Kula / Shared economy

A neighbourhood resource, already nearby

A peer-to-peer product for finding, sharing and returning useful things within a community.

Sector: Shared economy
Contribution: Co-founder + Product Designer
Services: Product strategy · UX research · Product design
Period: Archive project

A first-time sharing platform shaped around nearby people, useful things and a dependable exchange.

Project overview

People often need an object briefly, while the same object sits unused close by; trust and coordination make the exchange harder than discovery.

Kula explored how a neighbourhood could share useful things without turning every exchange into a purchase. The product connected discovery, availability, requests, hand-off and return while recognising that trust is part of the interface. Profiles and item context supported confidence, but the service avoided pretending that reputation alone resolves every real-world exchange. As a co-founded product, the work included product direction as well as interface design. This preview preserves the central journey and the decisions that turned an emergency rental idea into a broader community marketplace.

DUKU’s contribution

What we helped make clear.

DUKU shaped the product proposition, listing and request journeys, community trust cues and the service flow from discovery through return.

The central product idea

Sharing is not only a search problem. The preview focuses on how availability, identity, coordination and return states work together to make a local exchange feel dependable.

Kula product problem and challenge with mobile screens — The proposition connects nearby need with items that would otherwise sit unused.

Kula role, solution and mobile request flows — Product direction and interaction design were developed together.

Kula marketplace shown in a domestic borrowing context — The experience was designed for brief, ordinary needs rather than another permanent purchase.

Kula identity verification and item request screens — Identity, item detail and coordination make trust part of the flow.

Kula operations dashboard with listings and exchange activity — The operating view brings listings, users and active exchanges into one place.

Kula end-to-end user flow map — The service was mapped from discovery and listing through hand-off and return.