Product Design - Mobile | Branding
Overview
Open Garage is a peer-to-peer rental marketplace app that empowers communities by enabling neighbors to rent and request items from each other. Designed with scalability in mind, the app also aims to evolve into a space for sharing DIY knowledge and fostering connections.
This project involved designing an intuitive and engaging app that seamlessly connects renters and item owners while streamlining the rental process. The entire project took place over 3 months.
Completed over a three-month timeline, this project focused on delivering a polished MVP that seamlessly connects renters and item owners while streamlining the rental process and a cohesive brand identity.
My Role & Contributions
As the sole designer on the team, I worked closely with two engineers and a marketer to:
Create the brand identity by developing a brand mood board and leading the team through a brand strategy workshop
Design user flows, wireframes, and UI/UX for the app
Build web designs and prototypes to visualize the user journey
Develop a digital pitch deck for potential investors, aligning branding and storytelling
Ideation and Wireframing
Due to the fast-paced timeline, ideation and wireframing happened iteratively. Early sketches focused on proving concepts and addressing critical user needs.
Home Screen
The user needed a way to be able to see items available around them as well as Items that had been requested nearby. Version 1 made use of a map area where a user could get an overview of what was available nearby as well as what had been requested nearby.
Available screen would show the user what items were available to rent nearby. The drawer at the bottom would auto-select an item based on what the user selected on the map.
Requested screen shows all items nearby that have been requested by a neighbor as well as a bottom card to show a list with more information.
After careful thought, we decided to use a hamburger menu due to the complexity of the navigation structure.
Due to the amount of time it would take to build this map component, we decided to scale back for our MVP and just provide a list view, and, in the future the ability to toggle between map and list view using a floating action button.
Search Functionality
Search needed to be easy and allow the user to find what they needed even if they didn’t quite know what that was. We achieved this with a type-ahead and insightful suggestions based on similar search results and what other users had searched for.
If the user had searched for an item recently, it would show up before they started typing.
Results were shown in list format with the ability to filter by availability, distance, and price.
The empty state for search results was created to help the user find something even without results by expanding their search area or suggesting other similar items.
Rental/Offer Process (Renter View)
The rental process had the potential to be very complex. We needed to keep this as simple as possible for both the renter and the person who owned the item. (more detail can be seen in the flow listed later)
Items details page showed images of the item, pricing information, owner information and reviews about the item. The bottom bar is sticky so the user has the ability to rent at any point in their scrolling. Renter can either request to rent at full price or make an offer.
The request page shows a breakdown of all pricing to be as transparent as possible.
After a request is sent, the renter has the ability to chat with the owner or cancel the request. Requests expire in 36 hours.
Once the owner has approved the request, either the owner or the renter chooses a time and location to make the exchange and accept or suggestion a new time/location.
Renter decides to make an offer. This was later changed to integrate into a single screen with the details of the offer.
The terms of the rental agreement are very straightforward when making an offer, so the user always feels comfortable with the decisions they are making.
Once the offer is sent, the renter has the ability to make a new offer or cancel the offer at any time. The offer will expire after 36 hours if not accepted.
Rental/Offer Process (Owner View)
The owner view of the rental process was slightly more complicated, so we needed to make sure everything was very straightforward with the details and what the owner could do.
The offer details page breaks the pricing down for the owner so the terms are clear. Then the owner has the ability to accept the offer, counter, or decline. They can even offer an item for free if they choose to do so.
Once the owner accepts the offer, either they or the renter can suggest a time/location to hand off the item.
UI Design
Without an established brand, I developed the visual identity alongside the app’s UI:
Conducted competitor analysis to define a unique color palette.
Selected OS-specific typefaces to reduce development complexity.
Designed responsive screens that aligned with emerging branding elements.
To see all the screens, please visit the user flow.
Branding
The branding evolved through team discussions and experimentation. Mood Boards guided the selection of colors, typography, and iconography to create a cohesive visual identity.
Prototype
To provide a hands-on understanding of the rental process, I created a Marvel prototype showcasing key interactions within the app. While not fully functional, this prototype offers a glimpse into the user experience and core workflows. For a comprehensive view of the entire app, please refer to the full user flow documentation.
For an optimized experience on mobile devices, access the prototype using the following link: Prototype.
In this prototype, the user can only do the following:
Switch between available/requested items
Scroll through the list of available items
Open/close the filter list
Set the availability filter
Choose the first option once filtered by availability
Scroll through the item detail page
Go through the request to rent process.