Easel: A Community-Driven Art Supply Exchange
Reducing waste and fostering creative connection through a non-monetary sharing platform
About the Project:
Artists and designers often accumulate excess art supplies after projects, leading to overconsumption and waste. Additionally, when people are new to art and design careers, they may feel lost and be unsure of where to start. How might we enable sustainable sharing while building community among creatives?
Proposed Solution
Easel is a mobile app that connects artists through a non-monetary platform wher they can donate or exchange unused supplies. It builds meaningful relationships, promotes sustainability, and offers a gamified experience to foster engagement.
Easel features:
- Artist-Centered Profiles (find users nearby, share bios, list supplies)
- Direct Messaging (enable real-time conversations between users)
- Awards System (gamified badges encourage long-term participation)
- AI Moderation (detects harmful content and supports user safety)
- Safety Tools (verification, review systems, location alerts)
Design Elements
While designing Easel, two key factors were taken into consideration: how to attract users and how to keep users engaged long-term.
1️⃣ Attract
Advertising Through Social Media
- Brand partnerships
- Influencer endorsements
- TikTok and Instagram ads
Advertise and Table at Local Exhibitions and Galleries
- Tabling at exhibitions
- Business cards with QR Codes
2️⃣ Keep
Community Building
- Direct message feature allows for communication between users.
- Awards-based system encourages and gamifies use.
- Nature of app encourages community reliance and strength of mutually beneficial relationships
AI Moderation
- Built-in AI detects malicious app use (including but not limited to graphic, inappropriate, or violent content)
Featured User Interface
Awards System
Award system helps to gamify prolonged use of the apps. Awards like “The Black Cat” Award for donating ink supplies during Inktober, or a “The Giver” Award for giving a certain amount can make users more excited to track their use.
User Personas
Scenario 1
User: Brad
Age: 20
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Job: Engineering Student
Background: Brad heard about Easel from an artist he follows on Instagram. He is interested in getting into painting, but doesn’t have the means to purchase any paint right now, as he is a college student concerned with finances.
A good user experience for Brad would mean easily finding any artists looking to give up basic painting supplies. Additionally, he would love to talk to them about tips on painting, and see if they have any advice for him as a newer artist.
Scenario 2
User: Chloe
Age: 28
Location: Ypsilanti, MI
Job: Freelance Artist
Background: Chloe just finished an art exhibition and has a lot of extra paint she is looking to get rid of. She doesn’t really care about getting anything for it, but knows she won’t use it because her next project is in textiles. Chloe is concerned about waste reduction, and is trying to practice a 0 waste lifestyle.
A good user experience for Chloe would mean someone quickly and easily coming across her profile and requesting the art supplies. This person would be close by to her, so it would be a smooth transition of materials. Additionally, being able to verify the safety of the person is important to her.
Competitive Analysis
Which option should we pursue?
Buy Nothing Project:
Non-monetary and eco-conscious, but group-based and not always accessible. General-purpose, not tailored to art supplies.
OfferUp / Letgo:
Local marketplace apps with broader item categories and monetary orientation.
Facebook Marketplace:
Broad platform for buying and selling. While free items are occasionally posted, it's primarily monetary and lacks artist-specific focus.
Easel's Edge:
- Niche, artist-focused community.
- Non-monetary exchange encourages accessibility.
- Gamified and social systems foster deeper engagement.
- Lightweight onboarding and browsing without account creation.
Ethical Considerations
User Safety is Non-Negotiable:
🛡️ Designing with a duty of care, especially for features that involve real-world meetups.
Accountability Through Design:
✅ AI and human review, verification, and override systems to support ethical user interactions.
Equity in Access & Moderation:
⚖️ Balancing accessibility with thoughtful gatekeeping to protect marginalized users from abuse.
Transparency-First Ethics:
🔍 Users are informed when actions (like changing locations) require re-verification, building informed consent into the UX.
Human-in-the-Loop Safeguards:
🤝 Combine AI with human judgment to prevent unfair flags or exclusions — avoids becoming overly reliant on automation.
Inspired by Ethical Precedents:
📚 Adapted successful models from platforms like Uber, while tailoring them to creative community needs.
Safety Features
Safety Considerations
Verification System:
🪪 Confirms user identity through profile checks.
Rating & Review Feature:
⭐ Builds trust and accountability among users.
Alert System (as shown):
🚨 Notifies users when changing meetup locations; prompts verification re-check.
Proximity Alerts & Popups:
📍 Warns users of location changes in meetups.
“Meetup Plan” Tool:
📝 Encourages sharing meetup details with trusted contacts.
Safe Exchange Zones:
🛑 Leverages monitored public areas for added protection.
Mitigation Measures:
🧠 Regular audits, AI & human moderation, rapid in-app reporting.
Potential Risks Addressed:
⚠️ Fraud, unsafe trades, and point-farming behaviors.
Low-Fidelity Prototype
The original app name was Re-Art but later changed to Easel to highlight the easily accessible and intuitive interface of the app. The design was originally inspired by Facebook Marketplace.
Future Iterations
As Easel continues to grow, we envision several key improvements and feature expansions to better serve our creative community and reinforce safety, sustainability, and accessibility:
🔍 Enhanced Discovery
- Introduce AI-powered recommendations for supplies based on past activity and interests.
- Add tag filtering and material categories to improve search efficiency.
👫 Community Expansion
- Enable users to create micro-communities or “circles” based on shared interests (e.g., printmakers, textile artists).
- Launch in-app forums or “studio spaces” for idea sharing and mentorship.
🌱 Sustainability Tracking
- Add a dashboard feature that tracks individual environmental impact—e.g., amount of waste diverted.
- Include seasonal challenges to promote reuse (e.g., “Spring Studio Swap”).
🛡️ Advanced Safety Measures
- Implement location blurring for posts until a match is verified.
- Expand moderation tools and develop user-led trust badges.
🤝 Partnership & Integration
- Collaborate with local art organizations and university programs to promote Easel and host real-life swap events.
- Explore integration with school art supply inventories to reduce redundancy and waste.
♿ Accessibility Improvements
- Ensure Easel is optimized for screen readers and voice commands.
- Offer a low-data mode for users in areas with limited connectivity.