User Survey
Understanding motivations, trust concerns and sustainability behaviours.
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Case Study
OLIO
A redesigned claiming experience that brings clarity, trust, and smoother pickup communication to OLIO’s community of neighbours sharing unused items.
01 — Overview
Project Overview
OLIO’s mission of reducing food waste immediately stood out to me, but after using the app, I found that discovering items and arranging collections felt more complicated than they needed to be. While the platform had a strong purpose and active community, the overall experience lacked clarity, making key tasks less intuitive for users.
For this project, I explored how a complete visual redesign could improve the journey from discovering an item to collecting it. Using user research, competitor analysis and usability testing, I identified opportunities to simplify navigation, improve item discovery and reduce friction throughout the collection process. The result is a redesigned experience that aims to better support both users and OLIO’s sustainability mission.
02 — Problem Framing
Understanding the Problem
Before making design decisions, I wanted to understand where users experienced the most friction within OLIO’s existing journey. I explored the current experience through user research, competitor analysis and usability evaluation, focusing on the steps between discovering an item and successfully arranging collection.
Research Methods
I used three research activities to understand where users experienced friction in the discovery and collection journey.
Cognitive Walkthrough
Evaluating friction points in the existing collection journey.
Competitor Analysis
Exploring how similar platforms handle discovery, trust and communication.
Key Insights
These findings helped shape the main design decisions behind the redesign.
Problem Discovered
Discovery needed to feel easier
Finding
Finding relevant items relied heavily on users manually searching and filtering. This created unnecessary effort when users wanted quick access to nearby available items.
Design Decision
Improve browsing through clearer categories, search visibility and item presentation.
Problem Discovered
Users needed more confidence before requesting
Finding
Users cared about item quality, expiry dates and pickup details before committing to a collection.
Design Decision
Redesign item pages to prioritise important information and increase trust.
Problem Discovered
The pickup process needed clearer next steps
Finding
After requesting an item, users needed reassurance about what happens next.
Design Decision
Create a smoother transition between requesting an item and arranging collection.
Design Direction
These insights helped define the direction of the redesign, focusing on improving discovery, increasing user confidence, and creating a smoother collection experience.
03 — What Success Looked Like
Two success metrics guided every design decision:
- More items claimed per day — the flow is faster and easier.
- Higher repeat usage — users trust the experience.
To achieve these outcomes the UX needed to drive faster decisions, fewer errors, and higher confidence.
04 — Research & Key Insights
Competitor Analysis
Too Good To Go, Freecycle, and Vinted helped benchmark how pickups are structured, how trust is communicated, and how search/filtering is exposed. OLIO felt less predictable, less visually structured, and slower to understand.
Competitor comparison board.
05 — Usability Issues Found
- Search was visually hidden.
- Item details lacked hierarchy.
- CTA feedback was unclear.
- Navigation cues felt inconsistent.
These moments of doubt appeared exactly when users should have felt confident pressing "Request."
06 — User Journey Redesign
The new journey emphasises clarity, confirmation, and predictability:
- Clear entry into search
- Structured, scannable item cards
- Guided transition into messaging
- Reduced uncertainty immediately after requesting
07 — Design System & Low-Carbon Approach
To keep the interface accessible and sustainable I used:
- White-heavy layouts to reduce OLED energy usage
- Minimal imagery/animation
- Reusable component library
- Optimised hierarchy and simplified navigation patterns
The result: faster load times, lower energy use, and better accessibility.
Style guide board.
08 — Key UX Improvements
Discovery & Browsing
- Prominent filters and search
- Cleaner, scannable item cards
- Visible map/list toggle
- Reduced visual clutter
Item Page & Order Flow
- Clear expiry + pickup info and a bold “Free” label
- Minimal form fields to keep requests quick
- Obvious primary CTA with supportive microcopy
Messaging & Pickup Coordination
- Chat opens instantly after requesting
- Location and pickup details stay inside the conversation
- Predictable inbox layout with clearer read states
The collage below stitches these flows together so every improvement is visible at a glance.
Want to try the full clickable prototype? Explore it on Figma →
Key OLIO screens highlighting discovery, item, and messaging flows.
09 — Usability Testing
Participants: 2 UX students · 1 non-UX mobile user.
What Worked
- Clear layout
- Logical screen progression
- Easy messaging handoff
Needs Improvement
- No feedback after pressing “Request”
- Filters still too subtle
- Minor button inconsistencies
These insights informed better feedback states, icon visibility, and interaction consistency.
Testing notes.
10 — Final Outcome
- Faster item claiming
- Clear, predictable pickup flow
- Stronger trust cues
- Reduced hesitation
- Improved accessibility
- Low-carbon digital design
Final high-fidelity OLIO overview.
11 — Reflection
This project strengthened my ability to translate research into practical UX decisions, design for trust, apply low-carbon thinking, and increase confidence through small UI changes. Clarity and feedback directly influenced how many items were successfully claimed.
Want to try the full clickable prototype? Explore it on Figma →
Want the full walkthrough?
Let’s set up a case study session. I’ll bring the prototypes and the stickman will bring snacks.