campus-thrift

Campus Thrift

Transforming field measurements into instant, accurate quotes to streamline contractor sales.

Role

UX Designer, Front-End Developer

Timeline

2 Weeks

Team

1 Front-End Developer, 1 UX Designer, 2 Back-End Developers

Tools Used

Github, UTop, OUnit

Overview

CampusThrift is an iOS resale app built for Cornell students to buy, sell, and share clothing within their campus community. The app integrates with a backend API to support real-time posting and personalized social shopping.

Context & Challenge Requirements

As part of Intro to iOS Development at Cornell, the final project was the Hack Challenge, a two-week sprint where student teams designed and built a fully functioning iOS app. The challenge emphasized applying course concepts in a collaborative, real-world environment.

Requirements:

Multiple screens with navigation between them At least one scrollable view for browsing content Networking integration with a backend API to support dynamic data (not hard-coded) Use of UIKit or SwiftUI (our team chose SwiftUI for rapid development and modern UI design)

Problem

Cornell students face costly storage and rushed move-outs at the end of the school year, often discarding perfectly good items and creating unnecessary waste.

Lots of leftover items at the end of the year → students discard clothing, furniture, and supplies instead of storing or reselling.

Abandoned items lead to fines and waste → discarded belongings clutter dorm halls and contribute to unnecessary landfill waste.

Process

User Research

I conducted research to understand how Cornell students currently buy/sell clothing and where they face friction.

Expensive Storage

Students can’t afford to pay for summer storage and don’t see it as worth the cost.

“I’m not paying $200 just to store a $50 dresser for three months.”

Lack of Campus-Specific Options

Generic resale apps (Poshmark, FB Marketplace) don’t feel safe or convenient within a college context.

“I don’t want random strangers coming to my dorm”

Waste & Fines

Students often trash usable items or leave them behind, risking fines.

“I didn’t even realize I had 3 bins of clothes until I had to drag them out of my dorm.”

Medium Fidelity Design

Browsing & Buying Flow

Posting Flow

Profile Flow

SwiftUI Implementation

I independently developed the front-end of CampusThrift in SwiftUI, building out the core user flows and integrating them with the backend API.

Browsing & Buying A scrollable list of student clothing posts, implemented with reusable SwiftUI card components. Connected to the backend API so new listings update dynamically.

Posting SwiftUI form that lets students upload images from their camera roll, enter details, and publish. Fully editable until the item is sold.

Profile Shows post history, likes, and transaction history. Integrated with backend to reflect real-time updates and balance changes.

Takeaways

Learned how to balance design fidelity with hackathon constraints. Strengthened my SwiftUI component-building and API integration skills. Reinforced interest in pursuing UX, mobile development, and product management roles.

Resources

GutHub Repository