How can cost-sharing among peers become more accessible, trustworthy, and flexible?
PROBLEM VALIDATION:
I conducted research to understand whether people were willing to share expenses with unfamiliar peers and identify what prevented them from doing so. I focused on trust, payment commitment, compatibility, and the types of expenses users were most interested in sharing.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
I distributed a questionnaire through WhatsApp, email, Reddit, LinkedIn, and university groups, collecting 35+ responses. It explored users’ willingness to share costs, preferred services, and concerns around trust and payments.
IN-PERSON USER INTERVIEWS:
I conducted 10+ real-world conversations with students, professionals, renters, and solo-living individuals at universities, gyms, and co-working spaces. These conversations helped me understand their past experiences, fears, and expectations around sharing expenses.
SURVEY INSIGHTS:
The survey insights helped validate both the demand for cost-sharing and the barriers preventing people from participating. While users showed strong interest in sharing essential and recurring expenses, concerns around trust, reliable partners, and payment management remained the biggest challenges.
Barriers to Cost-Sharing
Most Desired Sharing Categories
BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY FRAMEWORK:
I used this framework to differentiate ShareEase from basic bill-splitting apps by reducing informal processes and creating a more secure system built around verified users, compatible matching, automated payments, and digital agreements.
CONCEPT EVOLUTION & REFINEMENT:
The initial concept focused only on helping users split expenses. Research revealed that users also needed trust, compatible partners, secure payments, and clearer responsibilities, which transformed ShareEase into a more structured cost-sharing platform.
PROTOTYPE TESTING:
I tested four core features and the overall interaction flow with 20+ users from different backgrounds using scenario-based questions, Figma walkthroughs, and quick feedback prompts. The testing showed that users prioritized trust, layered verification, control over matching, neighborhood-specific results, and the ability to explore before committing.
FINAL DESIGN SCREENS:
Using insights from prototype testing, I developed the final ShareEase experience around trust, control, and exploration before commitment. The screens guide users from onboarding and verification to service selection, location preferences, compatible matches, group discovery, and secure cost-sharing management.
Onboarding & Preference Setup:
This section guides users through account access, phone verification, personal details, identity preferences, and service selection to create a secure and personalized ShareEase profile.
WHERE SHAREEASE FITS:
ShareEase sits at the intersection of roommate matching, expense management, and informal peer-to-peer communities. Unlike fragmented tools that solve only one part of the experience, ShareEase combines compatibility-based matching, verified profiles, automated payments, and digital agreements in one trusted cost-sharing platform.
IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY:
ShareEase has the potential to turn informal cost-sharing into a trusted and scalable experience. By combining compatibility, verification, and payment accountability, it can make shared access to housing, subscriptions, and everyday services more practical for a growing market.
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