People often hold onto items they no longer need until clutter becomes uncomfortable, leading many usable items to be thrown away. This contributes to growing landfill waste and increased carbon emissions. Givn was created in response to this problem as a community-based platform that encourages local donation and reuse.

The project grew out of earlier work on Ryderr, which focused on social impact through affordability but ultimately addressed a business challenge rather than a design-led one. This shift led to Givn, a solution aligned with SDG 12, aiming to reduce waste, promote reuse, and strengthen community-driven sustainability.

To understand the problem Givn addresses, I explored both the scale of global waste and the behaviours driving it. Research shows that over two billion tonnes of waste are generated globally each year globally, closely linked to human development (Statista, n.d.).

To complement this, I conducted a user survey to understand everyday disposal habits. Insights from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that while people are aware of sustainable behaviours, they only adopt them when they are convenient, affordable, and accessible.

This was reflected in my survey, where most participants aged 19–45+ showed strong interest in reuse. As ideas began to feel broad and overwhelming, I narrowed my focus to key user types and their pain points. Through empathy mapping and journey mapping, I gained clarity on user expectations and frustrations. I then reviewed existing platforms and identified clear gaps, particularly in areas such as impact transparency, community engagement, and motivation. These insights shaped Givn’s direction, positioning it as a rewarding, impact-driven alternative to traditional marketplaces.

I explored three core functions: swapping, requesting, and donating items. While these ideas were useful, I decided to focus only on donations to reduce complexity and cognitive overload. This helped create a clearer mental model and simpler user flows that better support the SDG goal of reducing waste. This decision influenced several early UI sketches.

This shift also led to a simpler navigation bar with four main tabs, including Activity. The Activity tab supports the in-person pickup flow by tracking walking distance and showing users the environmental impact of their actions.

At this stage, I had a clearer direction and began creating low-fidelity designs for key screens such as the dashboard, browse, item details, and impact overview. To maintain consistency, I introduced reusable components and layout variants, which later evolved into a design system. Defining typography, colours, and button styles early helped speed up iteration and reduce visual inconsistencies.

The project was renamed from ReUseIt to Givn to create a simpler and more memorable identity. I then moved into high-fidelity designs, iterating based on research insights, usability considerations, and feedback.

Many designs changed significantly from early sketches, revealing unnecessary complexity. Presenting these iterations highlighted key improvements, including simplifying pickup tracking, refining the dashboard, improving impact visibility, and increasing text size for accessibility, helping shape a clearer and more usable final experience.

The innovation in Givn lies in turning everyday donation into a visible, rewarding action. Rather than functioning as a traditional marketplace, Givn focuses on making environmental impact transparent through real-time metrics, walking-based pickup tracking, points and rewards progression.

By combining impact tracking, local community engagement, and gentle gamification, Givn encourages users to build sustainable habits without added effort. This approach reframes reuse as a positive, trackable action, making climate-conscious behaviour feel achievable, personal, and motivating.

The outcomes of Givn bring together research, iteration, and refinement into a clear, usable solution. The app successfully translates everyday donations into a structured flow that highlights impact, rewards, and community involvement.

Through multiple design iterations, the interface evolved to prioritise clarity, reduce cognitive load, and provide visible environmental value.

Together, these outcomes show how Givn moves beyond a traditional online markeplace platform by making sustainable behaviour visible, rewarding, and easy to maintain over time.