Problem
College life isn’t cheap, and with rising living and education costs, most of us are constantly trying to stretch our budgets. Meanwhile, our closets and dorms pile up with stuff we don’t use anymore—like that barely-touched textbook or those clothes that just don’t fit our style anymore. At the same time, someone else on campus might be searching for exactly those things but ends up buying new because there’s no easy way to connect. This cycle leads to wasted money, wasted resources, and missed opportunities to help each other out—all while we’re already juggling tight budgets and busy schedules.
"Defining the problem
AFFINITY MAP
Problems in brief
Affordability crunch for textbooks and dorm gear
Invisible inventory—no easy way to see what peers are selling
Trust issues—fear of scams without verification
Meet-up friction—chat scattered across apps and frequent no-shows
Clutter-waste—unused items crowd dorms and go to landfill”
Uniflea solves this problem by creating a hyperlocal, student-focused marketplace that’s efficient, affordable, and sustainable.
Business Goal
Build a trusted, campus-first marketplace that fuels student engagement and champions sustainable commerce.
User Goal
Empower students to effortlessly buy, sell, and discover items within their own campus—saving money, time, and effort.
High- Fidelity wireframe
Edge cases
No-Show Buyers/Sellers
Problem: A buyer or seller agrees to meet but doesn’t show up.
Solution: Introduced “Commitment Badges”—users earn trust points for completed meet-ups. After two no-shows, the app flags the account and limits chat until they complete a cooldown “apology” flow.
Community Forums & Events
Expand beyond one-to-one sales into study-group swaps, skill-share sessions, and eco-drive meetups.
Analytics for Student Sellers
Dashboards showing listing views, engagement trends, and pricing suggestions to help them optimize sales.
Future Potential with Gamification
Introduce badges for top thrifters, eco-conscious buyers, or most popular creators.
Add level-ups for frequent users based on listing, buying, and community engagement.