CampusHub
Founder & Lead Product Designer
4 Months (MVP → Live Launch)
Progressive Web App
Students + Local Businesses
Previously Live · Paused
Executive Summary
CampusHub is a campus-centered marketplace designed to reduce fraud, improve listing discovery, and introduce accountability into informal student commerce ecosystems.
The platform supports both students and verified local businesses operating around campus (e.g. housing agents, service providers).
The MVP launched publicly and served early users before being paused due to funding constraints. The product architecture was built for long-term scalability and community expansion.
Problem Space
Campus commerce largely occurs through WhatsApp groups, Instagram DMs, and informal channels.
These environments lack listing structure, credibility signals, transaction context, and accountability systems.
Students face frequent fraud risks, while legitimate local vendors struggle with visibility and trust.
Core Product Architecture
Hybrid Verification Model
Student accounts verified via institutional email. Local businesses verified via documentation and profile review.
Category-Based Listings
Structured categories for goods, services, and housing reduce search friction.
Listing-Tied Messaging
Conversations are linked directly to listings, preserving context and reducing ambiguity.
Ad Lifecycle States
Active, Draft, Under Review, Hidden, and Declined statuses introduce moderation transparency.
Product Showcase
CampusHub was designed as a mobile-first progressive web application with structured listing systems, contextual messaging, and visible trust indicators embedded directly into the interface.
Home Feed & Category Navigation
Structured listing feed with filtering by category (housing, goods, services). Designed to reduce discovery friction compared to WhatsApp-based commerce.
Listing Detail & Contextual Messaging
Each conversation is tied directly to a specific listing, preserving transaction context and reducing ambiguity in negotiations.
Create Listing Flow
Streamlined posting system with structured inputs, pricing controls, and moderation-aware lifecycle states.
Hybrid Verification Model
Multi-step identity verification differentiates user types: students confirm institutional email, school ID, and selfie; non-students verify with government ID and selfie — embedding visible trust into every interaction.
Launch Impact & Early Metrics
450+
Registered Users
Students and local vendors onboarded within initial launch phase.
1,200+
Listings Created
Across goods, housing, and campus services.
38%
Repeat Seller Rate
Demonstrating early marketplace stickiness.
60%+
Conversation-to-Listing Engagement
High interaction rate through listing-linked messaging.
Strategic Learnings
Designing for semi-closed ecosystems requires balancing openness (local business access) with visible trust layers.
Early traction validated demand, but sustainable growth required capital for moderation scaling and campus expansion.
The product remains strategically viable and can be revived with a focused geographic rollout model.
