Appendix A- Preliminary Interview
Student: Hi Aryan, thanks for joining me today to discuss the
challenges you face with accessing study materials. Let’s start with a
broad question: What are the main difficulties you encounter when
trying to find textbooks or notes?
Client: Hi! Thanks for asking. The main problem is that there’s no
organized way to find second-hand study materials. My seniors often
have books and notes they don’t need anymore, but those just end
up being thrown away or kept unused because there’s no platform to
connect them with students like me who could use them.
Student: That’s a good point. I have heard this from other students
too—there’s a lot of waste simply because people don’t know how to
share their resources effectively. Besides this lack of connection,
what other challenges do you face?
Client: Even when I do find someone selling books, it’s through word
of mouth or social media, and those aren’t reliable. I can’t always
check the condition of the books, and sometimes the sellers don’t
follow through.
Student: That sounds frustrating. Would it help if sellers had to
upload clear pictures of their books, including the inside pages, so
buyers can see their condition?
Client: Yes, that would be very helpful. Seeing pictures would make it
much easier to decide whether a book is worth buying.
Student: Great! Now, let’s talk about the process of buying these
materials. Do you find it challenging to coordinate with sellers for
offline transactions?
Client: Absolutely. It’s hard to arrange a time and place that works for
both people. And if the seller is in a different city, it becomes almost
impossible.
Student: That makes sense. What if the platform could use location-
based alerts to notify you if a seller is from a different city? This way,
you’d know upfront if an offline exchange is even practical.
Client: That’s a great idea. It would save so much time and effort if I
knew right away whether the transaction was feasible.
Student: Perfect. Now let’s move to another issue—trust. You
mentioned that it’s hard to rely on sellers. What do you think would
make the platform more trustworthy?
Client: I think a review system would really help. Buyers could leave
ratings and feedback about their experience with a seller. This would
make it easier to decide if a seller is reliable or not.
Student: Great! That’s a solid idea. Now, let’s discuss how
transactions should be handled. For offline exchanges, one idea could
be requiring sellers to upload a photo of the buyer receiving the book
as proof of delivery.
Client: That’s an interesting idea. It would definitely help confirm that
the exchange actually happened.
Student: And for digital or online transactions, I was thinking of
integrating a secure payment system. Would you feel comfortable
making payments through the platform?
Client: Yes, as long as the payment system is secure and easy to use.
Student: Speaking of security, would requiring a school ID for
verification make you feel safer using the platform?
Client: Yes, but only if the information is encrypted and protected.
Student: Absolutely. Now, about design—do you prefer something
simple or with extra features like filters and animations?
Client: I would prefer something simple and user-friendly. It should
be easy to navigate, but I wouldn’t mind a few extra features like
search filters or animations to make it more visually appealing.
Student: That’s a good balance. I was thinking of adding filters for
grade, subject, and price to make it easier for you to find what you’re
looking for. How does that sound?
Client: That sounds perfect. Filters would save a lot of time when
browsing.
Student: Excellent. Lastly, do you think a chat feature would be useful
for buyers and sellers to communicate directly?
Client: Definitely. It would make things much easier. Sellers could
clarify details about the book, and buyers could ask questions before
making a decision.
Student: Great suggestion. We can also include a system to notify
users when they get messages or updates about their listings. Do you
think that would be helpful?
Client: Yes, notifications would be a nice touch.
Student: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Aryan. This will help me
design a platform that meets your needs.
Client: Thanks! I can’t wait to see how it turns out.