Phenix Case Studies

The People

We targeted students at the University of Maine, and other similar campuses.

The Issue

The students at the University of Maine, as well as numerous other colleges across the lands, are often plagued with spending too much on textbooks, and then receiving an inadequate amount in return, when selling those books. Frequently, many students decide to either keep the books, or throw them away, instead of selling them to someone else. University textbooks costs students a massive amount of money while earning a degree, second only to the tuition.

The University Bookstores do tend to have book buy-back programs, however, most students who utilize these opportunities often leave feeling ripped off. The bookstores pay too little for the books, and then plunk them back on the shelves at a marked-up cost again.

The Solution

We conceived Undercutters to provide a complete service in aiding students selling books directly to one another, without having an expensive middleman.  This system includes a comprehensive searching tool, as well as an easy-to-use interface for adding books, which includes a built-in library of information about the books that the students do not need to fill in. Since Undercutters is focused on local economy, much convolution is cut from of the picture, leaving the system with the simple task of connecting student to student. In order to put our best foot forward, we recruited PixelHiveDesign to design the face of Undercutters, our collegiate and rebellious logo. PHD also laid the foundation for the web design.

The Result

Students walk away from college having saved much more money than they would have otherwise.  They spend less on books, as well as get more money back when they're done.

Additional Media from this Project