Liwen Portfolio

BURO

Redefining Borrowing &

Lending with Trust and Convenience

Overview

Empowering Communities through Seamless Borrowing

Every year, millions of household items—tools, appliances, sports gear—are bought, used once, and forgotten. At the same time, people hesitate to lend their belongings due to lack of trust, damage concerns, or complicated logistics. BURO is designed to solve this gap by making borrowing and lending frictionless, transparent, and secure.

The Problem

I’m hesitant to lend because I don’t know if I’ll get my item back in good condition.

– Lender

It takes too much effort to find someone and arrange pickup and return times.

– Borrower

What happens if the item is lost or broken? There’s no system to handle it.

– Lender

Challenge #1

Inefficient Borrowing Process

Challenge #2

Lack of Trust & Security

Challenge #3

No Standardized System for Accountability

Borrowing lacks trust, ease, and security. Lenders fear losing items, while borrowers struggle with unreliable sources and unclear agreements.

🔍 Competitive Insights

No built-in trust, high coordination friction

Expensive, limited selection, inconvenient

No system for accountability, awkward social dynamics

The sharing economy is projected to grow to $335 billion by 2025 (PwC Report). Yet, peer-to-peer borrowing remains underdeveloped

The Solution

Challenge #1

Inefficient Borrowing Process

Challenge #2

Lack of Trust & Security

Challenge #3

No Standardized System for Accountability

A Seamless, Secure Borrowing Experience

BURO introduces a structured, trust-based borrowing system that eliminates uncertainty and streamlines the process.

Understanding Borrower & Lender Journeys

“I assume people will lose or break my stuff.”

Understanding Borrower & Lender Journeys

Opportunity:

Efficient search

Providing substitution

Opportunity:

Easy way to reach out to trusted lenders

Opportunity:

Clear instructions on using the item

Opportunity:

Lender satisfaction

Features & Iterations:

How BURO Solves Borrowing Challenges

BURO enables secure, seamless borrowing with:

✔ Verified Profiles & Ratings → Trust between lenders & borrowers

✔ Real-Time Tracking & Deposits → Prevents loss & damage

🎯 Design Goal: Reduce uncertainty, increase lending confidence.

✔ Real-Time Tracking & Deposits → Prevents loss & damage

🎯 Design Goal: Reduce uncertainty, increase lending confidence.

Harry’s

Message

Klein Tools Multi-Bit Screwdriver

Nov 08 - Nov 12

Request accepted

Pickup item condition video

Return at

10:00 AM

At 1234 Rondge Pl Ste #123, New York

Lender’s item condition video

Waiting for update

Confirm with the lender that the video has been taken.

Confirmed with the lender

Return

Before vs. After BURO (User Journey)

Let’s Meet Casey: A NYC grad who doesn’t want to buy everything but hates the hassle of borrowing.

User Testing & Insights

Did BURO Improve the Borrowing Experience?

We conducted usability testing with 6 participants, measuring: 📊 Satisfaction Score: Borrowers 8.67/10, Lenders 8.50/10 📊 Trust in the Platform: 8.08/10 📊 Pain Points Fixed:

❌ Confusing pickup & return → ✅ Real-time tracking added

❌ Lender security concerns → ✅ Borrower verification & deposit system

❌ Unclear item condition → ✅ Photo verification before & after lending

Iteration: After analyzing feedback, we implemented trust-building features that improved borrowing confidence by 42%.

Final Outcome & Future Vision

BURO’s Impact & Next Steps

BURO’s Success Metrics:

✅ Increased borrowing confidence → Higher engagement rates

✅ Reduced friction → Faster transaction completion

✅ Stronger lender retention → More repeat users & active lenders

Next Steps:

📍 Investor Outreach → Expanding BURO into a scalable business model. 📍 UX Refinement → Further simplifying transaction flows.

📍 Expansion to New Markets → Adapting BURO for more cities & communities.

Test changes and design for edge cases

💭

Find Investors and present BURO to market

💰

Next Steps

Hiring engineer to bring the product to reality

🧑‍💻

BURO

Redefining Borrowing &

Lending with Trust and Convenience

Roles

Tools

TEAM

3 UX Designers ( Including me)

Figma

FigJam

Adobe Creative Suite

DURATION

3 months,

September - December 2024

Lead Product Designer

Overview

In dense urban neighborhoods, people often purchase tools or services they only need once, such as a power drill, a ladder, or event photography, even when storage space is limited. These resources go unused, while others nearby may be actively searching for the exact same things.

For people who are new to a neighborhood or experiencing temporary life changes, the issue is not a lack of resources. It is the absence of a simple and trusted way to find and borrow what they need.