MoveOut Match

Inspiration

Moving out and moving in create opposite problems: one student needs to get rid of belongings, while another needs to find affordable essentials. We wanted to connect those needs through MoveOut Match, a platform that helps students pass on furniture and dorm supplies instead of throwing them away.

What it does

MoveOut Match is a proposed platform where students moving out can list items for free or for sale, and students moving in can find what they need. Listings would include photos, condition, price, and pickup dates. Students could search by campus and category, reserve items, and coordinate pickup. Our goal is to make reuse convenient during a busy transition while helping students save money and reduce waste.

How we developed the idea

For the Ideathon track, we focused on developing the concept and implementation plan. We started with a broader community borrowing idea, then narrowed it to student move-outs because it gives the project a specific audience and a clear use case. We outlined the main user journey: listing an item, finding a match, reserving it, and completing the handoff. Our proposed pilot would begin at one campus with a few categories, such as desks, chairs, and storage supplies. This submission presents a concept rather than a working website.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest planning challenge was timing: students may move out months before new students arrive. Scheduled pickups could help when dates overlap, but longer gaps would require storage or a campus partnership that we have not yet established. Other challenges included preventing missed pickups, communicating item condition accurately, and making the idea more useful than a general marketplace. We addressed these in our proposal through campus-specific browsing, clear availability dates, and reservation confirmations.

What we learned

Developing the idea helped us recognize that sustainability solutions need to fit people's schedules and practical needs. A student may want to pass on an item but struggle to find someone who can collect it in time. We also learned to distinguish activity from impact. Counting items exchanged would be useful, but asking recipients whether they avoided buying something new would provide a better indication of the project's potential environmental benefit.

What's next for MoveOut Match

Our next steps would be to interview students and campus housing staff, create interface mockups, and test interest in a small pilot. We would measure completed handoffs, missed pickups, and reported purchases avoided to understand whether MoveOut Match delivers practical value.

Built With

• google-drive
• google-slides
• powerpoint