Evaluating the ThredUp App’s Impact on Sustainable Behavior
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Project Overview
ThredUp is one of the world’s largest online resale platforms, with a mission to make secondhand shopping mainstream and sustainable. While the brand’s eco-focused positioning is compelling, its interface and visual design play a crucial role in shaping trust, emotion, and repeated engagement.
This project investigates how visual and interaction design influences users’ perceptions, motivations, and behavior toward sustainability using a six-week qualitative diary study. It highlights not just what users do, but why they do it, giving deep insight into user psychology, trust formation, and long-term behavior change.
Role: UX Researcher & Designer
Timeline: 6 weeks
Deliverables: Research report, visual analysis, design recommendations
The Problem
ThredUp’s app shows strong sustainability cues, yet it remains unclear how effectively these cues motivate users:
To understand and trust sustainability messaging
To adopt long-term eco-friendly shopping behavior
To differentiate sustainability motivations from price or convenience motivations
Research Question
There were several concerns that drove this research:
🔹 Do users interpret visual sustainability cues as intended?
🔹 Are these cues strengthening trust over time?
🔹 What emotions and behaviors emerge with repeated interaction?
🔹 How do visual design changes impact user perception?
To answer these questions, a longitudinal study was necessary.
Research Goals
The study was designed to:
Identify how visual design affects trust and emotional engagement.
Understand how users interact with the ThredUp app over time.
Capture shifts in motivation toward sustainability.
Evaluate the impact of a mid-study rebranding on user perception.
These goals drove every step of the research from participant selection to analysis.
Methodology
Study Type
A six-week qualitative diary study was conducted to capture participants’ evolving interactions and perceptions of ThredUp App.
Duration
6 weeks (September–October 2025)
Participants were asked to use the app weekly, browsing or purchasing items, and to reflect on both functionality and emotional resonance.
Timeline
Participants
Two participants were intentionally selected to represent contrasting yet complementary sustainability profiles, ensuring diversity in experience.
Participant A: A 29-year-old female, frequent secondhand shopper with moderate eco-consciousness. Represented habitual users familiar with resale platforms.
Participant B: A 25-year-old male, new to secondhand shopping but highly motivated by environmental values. Represented first-time adopters engaging for ethical reasons.
This contrast enriched the data by revealing differences in motivation and interpretation.
Research Activities
Pre-study interview: This was conducted prior to app use to establish baseline attitudes toward sustainability and secondhand shopping. These interviews provided contextual understanding of each participant’s motivations, digital literacy, and preconceptions about eco-conscious design.
Diary entries (6 weeks): Participants submitted structured weekly reflections via the template formed. Entries focused on their app usage patterns, emotional responses, and perceived design cues e.g., color, iconography, layout. This approach allowed the study to track changes in perception, trust, and engagement.
Post-study interview: This was conducted at the end of six weeks, these sessions explored how participants’ behaviors, trust levels, and sustainability awareness evolved. A guided app walkthrough was incorporated, enabling participants to pinpoint specific design elements that triggered emotional or behavioral changes.
The structured diary approach revealed evolving patterns that would have been missed in a single snapshot study.
Data Analysis
To interpret six weeks of qualitative reflections, interviews, and evolving user behaviors, I used a multi-layered analysis approach. The goal was to move beyond isolated comments and uncover patterns of emotion, trust, and motivation that shaped participants’ relationship with sustainable shopping.
These insights helped illuminate where the design supported sustainable behavior and where it created friction.
Mid-Study Event: The Rebrand
In Week 3, ThredUp rolled out a visual refresh with:
✨ Softer green tones
✨ Updated eco badges
✨ Refined typography and iconography
This natural experiment became a central part of the study showing how even subtle visual changes can reshape perceptions.
Both participants responded positively, especially to clearer sustainability icons and more calming green tones. Their emotional engagement and trust indicators increased measurably after the redesign implementation.
Key Findings
1. Visual Design Shapes Trust
Before the rebrand, participants reported:
🔹 Ambiguous sustainability markers
🔹 Design cues too subtle to reinforce meaning
🔹 Trust rooted more in transactional features (price, convenience)
After the rebrand, both participants expressed:
✔ stronger emotional resonance
✔ higher confidence in sustainability claims
✔ clearer understanding of sustainability badges
This highlights the importance of visual clarity in conveying mission-driven messaging.
2. Motivation Shifts Over Time
Repeated exposure to sustainability cues drove gradual motivation shifts from bargain hunting toward intention-driven behavior.
3. Confusion Around Eco Badges
Even with the rebrand, both users sometimes misinterpreted specific sustainability icons, suggesting a need for clearer micro-copy or onboarding prompts.
4. Emotional Responses Influenced Behavior
Participants reported:
Positive feelings when sustainability was visually highlighted
Disengagement when cues were vague or ambiguous
Emotion tied directly to trust and intention reinforcing how design and psychology intersect.
Design Recommendations
Based on findings, the following strategic recommendations for future iterations:
1. Strengthen Clarity of Sustainability Badges
1. Strengthen Clarity of Sustainability Badges
Add short explanations or tooltips.
2. Expand Onboarding for Sustainability Features
2. Expand Onboarding for Sustainability Features
Introduce first-use walkthroughs that explain environmental terminology and icons.
3. Maintain Consistent Visual Identity
3. Maintain Consistent Visual Identity
Consistent color, icons, and typography maintain trust.
4. Surface Motivational Feedback
4. Surface Motivational Feedback
Show users how their activity is contributing to sustainability goals.
Each recommendation is grounded in longitudinal data not just isolated opinions.
Conclusion & Impact
This diary study demonstrated that design isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about shaping trust, emotion, and behavior over time.
Key takeaways:
✔ Visual design can reinforce values when executed clearly
✔ Longitudinal methods capture evolving motivations better than one-off tests
✔ Emotional cues influence sustainable shopping intent
By integrating user perception with design evaluation, this project reveals how long-term engagement with sustainability messaging can be tracked, measured, and improved.
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