Next Kid Down
a desktop website for parents to purchase and resell children's clothing
This project represents the second phase of the Next Kid Down platform, expanding from a mobile app into a responsive website. The design followed a Progressive Enhancement strategy: starting with a mobile-first experience, then adapting for a desktop screen to ensure consistency and accessibility across devices.
Please note that the research, empathize, define, and the first half of the ideate phases were primarily executed for the mobile app, but the purpose and outcomes remain applicable to the desktop website. If you’ve enjoyed the app and want to see the website material directly, scroll down to the Site Map.
Project Overview
The apparel industry’s global emissions will increase by 50% by 2030.
More than 183m pieces of kids’ clothes hit landfill each year.
The number of times a garment is worn has declined by around 36% in 15 years.
Raising children is costly, and constantly buying new clothes for rapidly growing kids is financially and environmentally unsustainable. Fast fashion accelerates waste and climate impact, making clothing recycling a practical and necessary solution.
Next Kid Down is a sustainable solution for children's clothing that addresses both the financial burden on parents and the environmental impact of fast fashion. By enabling parents to reuse, recycle, and extend the life of kids’ clothes, the project reduces waste while making wardrobe management more affordable and practical.
Duration
4 Weeks
My Role
UX + UI Design, Visual design, Branding, User flow, Research, Prototyping + Testing
Tools
Figma, Miro, Photoshop
Problem
Children outgrow clothes rapidly, and parents often purchase new clothing frequently, contributing to significant textile waste and environmental harm. Over 183 million pieces of children’s clothing hit U.S. landfills annually, while global apparel emissions are set to rise 50% by 2030. At the same time, clothing is underused, with the average American discarding 81 pounds of apparel per year. Parents need a way to reduce costs without sacrificing convenience, while also mitigating environmental impact.
Goal
Design a user-friendly platform that makes it easy for parents to buy, sell, and swap children’s clothing. The app and website should extend the life of garments, promote reuse and hand-me-downs, reduce overall waste, and help families save money—all while contributing to a more sustainable fashion system.
Outcome
Families discard ~50–70 lbs of children’s clothes per year. By extending the life of children’s clothing by just nine months through reuse and swapping, families can reduce their carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30% per garment.
Through this app, garments could be worn 2–3x more than average; parents could save ~$800 annually; and the percentage of parents who clothe their children in secondhand items could rise from 35% to 65%.
User Interviews
Target Users
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They are parents with children ages 0-14.
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They are mainly responsible for their kid's shopping.
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They are active buyers (weekly, monthly or quarterly) shoppers.
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They are are open to the idea of second-hand/ thrifted clothing.
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They are currently buying second-hand or would consider it.
Method
In-depth interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds (urban/rural, income levels, family sizes) to delve into their current habits shopping for their kids.
Key Insights
Rapid Outgrowth & Cost Stress
Rapidly outgrown clothing creates financial and logistical stress for parents, especially with different children or genders, and leaves them unsure how to responsibly discard items.
Barriers & Mixed Feelings About Thrifting
Hand-me-downs or thrifted items are not always accessible due to family logistics, social discomfort, or concerns about hygiene, quality, and style.
Desire for Guidance & Community
Parents value personalized style recommendations, advice, and interaction, which could make buying, selling, or swapping clothes easier and more engaging.
Affordability & Sustainability
Parents are motivated to save money and reduce waste through buying, selling, or swapping children’s clothing.
Convenience First
Parents want convenience, such as ready-made sets, simple filters, and mobile-friendly platforms, to streamline shopping.
Trust & Community
Connection with other parents, guidance, and incentives (like rewards or curated closets) increase engagement and trust in the process.
User Persona
Josh
User Story
As a single dad, I want my daughters to be involved in the process but I need help putting outfits together. It would be great to meet other parents similar to me.
Pain Points
He doesn’t want his kids to lose their individual identity by sharing hand-me-downs. He feels overwhelmed with shopping and doesn’t know much about fashion.
Problem Statement
Josh is a single parent who wants to connect with other parents and get fashion advice to help his daughters develop their own unique style.
Hypothesis Statement
If Josh is able to personalize profiles under the account and curate outfits then he will find the shopping process less overwhelming and his daughters can shop their styles.
“I am alone and had kids when I am older. I don’t know other parents my age. As a man, I don’t know how to style my girls.”
Behaviors
He spends all day at the mall with no guaranteed results. He would love to shop in a way his girls can be involved and can imagine their outfits.
Goals
He wants to give his girls their own sense of identity through clothing but needs help putting outfits together.
User Journey
Josh's Goal: find a full outfit for his 6-year-old daughter
Value Propositions
Affordability & Efficiency
no hidden fees
subscription for bundle delivery
Style
personalized profiles
curate outfits
Community
parent support groups
kids' milestones celebrated
Sustainability
trading system
value-back with resales
Reliability
rating system
image reviews
Accessibility
easy to use
chat for contact
styling help
rewards with stats/ milestones
material review before upload
kid-friendly
filters: location, gender, age
Competitive Market Analysis
to compare how second-hand clothing trading can be managed
Description & Features
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Direct competitor
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Targets parents of newborns to 6-year-olds
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Monthly subscription to deliver monthly bundles of 7 items including a surprise element
Strengths
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Attractive branding (logo and color scheme)
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$10 credit and prepaid label upon donation
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Affordable, balanced bundles with matching sets
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Parent reviews and FAQ to build trust
Weaknesses
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Cannot see current inventory online
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Credit only applied to subscriptions
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No customization of bundles or delivery timing
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Style profile feature doesn’t work
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Website-only (no app), with unclear and repetitive navigation
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Forces subscription before allowing account creation or access to reviews
Description & Features
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Direct competitor
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Targets parents of young children
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In-person thrifting and resale marketplace
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Only physical stores and limited to the US and Canada
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FAQ and multilingual support
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Earn-back value system
Strengths
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Kids can shop themselves and try items on
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Physical presence (store experience)
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Accessibility tools (screen reader, keyboard navigation, mousegrid, smart navigation, text reader, voice commands, color adjustments, etc.)
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Resell can earn shopper money or in-store credit
Weaknesses
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Categories of items listed on website (but no online catalogue or inventory)
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No app or online shopping option
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Limited store availability (location-dependent)
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No centralized online resale platform
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Website focuses more on jobs or franchising than shopping
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Accessibility tools available but not functional
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Store experience varies—ratings depend on individual locations
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Poor navigation (e.g., stuck in jobs/owning a store tabs without easy return)
Description & Features
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Indirect competitor
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Targets shoppers interested in making money selling clothes
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Online thrifting and resale marketplace
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Poshmark Community for social interaction
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FAQ and “How it Works” video with CC
Strengths
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Clear buyer–seller process
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Search and filters improve discoverability
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Distinction between buying and selling while remaining interconnected in sign-up and flow
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Can browse available items with production description and seller information
Weaknesses
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Online only (no physical presence)
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Free shipping only at $700+, undermining the second-hand appeal
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Overwhelming number of product listings
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Sold items remain visible, cluttering the interface
Description & Features
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Indirect competitor
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Targets shoppers interested in sustainability and buying circular.
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Online thrifting platform (not just clothing and not just for kids)
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Can both buy and sell thrifted items
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Option to sign up as just a seller
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Impact report available
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English and Spanish available
Strengths
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Search feature and product descriptions
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Asks location upfront for tailored results
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Easy to read and navigate
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Rating system and ability to message sellers and negotiate offers with the seller
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Clear brand identity
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Shows item location, last login of seller, profile rating, and info board
Weaknesses
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Online only
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Doesn’t ship to Canada
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Limited kids’ focus compared to niche competitors
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Buying and selling appear as separate systems
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Ads are distracting
Goal Statement
The responsive website for second-hand children’s clothing enables users to buy and sell outfits in affordable, and easy-to-use ways. It supports parents who want to reduce textile waste, save money, earn income from reselling, and receive style guidance. Effectiveness will be measured by tracking the number of active users monthly, the retention rate, average transaction per user, and user feedback.
User Flow
User Task: putting an outfit together and purchasing it
*Following Josh's persona
*Indicates a buyer experience. However, buyer and seller experience to be integrated.
Big Picture Storyboard
I analyzed competitors’ buy-and-sell flows. This app and website will keep both buying and selling visible and accessible at all times. Beyond that, they create a shared shopping experience for children and parents, while fostering a buy-and-sell culture that encourages social interaction and builds community.
Reminder that the storyboard was primarily executed for the mobile app, but the purpose and outcome remain applicable to the desktop website.
A mailed bundle subscription would prevent social interaction, would disconnect the buy and sell/swap processes, would prevent parents and kids shopping together and would prevent stylistic decisions.
Parent realizes that their child has outgrown their clothes.
Parent and child can shop together. They realize they can also sell the clothes that have been outgrown.
Parent folds the clothes and puts them aside. Parent opens the app.
Parent and child put the clothes up for sale and purchase the new clothes.
Parent scrolls through catalogue of thrifted clothes.
Parent meets other parent for swap.
Site Map
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Homepage
Profile Setup
Hub
About
Buy
Sell
Match
User Feedback
Navigation & Structure
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Starting with a “How it Works” assumes all visitors are new. Users expect a landing page with an overview of everything available.
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A dashboard feels unnecessary and could be integrated under Account/Profile.
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The Hub layout feels off-balance and needs restructuring for usability and hierarchy.
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The Match page feels confusing—just one large image, resembling a failed landing page.
"Some pages feel like there’s not much to look at. It doesn’t make me excited to explore. The branding on the app was stronger."
"I want to message the seller directly from the shopping page. Switching tabs breaks the flow."
"You cannot assume all users are new visitors. Where is the landing page?"
Branding & Visual Consistency
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The About page is text-heavy and unengaging. It doesn’t align with the app’s branding.
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On larger screens, the brand identity gets diluted. It needs stronger presence.
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Some pages appear too bare, missing opportunities to guide or engage users.
Features & Functionality
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Users want to message sellers directly from the shopping tab, without switching to the Inbox page.
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Users to see items near them for more location-based shopping.
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Users want the option to save a draft listing before publishing.
Site Map 2.0
Match features functioning on the main page under this tab. Inspiration is the next step.
Added button directing users to an Impact Report
Homepage offers a variety of options to shop, to get inspiration or to connect with others.
Make Footer more useful and take load off the main pages
Design Kit
The branding for Next Kid Down is playful yet approachable, designed to resonate with both parents and kids.
Color Palette
Green is used prominently in the logo and supporting visuals, while the primary brand color, a vibrant orange (#D54A00), anchors the identity. Both colors are bold and complementary, with their intensity softened by the contrasting soft yellow (#FAF4D2). This balance creates a palette that is bright, warm, and inviting without feeling overly childish.
Accessibility
Accessibility was a priority in the design process. The orange was specifically chosen for its character and because it meets WCAG Level AA standards for large text, graphical objects, and UI components.
Graphics & Typography
The logo and graphics use an animated style to convey energy and friendliness. The typography echoes this identity as well. The expressive Spice Rice is used for the logo, Poppins for headlines and key text for a modern and approachable look, and Inter for body content, ensuring clarity and readability across platforms.
App to Desktop Website
showcasing how mobile frames and features were transformed for the desktop website
High Fidelity Wireframes
Sell
Login
Profile Setup
About
Buy
Sell
Match
Hub
What I Learned
I learned that designing mobile-first made core features clear and easily transferable to desktop.
I realized that a homepage page is essential on a desktop. A landing page is required and allows information to be highlighted.
I found that an onboarding process or “how it works” isn’t a good first entry point for desktop.
What I Would Do Differently
I would better understand how users interact with the mobile versus the desktop and adjust the design accordingly.
I would conduct early user-testing on the desktop site nd plan desktop-specific user scenarios earlier in the process to to realize needs different from the mobile app.
Next Steps
I plan to refine and test prototype interactions for the desktop site.
I plan to extend the design to a tablet screen, as it is the interface children are most familiar with, and likely the device most frequently shared between parents and children at home.