Designer Note:
WHAT IS BENPAL?
BenPal is a social media platform created and inspired by the notion: Sharing Economy.
On the basis of the criteria about Sharing Economy, I describe it as having two-sided benefit, briefly.
As we know the world is globalasing increasingly everyday. Unfortunately, we still have strict and non-remedial limitations to acces products of whole world and it’s a well-know fact that it is not easy.
Therefore questioning that ‘How can we overcome of those limitations with considering Sharing Economy?’
There are only 38.67 million backpackers in USA in 2015. This means people love travelling around the world. Far-East, India and Europe is also becoming popular as well day by day. Therefore BenPal is created to provide specified or desired products to every willing people, while the other people who travel abroad is just travelling and gaining money.
That also means there are millions not using their carrying rights that their passport have granted. For instance, in Turkey, there are some limitations about only laptops and phones from abroad and Turkey’s customs duty is extreme on many goods such as electronics, foods and beverages. Hence, ‘Friends for benefits’ is a good option to solve the problem of customs duty. This way, one side can gain money by taking commission and keep travelling while the other side is paying for the product cheaper without severe tax and only pay for domestic cargo fee + BenPal’s commision.
This site is designed to be quite beneficial to be used. Interface logic is simple and much more funny and friendly than other classic trade based or sharing economy system based website.
1- After choosing one of the social media elements given (for instance, it is chosen mail below) to login, enter required information to blanks by clicking on them and continue. Login and Sign Up buttons are also placed on the left side of the page's top.
2- If you are not member, you can click 'SIGN UP' button.
3- If you are a new member, you must enter all the questioning spesifications and click 'SIGN UP NOW!' button. BenPal aims to be a high-protected website. It deliberates against scammers, therefore an official/national ID pin/code or number is a must to be registered.
4- The top of the page here it seems general bar providing -in oder from left to right- searching for shopping, reporting an ad for a product you need, finding a specified BenPal, seeing news about the people you added or Benpal.com's activities and events, 'Shopping' icon to see progress and history of your shopping adventure, notifications, visiting your own profile director, and help, settings or logging out section.
5-After a quick start, you can search for a trusted, respectful pal. BenPal also allows you to see general information about the user you check, to read about the comments left for him/her, his/her pictures and updates shared. (P.S.: AdmiRation is only can be evaluated and altered by BenPal.com by considering feedbacks and his/her prooved, real acts such as submitting the pack on the given period or buying the pack with any problem, etc.)
6-The profile is being checked, also has an easy usage in terms of checking his/her activity in website such as coming or next delivery/receiving data.
7- After classification and decision of price and additional notes, by clicking 'GO TO SHOP', the user is directed to the page of ads which is coherent to described criteria.
8- User can make offerings, like the given products or report, ban, etc.them.
9- On the left column, it is easy to leave an ad to site very fast.
10- By clicking on the picture, more detailed view and countination to payment is available.
11- On the left column, 'WANT TO STATE A NEED?' section is placed which is very easy to fill and start to process.
12- On the right column, it is possible to check your coming delveries and receivings.
13- After electronic/online payment step takes place.
14- 'Pack Tracking' column is displayed after clicking 'Complete Payment'.
15- Generating ad panel is also displayed below.
16- To illustarte, sharing economy is the new black. People being seller are able to hire their passport quota and add a proper price for it. The buyers are able to buy the product they want easier and cheaper since the expensive customs duty is not applied. Backpackers/travellers who will go back or pass through the buyer's country can deliver its pack to carrier when s/he arrives to the buyer pal's country and after submit a valid tracking code to the buyer pal and BenPal.com. Thus, the buyer checks and gets his/her pack this way.
