PostUp: Agile Project
Role: Solo UX/UI Designer
How might we help remote workers efficiently find good public places to work?
Introduction:
PostUp is a new startup where freelancers and remote workers share tips and advice. They’ve noticed that since COVID their users often discuss how they’re struggling to find good public places to work from. Their new goal is to build an app that solves this problem. I conducted a five day (23 hours) modified GV design sprint to quickly develop and test a possible solution.
I was provided with a brief that included extensive user research. I synthesized this research to help me focus in on the problem and come up with a possible solution.
The Problem:
Remote workers find it difficult and time-consuming to find public spaces where they can work that are not too crowded, noisy or expensive and have basic amenities.
The Solution:
Create an application that allows users to efficiently locate public spaces to work from that suit their needs.
Deliverables:
End-to-End User Experience Mappings, Lightning Demos, Crazy 8s, Solution Sketches, Storyboards, Prototypes, Interviews/Usability Testing.
Design Constraints:
Day 1: Understand and Map | (2 hours)
Interviews and User Research:
Existing research was utilized to find common themes and goals among the users. These findings were then synthisized to help me focus on the problem and come up with possible solutions.
Key Insights:
Applications that remote workers currently use to find places to work are geared towards food service. This is frustrating because it is time consuming to rifle through so much information.
Users want to see the following information: location (distance), photos of the space, number of tables available, type of seating, peak hours and a list of amenities.
Access to good WIFI, outlets and restrooms are most important. Food and coffee is a bonus.
End to End User Experience:
An end-to-end experience user experience with the product was mapped out. In order to find the best solution a couple of different scenarios were explored. The final design solution is a combination of option 1 and 2.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Day 2: Sprint | (3 hours)
Lightning Demos:
Modified lightning demos were conducted to understand what competitors have produced. I chose to evaluate Yelp and Google Maps since they are both search engines that are currently being utilized by people to locate places to work from.
1 >
2>
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Key Takeaways:
The use of tags is an efficient way for users to scan through a lot of content.
1 >
Images and reviews are located at the top of the page, making it easy and quick for users to see the most important information.
2 >
3 >
Option to sort and filter based on amenities and user needs.
Easy to visually understand the physical location of each place through destination summaries at the bottom of the map view.
4 >
Crazy Eights:
Possible solutions to the most critical screen were sketched using the crazy eights method. The information page was chosen as it is the most complex to design due to the amount of content on the page. It is also the most important screen, as the user will not be able to find a place to work without viewing this page.
Solution Sketch:
One sketch from the crazy eights exercise was selected to create a small-scale storyboard of how the user will interact with the application. This was achieved by drawing the screen that comes before and after the information page. This step is important because it begins to show how the screens will function in real life.
Day 3: Decide | (3 hours)
Storyboard:
A storyboard of the main user journey was created to serve as a lightweight wireframe to build the prototype. The sketch prototype demonstrates how the user can find and filter through results based on the type of work they will be doing as well as the location they want to work from. The user also has the option to view the seating floor plan for more detail on the size of the space, type of seating and number of seats. The creation of a storyboard is useful because it allows me to visualize how the user will move from page to page to accomplish a task.
Day 4: Prototype (7.5 hours)
Prototype:
An interactive high fidelity prototype of the application was created to understand the functionality of the screens and the user flow. The following are a few of the high-fidelity screens that were designed. A video and link to the final interactive prototype is located in the next section of the case study.
Day 5: Test | (7.5 hours)
Usability Test:
A usability test was conducted to gather feedback on the prototype and understand if the application is intuitive and easy to use. The test was conducted on five remote workers between the age of 25 and 35.
Tasks:
Find a coffee shop nearby where the user can conduct an in-person meeting with a client.
Select a location that has wifi, outlets and a bathroom.
Review the description to see additional amenities and suitability
Look at the floor plan to see more detail on the space.
Save cafe to favourites and add to an existing collection.
Feedback:
Users found the application very straightforward to use.
Some icons are hard to read or understand
Would like to see outlets on floor plan.
Would like the exact number of tables and seats available visible on the information page, so that they can avoid clicking on the floor plan.
Most test participants said they would probably not pay for the application unless they could book a table.
Overall, the test participants were very satisfied with the application as it was easy to use and it addressed their needs and challenges with finding locales to work remotely from. The next step in the design process would be identifying solutions that make potential users feel the application is worth paying a monthly fee for. This could be achieved through the option to book tables, especially those by outlets which are highly valued real estate!
Outcome: