SOLVE-IT: AN END-2-END STUDENT SUPER APP THAT SIMPLIFIES CAMPUS LIFE IN NIGERIA

Product designer Portfolio, Best Product Designer in Nigeria, Best Product Designer in Port Harcourt, Best Product Designer in Abuja, UI/UX Designer

Solve-It is a Nigerian EdTech mobile platform built to simplify everyday student life. The product combines four systems into one experience:

πŸ‘‰ Peer-to-peer marketplace
πŸ‘‰ On-demand student services
πŸ‘‰ Campus news distribution
πŸ‘‰ Student community forums

Students use the platform to earn income, access services, stay informed, and connect with their campus community.

Most university ecosystems in Nigeria operate without a structured digital infrastructure for these needs. Students rely on scattered WhatsApp groups, informal vendors, and unreliable information channels.

Solve-It creates one trusted digital ecosystem for campus commerce, services, and collaboration.

My Role

Lead Product Designer

Team

Project Duration

18 Weeks

Tools I used

Product Design Tools

My Role

I led tHE end-to-end product design

I designed a system that builds trust between students during peer-to-peer transactions. My key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

πŸ’  Product strategy
πŸ’  User research planning
πŸ’  UX architecture
πŸ’  Interaction design
πŸ’  Wireframing
πŸ’  Prototype design
πŸ’  Trust and safety UX
πŸ’  Marketplace flow design

The problem

what problem am i designing for?

πŸ’  University campuses function like small cities.

πŸ’  Thousands of students buy items, sell products, offer services, and share information daily.

πŸ’  Despite this activity, there is no structured digital infrastructure supporting these interactions.

πŸ’  Students rely on informal channels that create friction, confusion, and risk.

πŸ’  The absence of a unified system produces 3 major problems.

Problem #1

Fragmented student marketplace

Students sell items through scattered channels.

πŸ’  WhatsApp groups
πŸ’  Telegram channels
πŸ’  Physical notice boards
πŸ’  Instagram posts

Major issues:

πŸ’  No search system
πŸ’  No product categorization
πŸ’  No buyer protection
πŸ’  Difficult discovery of listings

Problem #2

Difficulty finding trusted services

Students frequently require services such as

πŸ’  Laundry
πŸ’  Academic tutoring
πŸ’  Laptop repair
πŸ’  Graphic design
πŸ’  Food delivery

The problems

πŸ’  No service verification
πŸ’  Inconsistent pricing
πŸ’  No ratings or reviews
πŸ’  No accountability
πŸ’  Peer-2-Peer transaction risk

Problem #3

Campus Updates fragmentation

Students rely on scattered information channels.

πŸ’  Department group chats
πŸ’  School social media pages
πŸ’  Word of mouth

Common problems

πŸ’  Missed announcements
πŸ’  Misinformation
πŸ’  Lost opportunities

Research Methodogy

I used a mixed research approach to capture both behavioral insights and quantitative signals.

Methods used.

πŸ’  Student interviews
πŸ’  Context observation
πŸ’  Marketplace behavior analysis
πŸ’  Messaging group analysis
πŸ’  Competitor review

Participants.

πŸ’  18 university students
πŸ’  5 student entrepreneurs
πŸ’  4 service providers
πŸ’  6 Student leaders
πŸ’  Domestic workers

Research

USER RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

Focus areas

πŸ’  How students currently buy and sell items
πŸ’  How students discover services
πŸ’  How students receive campus information
πŸ’  Trust issues in peer transactions
πŸ’  Communication patterns among students

Research questions.

πŸ’  Where do students buy and sell items today
πŸ’  What problems occur during peer transactions
πŸ’  How do students discover trusted services
πŸ’  Which channels deliver campus news
πŸ’  What prevents students from trusting unknown sellers

Student Interview

Interviews focused on how students currently solve everyday campus problems

Interview themes

πŸ’  Buying and selling products
πŸ’  Finding services
πŸ’  Receiving campus information
πŸ’  Trust concerns during transactions

Product Vision

What was the product Vision

Create a trusted digital infrastructure for campus life.

Students should open one platform and instantly:

πŸ’  Buy or sell items
πŸ’  Hire or offer services
πŸ’  Access campus news
πŸ’  Join meaningful discussions

My Strategy

I focused on building a trust first ecosystem.

I structured the product into four systems

πŸ’  Marketplace
πŸ’  Services
πŸ’  Campus news
πŸ’  Forums

πŸ’  I introduced escrow to remove transaction risk
πŸ’  I designed for campus-specific communities to increase trust
πŸ’  I simplified discovery across all features

User Flow

I structured a simplified user flow

πŸ’  User opens app
πŸ’  Browses the marketplace or services
πŸ’  Selects item or service
πŸ’  Confirms details
πŸ’  Completes transaction with escrow
πŸ’  Receives confirmation

Success:
User completes a safe transaction or finds a reliable service

Wireframes

I explored layout structures for

πŸ’  Marketplace listing
πŸ’  Service discovery
πŸ’  Transaction flow
πŸ’  Forum interaction

My Focus:

πŸ’  Clear hierarchy
πŸ’  Simple navigation
πŸ’  Fast access to actions

Marketplace

Service Sections

Forum Wireframes

Iterations

I conceptualize several ideas first

πŸ’  Users completed tasks faster
πŸ’  Less confusion during transactions

Final Designs

After Iteration, I produced the following

Marketplace

Students buy and sell items within their campus community.

πŸ’  Verified student identity
πŸ’  Escrow payments
πŸ’  Ratings and reviews

Default Listing and Filtering

Product Details, Reviews & Share.

Messaging Vendor, Payment & Profile

Services Marketplace

Students offer and hire services within the campus network.

πŸ’  Verified student identity
πŸ’  Escrow payments
πŸ’  Ratings and reviews

Services Page, Filtering & Vendor’s Profile

Searching, Vendor’s Inbox

Campus News Hub

A centralized feed delivering verified campus information.

πŸ’  Announcements
πŸ’  Events
πŸ’  Opportunities
πŸ’  Internships

News Hub, News Details & Comments

Student Forums

Topic-based discussion communities, Students can:

πŸ’  Ask academic questions
πŸ’  Share opportunities
πŸ’  Collaborate with peers

Forums & Forum Chats

Success Metrics

To evaluate product impact, several metrics guide the design.

Marketplace metrics

πŸ’  Successful transactions
πŸ’  Reduction in dispute rate
πŸ’  Seller conversion rate

Services themes

πŸ’  Higher service booking volume
πŸ’  Positive provider rating

Community metrics

πŸ’  Forum engagement
πŸ’  Active discussions per campus
πŸ’  Stronger retention within campuses

Information metrics

πŸ’  Announcement reach
πŸ’  Event participation rate

The Next Steps

WHAT I WOULD IMPROVE & Key TakeAways

What I improve

πŸ’  Test onboarding to improve first-time experience
πŸ’  Refine the notification system for better updates
πŸ’  Improve dispute resolution flow for edge cases

Key TakeAways

πŸ’  Trust drives marketplace adoption
πŸ’  Simple flows increase completion rate
πŸ’  Campus-focused systems improve engagement