Reducing Clothing Waste on Ajio: Designing a Seamless In-App Donation Experience
My closet kept filling up, but figuring out what to do with old clothes always felt like a separate task I’d “get to later.” Even as someone trying to be mindful, convenience kept winning over intention. This led me to design a donation experience within Ajio (yes, my delivery driver and I are on a first-name basis now )that makes responsible disposal as effortless as buying.
"I know I should donate these clothes… but it’s a hassle to even start"
Clothing often sits unused—not because people don’t care, but because acting responsibly feels inconvenient. The lack of awareness, accessible options, and seamless integration into existing behaviors leads users to default to disposal. This gap between intention and action results in increased textile waste, highlighting an opportunity to embed sustainability directly into the shopping journey on Ajio.
"If this was built into the app, I’d actually donate my clothes instead of putting it off"
User research showed that while people wanted to donate clothes, the lack of a convenient and accessible process stopped them from following through. To solve this, I designed a dedicated donation feature within Ajio that allows users to schedule doorstep pickups for used clothing and receive rewards through the existing system. The feature is accessible via the homepage and follows a simple, guided flow—from selecting items to confirming pickup—making the process easy to understand and complete. By reusing familiar UI patterns and aligning with Ajio’s reward structure and brand constraints, the feature integrates smoothly into the platform while remaining distinct. The result is a solution that lowers the effort required to act sustainably, without interfering with the core shopping experience.
Off the record
I definitely had a “main character syndrome” moment here—I tried to make the donation feature impossible to miss… for a feature most users wouldn’t even use daily. Also spent way too long designing shiny new components before realizing Ajio already had perfectly good ones. Lesson learned: design with the system, not against it.
Transforms sustainability into a value-generating feature by embedding responsible behavior directly into the core product experience.
Increases user retention through rewards-driven engagement
Enhances brand perception as a sustainability-focused platform
Unlocks a new engagement loop beyond transactions
01
Build the logistics and partner ecosystem
02
Introduce transparency in the donation journey.
03
Refine reward economics for long-term sustainability