item details.Finished LinQ app screens presented as floating phones on a yellow-green background.