Buffalo Exchange
A beloved secondhand clothing chain whose shoppers had no way to see or share the environmental impact of their choices. I designed a mobile app that turns sustainability data into real-world rewards. Thrifting becomes a new gamified experience for its shoppers.
The Problem & Opportunity
Roughly 11 million tons of textiles hit US landfills every year. Secondhand purchases reduce this by cutting demand for new production. Buffalo Exchange shoppers had nothing to show for the good they were doing with their purchases. Building on the chain's existing branding, I designed a companion app that tracks each trip's landfill waste diverted and money saved, so it becomes a sustainable habit worth reposting.
Affinity Map
User Personas
Point-of-View Statements
Branding System
Buffalo Exchange has strong branding its shoppers recognize, but the system had drifted into inconsistent variations across in-store collateral, website, and merchandise. I anchored the app's palette and type to the website's existing system. Store, site, and app now read as one brand.
Color Palette & Typography
Information Architecture
The point-of-view statements set the priority: shoppers should see their impact immediately, not dig for it. I built the sitemap around that rule. Impact and rewards sit on the shortest paths from launch to redemption.
Sitemap
User Flow
Application
The wireframes tested that architecture in low fidelity, proving each journey worked before any visual identity went on. Three flows carry the concept: see your impact, track your sales, redeem a reward toward the next purchase.
Wireframes
Mobile UI: Lock Screen to Thrifting Impact
Mobile UI: Account to Sales
Mobile UI: Rewards Redemption
