[Case Study 03]
Designing trust into the peer-to-peer economy through persuasive UX.
C2C
TrustList: Buy and Sell with Trust
Boosting Conversion Rates for E-commerce Checkout
[Project Overview]
A UX Case Study on leveraging Persuasive Design to solve marketplace anxiety.
[Problem Statement]
Buyers hesitate to purchase used items online due to risks of fraud, poor product condition, and the hassle of meeting strangers. Sellers struggle with unreliable buyers and time-consuming negotiations.
[Industry]
C2C
[My Role]
UX Designer
[Type]
Mobile App
[Timeline]
March 2025- October 2025
[Persona]
Rajat Singh
Rajat wants a safe, hassle-free way to buy and sell second-hand items saving money and time while avoiding scams, negotiations, and inconvenient meet-ups.
Age: 25
Location: New Delhi
Tech Proficiency: Advance
Gender: Male
[Goal]
Quickly complete purchases. Avoiding back-and-forth with strangers and No travelling.
Verified items, safe payment, platform-backed transactions.
Clear product condition, status updates, real reviews.
[Frustrations]
Lack of Trust
Scams & No Refunds
No Quality Transparency
[Process]
[01] User Research
Conducted semi-structured interviews to deconstruct their mental models of "digital trust."
Analyzed trust flows in major C2C apps (OLX, FB Marketplace) to identify gaps where users felt most vulnerable to scams.
Used the Fogg Behavior Model to map out the specific "Ability" and "Motivation" barriers stopping users from contacting strangers.
[02] Survey Insights
65% of surveyed buyers admitted to abandoning a purchase because they couldn't verify if the seller was a genuine person or a scammer.
Mobile users struggled with small buttons and unresponsive layouts.
80% of users stated they look for "verified" badges or peer reviews before even reading the product description.
[03 Design Solution]
The Goal of this Design is to Prioritise towards my User and their Experience of using it.
Designed a simple score that lets users instantly check if a stranger is reliable, removing the stress of guessing who to trust.
Prioritized user safety by designing an anonymized shipping flow. The app generates the delivery labels, meaning buyers and sellers never have to reveal their personal home addresses to each other.
[04] Testing & Iteration
The initial idea of splitting the security fee was not intuitive. Feedback indicated that the fee should be paid only by the buyer.
On the product page, the "Make Offer" and "Buy Now" buttons have the same visual weight, which can confuse users. The primary action should be more visually prominent to guide the user's decision.
Feedback: Users requested a clearer, in-app explanation of what the security fee covers.
[Outcome]
Guaranteed Safety & Privacy: Replaced risky meetups with anonymized door-to-door delivery.
Proven Item Quality: Mandatory video listings eliminated doubts about hidden defects.
Instant Vetting: Reduced anxiety by allowing users to assess stranger reliability in seconds.
[Key Learnings]
Simplification is key
Users value a quick and easy process, especially on mobile.
Iterative testing pays off
Regular testing uncovered hidden issues and ensured the design met user needs.
Details matter
Small improvements, like error validation and mobile optimization, had a significant impact.