Design Principles

Before designing any screens, I set three principles every decision would be evaluated against:

1. Premium Over Bargain

The visual language had to feel closer to a modern fashion brand than a classifieds site. Large imagery, editorial-style layouts, clean typography. The goal was to make second-hand feel aspirational, not remedial.

2. Trust at Every Touchpoint

Standardized condition labels (Like New, Very Good, Good, Loved), multiple product images from consistent angles, visible seller history and ratings. Buyers needed confidence before committing to a purchase from someone they'd never met.

3. Sustainability as Context, Not Lecture

Eco-impact data (water saved, CO₂ reduced, garments diverted) appears at decision moments on the product detail page, at checkout, at swap confirmation not as a homepage banner users scroll past.

The Wardrobe Swap Feature — What Differentiates ReLoved

This is the feature that differentiates ReLoved from existing resale platforms.

The Insight Behind It

Not every seller wants money. Some users just want different clothes, they'd rather exchange a dress they've stopped wearing for something new-to-them, without dealing with pricing decisions, payment processing, or waiting for bank transfers.

No major resale platform I looked at had addressed this directly.

How It Works

• Sellers can tag items as "swap only," "swap or sell," or "sell only"

• Buyers browsing swap-eligible items can send a swap request by selecting an item from their own wardrobe to offer in exchange

• The seller reviews the offer the item, condition photos, and details and accepts, declines, or counters

• Both parties ship simultaneously

• The escrow-hold logic mirrors how Airbnb handles payment release confirming receipt before finalizing the exchange

• Eco-impact data appears at the confirmation screen: water saved, CO₂ reduced, garments given a second life

Why This Solves a Real Friction Point

For many second-hand sellers, the friction isn't selling, it's pricing, payment setup, and bank transfers. The swap feature removes all of that and lets users participate in circular fashion without ever touching money. It's a lower-friction entry point into the resale ecosystem.

Solving the Quality Uncertainty Barrier

The #1 reason first-time resale buyers don't convert: they can't trust the condition description.

Standardized Condition Grading System

Instead of free-text condition descriptions, sellers choose from four structured grades with photo requirements for each:

• Like New — no visible wear, tags may be attached, requires 3+ photos including close-ups

• Very Good — minimal wear, no flaws, requires 3+ photos

• Good — light wear visible, all flaws must be photographed and described

• Loved — visible wear, significant use, requires detailed flaw documentation

Each grade has photo checklist requirements enforced at upload. This solves buyer quality uncertainty at the source before the item is even listed.

Seller Trust Scores

Every seller has a visible trust score based on:

• Rating history from previous buyers

• Response rate to messages

• Successful transaction count

• Return rate (lower is better)

Trust scores appear on every product card and prominently on the product detail page at the exact moment a buyer is deciding whether to trust this seller.

Eco-Impact Indicators — Placed Where Decisions Happen

Most sustainable products bury environmental claims in an "About" section or a footer badge. This is a behavioral design mistake.

Research from the Behavioural Insights Team shows that impact information is most influential when it appears at the point of purchase consideration — not before or after.

Where I Placed Eco Indicators

Directly below the Add to Cart button on the product detail page present at the exact moment of decision friction.

What the Indicators Show

• Water saved (litres) — based on WRAP's Clothing Lifecycle Assessment data (2022), which quantifies average water usage per garment category

• CO₂ avoided (kg) — same source

• Garments diverted from landfill — cumulative count

Copy Principle: Positive Framing Only

"You saved 2,700 litres" — not "You helped avoid contributing to water waste."

Behavioral research (Cialdini, influence and persuasion) shows that positive framing outperforms avoidance framing for optional prosocial behavior.

Cumulative Profile Score

All eco savings aggregate into a personal "Your ReLoved Impact" score on the user's profile giving sustainability progress a visible, growing identity signal.

How I'd Measure Success If This Were Live

Since there are no live metrics, I defined the metrics I would instrument which is itself a design decision that reveals whether a product is built around real outcomes or just visual polish:

Primary Conversion Metrics

Listing completion rate: Are sellers finishing listings they start? Target above 70% current resale platforms average significantly below this due to listing friction.

View-to-action rate on product detail: Are browsers becoming buyers or swap requesters? Target 15–20%, meaningfully above typical resale conversion where trust gaps erode intent.

Feature Adoption Metrics

Swap feature usage: What percentage of listings are tagged swap-eligible? What's the completed swap rate per month? This measures whether the feature solves real friction or just looks good in a prototype.

Retention & Engagement

30-day return rate: Circular fashion only works if users come back to list what they've outgrown. Target above 40% at 30 days.

Repeat purchase rate: Are buyers coming back for second purchases once initial trust is established? Target above 25% within 60 days.

Accessibility — WCAG 2.2 AA Compliance

All ReLoved screens were run through a WCAG 2.2 accessibility audit using the Figma Stark plugin. Every colour combination, text contrast ratio, and interactive touch target was verified against AA standards before the designs were considered complete.

What Was Verified

• Contrast ratios: All text on background combinations ≥4.5:1 (AA standard). Key editorial elements ≥3:1 for large text.

• Touch targets: All interactive elements meet the WCAG 2.2 minimum of 24×24px, with primary CTAs at 44×44px minimum.

• Navigation: Keyboard navigability tested, focus states visible, tab order logical.

Why This Matters for European Roles

The EU Accessibility Act 2025 mandates WCAG 2.2 compliance for digital products in EU markets. Being able to demonstrate verified accessibility compliance — with audit evidence, not just a checkbox — is a meaningful differentiator for London and Dublin roles at any company with European users.