Enable international students build community and affordably and efficiently acquire furniture.
UniFurnish is a digital platform helping international students at the University of Washington source nearby furniture from trusted sources. The moving sales and the closed, UW-only community provide an opportunity to foster social connection between students.
Though exciting, for a number of reasons, moving is challenging. It’s expensive. It’s logistically complex. It strips the mover of their sense of familiarity and community.
Moving internationally significantly intensifies these challenges, due to language and cultural barriers. Our project explored these challenges through the perspective of international students at UW. We approached our research and ideation with sustainability in mind, hoping to surface opportunities to introduce a circular economy of furniture and household goods.
We conducted two rounds of semi-structured interviews to gather in-depth insights into the experiences of international students moving to Seattle and the challenges they faced while furnishing their apartments.
Lack of transportation, budget constraints, and limited knowledge of local resources are major challenges faced by international students attempting to furnish their living quarters.
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The survey aimed to gather feedback on their experiences and challenges with moving and furnishing their homes, particularly in relation to acquiring or purchasing furniture. This method allowed us to cover a broader sample size and collect widespread feedback on the moving and furniture setup process.
Many students expressed a desire for affordable delivery services or moving tools to help them furnish their homes more easily.
Grouping similar issues together allowed us to visually categorize the insights and identify key themes that emerged across different participants. We organized the feedback into several major categories, including Furniture, Cost and Financial Constraints, and Information.
1. Most international students do not have access to a car, so transporting furniture is virtually impossible. Thus, they resort to buying furniture online, even though it’s expensive.
2. The expenses of housing (whether furnished or unfurnished), furniture, and household goods are unavoidable, but students navigate those expenses differently based on their personal priorities.
Based on the key takeaways from our research and the affinity mapping exercise, we developed two user personas. These two personas are primarily differentiated on their priorities with respect to balancing expenses vs. a sense of stability.
Goals:
Enable international students to understand and navigate their options for sourcing and aquiring used or second-hand furniture.
Pain Points:
International students often lack access to used or second-hand furniture. Additionally, cultural differences, language barriers, and limited information make the moving process especially grueling.
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Goals:
Provide moving sales events to enhance social connections, enabling international students to participate without needing prior personal connections.
Pain Points:
Lack of support and social connections heightens stress. Many international students mention that they barely know anyone and have no access to events.
Item Reservation
Before
Problem
Confusion About Contact Seller and Item Reservations
"I don’t have direct contact with the seller, What does that mean? What if I want to reserve a specific item? "-P1
After
Opportunity
1. Add a contact button underneath the host name and added a “reserve items” feature
Browsing Moving Sales
Before
Problem
Unclear Navigation for Browsing Moving Sales
"I’m confused about how to browse more sales. Right now, I can only do it after I’ve entered a specific sale. But from the main interface, it’s not possible? So, the main search function only works for items. How do the sales search function and the item search function coexist?"-P2
After
Opportunity
1. Add a button to browse all sales to the homepage
2. Incorporate labeling onto the search results page for items to indicate whether that item is being sold standalone or as part of an upcoming sale
Making Furniture Information More Accessible and Transparent
As an international student myself, it was challenging to find information about housing and obtaining furniture, especially since I didn't know anyone at the time. If there were an easy and transparent way to access this information, it would save time and provide peace of mind.
Social Connection and Community Engagement
By hosting and participating in moving sales, movers and sellers can both engage with the community by sending messages and participating in events to build social connections and community engagement.
Enhancing Trust and Safety
Trust was a primary barrier for international students when engaging with existing platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. By incorporating verification features and restricts access to UW students, we hope to create a safer, more reliable environment.