Description of the problem and the proposed solution

University students often struggle to find affordable academic materials, as new items can be expensive, and second-hand options are disorganized and unreliable. Many materials go to waste after a semester, while students in need face difficulties affording and locating them. Additionally, during high-demand periods like exams, last-minute purchases create stress and delays. Existing platforms lack smart features to efficiently connect buyers and sellers within the university community.

To promote a circular economy, reduce environmental impact, and help students manage their academic expenses, we propose a smart university marketplace tailored for buying and selling academic materials within the university community. This mobile app will leverage context-aware smart features to enhance usability and efficiency:

1. The app will detect exam periods and highlight essential materials (e.g., exam sheets, lab supplies) at the top of search results.
2. Users will see materials classified for exam weeks on top of everything during those critical weeks, ensuring they purchase necessary materials easy and in advance.

Core Features & Functionality

• Secure University-Only Access: Ensures trust by requiring a Uniandes email for registration.
• Comprehensive Product Listings: Displays product names, descriptions, images, and seller contact details.
• Efficient Search & Smart Filtering: Filters materials by course, category, or program with AI-driven recommendations.
• Transaction Confirmation & Inventory Management: Removes sold items automatically for accurate availability.
• Context-Aware Urgent Materials Alerts: Detects and promotes essential academic supplies during key periods.

By integrating AI-driven recommendations and context-aware features, this marketplace will go beyond traditional second-hand platforms, offering a smarter, more reliable, and highly efficient solution for academic material exchange within the Uniandes community.

Analytics Persona

Problem Alternative Solutions (PAS)

No.	Problem	Alternative	Solution
1	Many students cannot afford to buy all the materials they need to carry out their academic activities.	They can go to stationery stores that are cheaper, although this is difficult, or buy materials among several students to divide the bill.	A platform/application that allows access to the purchase of second-hand products at a lower price that can be used for their academic activities.
2	Many students want to sell products at the university but do not have time to be in a physical stand.	Being able to sell your products without having to be physically present at a stand, by sending the catalog of products you sell through social networks.	A platform/application where students can create their virtual store, upload their product catalog and manage orders without having to be present.
3	Many students purchase course materials that they only use for one semester and then store them without further use, wasting resources and taking up unnecessary space.	Look for groups or forums on social media where students can exchange/sell materials informally, although this can be disorganized and unreliable.	A platform/application for the exchange and sale of academic materials that includes filters and notifications of new products.
4	Students struggle to coordinate safe and effective deliveries when selling or purchasing products within the university, leading to cancellations, wasted time and mistrust.	Meeting points can be arranged on campus, but this depends on the availability of both parties and may cause inconveniences if one person does not arrive on time.	A platform/application with a secure delivery system, where students can schedule the delivery of products at established points within the university. The seller leaves the product and the buyer picks it up, for example, by scanning a QR code. The app will send real-time notifications and allow users to rate the product to generate confidence in the transactions.
5	Sellers students often face difficulty reaching potential buyers efficiently.	They can post on social media or message people directly, but these methods lack visibility and structure.	A centralized platform/application where sellers can list items with descriptions, images, and direct communication options.
6	Students effort to compare prices and quality when buying second-hand materials.	They can ask multiple sellers individually, but this is time-consuming and inefficient.	A platform/application where users can compare multiple listings of the same material, including prices, seller ratings, and product conditions.
7	Buyers worry about the condition of second-hand materials before purchasing.	They can ask sellers for more pictures or details, but this is inconvenient and may still be unreliable.	The platform/application will include standardized condition tags (e.g., "Like New," "Used with Notes") and allow buyers to leave reviews.
8	Many students want to sell their products but do not know how to do it or where they can offer them.	Some student profiles on social networks such as Instagram and Facebook give the opportunity to offer products for sale, but it is difficult for them to find a buyer at the time the publication lasts.	A platform where sellers can find buyers in an easier way, without worrying about the information on the sale of their products disappearing after 24 hours or remaining after many publications.
9	Many students do not have enough resources to cover their expenses.	They can have a space to sell their products on the tables set up by the university, but they cannot be present all the time, causing their sales to be lower and not being able to obtain the money they need.	An application that allows them to have a catalog of their products and sell them without having to be in a physical place 100% of the time, so they can get the money to solve their needs.
10	During exam weeks, students may forget to buy essential materials like exam sheets, leading to last-minute stress.	They can check stationery stores nearby or ask classmates, but this is unreliable and time-consuming.	A platform that prioritizes and highlights products tagged as “Exam Materials” during exam weeks, making them more visible and accessible.
11	Some students sell perishable products (e.g., food), and it is difficult for them to advertise their availability at the right time.	They can post on social media or send messages, but potential buyers might not see them in time.	A platform that dynamically promotes food sellers during peak hours (e.g., lunchtime) to increase visibility and sales.
12	Students often need temporary access to specialized academic tools (e.g., graphing calculators, lab equipment, art supplies) but cannot justify buying them for short-term use.	Borrowing from friends, renting from off-campus stores (if available), or skipping the task entirely—all of which are unreliable, costly, or limit academic performance.	A rental system within the app for short-term borrowing of specialized tools (e.g., lab equipment) with reservation features and campus pickup/drop-off points.

Context Canvas

Business questions

Type 1

No.	Question	Purpose	Type justification
1	How many users download the application per week?	Tracks app growth and marketing effectiveness	This is pure telemetry data, as it tracks app installations over time. It helps measure marketing reach and adoption trends without direct user feedback or behavior analysis.
2	What are the busy hours for the marketplace usage?	Informs server scaling, customer support staffing, and potentially targeted promotions	This relies on system logs and usage analytics to determine peak activity. It helps optimize server performance, staffing, and scheduling of promotions based on actual usage patterns.

Type 2

No.	Question	Purpose	Type justification
1	What are the most used filters?	Highlights valuable filtering criteria and suggests areas for filter improvement or expansion	Helps optimize filtering options to enhance user search efficiency.
2	What are the most used features of the Marketplace?	Focuses development and design resources on what matters most to users	Prioritizes feature development based on user engagement and needs.
3	What are the most common reasons for product returns or refunds?	Reveal areas for improvement in product descriptions, seller policies, or the return process itself	Improves product descriptions and policies to reduce dissatisfaction.

Type 3

No.	Question	Purpose	Type justification
1	How often sellers use the "piggy bank" feature?	Evaluate how important it is for sellers their earnings	Determines whether to enhance, maintain, or remove the feature based on seller engagement.
2	What are the most searched categories?	Evaluate which categories to prioritize, potentially creating new browsing experiences or specialized marketplaces	Guides new category creation and browsing improvements based on demand.
3	How many products are posted per week?	Understanding posting volume helps plan for scaling and feature development for sellers	Assesses marketplace growth and informs scalability strategies.
4	What are the most common payment methods used by the users?	Ensure the marketplace supports preferred payment options	Ensures marketplace supports preferred payment methods to maximize transactions.

Type 4

No.	Question	Purpose	Type justification
1	How many sellers achieve their goals?	Measures marketplace effectiveness for sellers and informs strategies to improve seller success	Measures seller success and identifies areas for business growth.
2	How many buyers ended up buying the product they were interested in?	Tracks conversion rates and identifies friction points in the buyer journey	Tracks conversion rates to reduce drop-offs in the purchasing journey.

Type 5

No.	Question	Purpose	Type justification
1	What are the purchasing patterns of users according to the category of their purchased products?	Combines Type 1 and Type 4 to understand product trends, inform marketing strategies, and potentially optimize inventory	Uses telemetry and data insights to optimize inventory and marketing strategies.
2	How do the amounts of each purchase behave depending on the categories?	Combines Type 1 and Type 4 to analyze pricing strategies and product profitability across categories	Analyzes transaction trends to refine pricing strategies and category profitability.

VD Map

• VD- map link