IKEA: Second-Hand Store Redesign
Second Chances for Furniture, Seamless for You
Innovate48 Product Design Hackathon
UX/UI Designer, Lead Presenter
Spring 2024
2 Days
Tools
Figma, FigJam
Background
This was my first-ever hackathon, and it was an incredible opportunity to work on a real-world problem for one of the world’s most iconic brands—IKEA. The project was part of the Innovate48 Product Design Hackathon, a collaboration with Design Buddies and Liftyz. The challenge was to redesign IKEA’s second-hand furniture store to make it more scalable, user-friendly, and aligned with their sustainability goals.
Our team consisted of seven members from different parts of the world, and we collaborated entirely online using Discord and FigJam. My primary role was to contribute as the UX/UI Designer and be a lead present for our final solution to the judges.
Prompt: "Expand IKEA's sell-back program by redesigning the current online store. Add new features for customers to browse, list, and purchase second-hand furniture online (without visiting a local store)."
The Problem
IKEA’s current second-hand furniture program has several challenges that limit its scalability and usability:
Scalability Issues: The process of listing and selling second-hand furniture is labor-intensive and requires significant human intervention.
Navigation Challenges: Buyers struggle to find second-hand products online due to inconsistent layouts and poor discoverability.
Lack of Trust and Transparency: Buyers want to know why a product was refurbished, its condition, and whether it has missing parts.
Fragmented Experience: The existing process requires sellers to submit a form, wait for approval, and manually transport their furniture to a store, which is time-consuming and inefficient.
Solutions Explored
Our proposed solution focused on creating a seamless experience for buyers, sellers, and IKEA’s internal team by introducing features that improve usability and scalability:
Streamlining the Seller Experience: We proposed using QR codes and AI-powered image recognition to simplify the listing process for sellers. Instead of manually entering product details, sellers could scan a code or take a photo to auto-fill the listing.
Enhancing Buyer Trust: We designed product pages with detailed descriptions of imperfections and refurbishment history to increase transparency and build trust. Buyers would know exactly what they’re purchasing and why it’s priced accordingly.
Improving Navigation & Discoverability: We created a dedicated second-hand store page on IKEA’s website, modeled after their existing product pages. This page would have consistent layouts, clear filters, and options to search for second-hand products by category.
Mentor Feedback
During the hackathon, we had the privilege of presenting our solution to our mentor, Lucia Possas, who provided invaluable feedback that shaped our final design. Lucia emphasized the importance of scalability and reducing manual labor in the listing process.
Key points from her feedback included:
"Tell a story": Ensure that the user journey flows naturally, making it easy to understand how the platform addresses scalability issues.
Reduce Human Labor: Focus on automating repetitive tasks like product listing and condition verification to minimize manual intervention.
Scalability: Consider how the solution could handle a growing number of users and products without adding complexity for IKEA staff.
After receiving her feedback, we refined our approach to incorporate AI-powered product recognition, real-time tracking, and gamification features to make the process more automated, scalable, and user-friendly.
Our Approach
Our team followed a structured design process:
Research & User Flows: We researched to understand the perspectives of sellers, buyers, and IKEA employees. Based on this research, we created detailed user flows to map out each step of the selling and buying journey.
Wireframes: We started with low-fidelity wireframes to brainstorm layout ideas, then moved to high-fidelity designs using Figma. Our goal was to create a user-friendly, responsive web interface that aligns with IKEA’s brand identity.
High-Fidelity Designs & Prototype: The final designs incorporated IKEA’s design system, focusing on simplicity, functionality, and sustainability. We ensured that every touchpoint—from listing a product to purchasing—was intuitive and seamless.
Reflections
Participating in the IKEA Hackathon was a transformative experience for me. It was my first hackathon, and working with a global team taught me invaluable lessons in collaboration, communication, and time management.
As the lead presenter, I learned how to pitch a complex idea within a short timeframe, ensuring our solution was both clear and impactful. The feedback we received from the judges and mentors reaffirmed the importance of balancing innovation with practicality, especially when working on real-world business problems.
This project also strengthened my belief in the power of user-centered design. By focusing on the needs of sellers, buyers, and IKEA’s internal team, we created a solution that not only improved the user experience but also aligned with IKEA’s business goals and sustainability mission.
