PostUp is a startup concept where remote workers share tips and advice. Recently, they have noticed that there has been an uptick in discussions surrounding finding good public places to work from. To quickly test out ideas that attend to these users' needs, a 5-Day design sprint was conducted to create a prototype of a potential solution that can help with PostUp's business goals. For this project, I was the sole UX Designer and the design brief and research data were provided by Bitesize UX.
PostUp has provided the following design constraints:
1. Design as a mobile app
2. Finding existing places
3. Charge a monthly fee of $5.99/month for unlimited access
The first day consisted of learning about remote workers' current methods of finding a place to work. PostUp provided user testimonials and a user interview for review, and an Affinity Map was created to find common themes and pain points between all users.
Based on the user data, there were 3 main takeaways:
1. Amenities: Wi-fi, outlets, and bathrooms were the most important amenities
2. Time: People want to spend less time finding a place to work from
3. Crowd: Users want to know if seats are available
With a stronger understanding of what users wanted, a Customer Journey Map was created to help draft an end-to-end experience that a user might have when using the potential product. Referring back to the Affinity Map, I concluded that there were a few limiting factors that would make or break a location. This was highlighted as a critical path that users would need to go through to find the perfect place to work.
A lot was learned about the user in just one day. I was able to assess exactly what a user wanted, understood how people currently find a place to work, and fully mapped out the barebones of a product which will direct us throughout the rest of the sprint. With these in mind, how will these be translated onto paper and into the hands of the user?
The second day came quickly with Lightning Demos as the first exercise. I needed to find out what worked and what didn't in the current market.
To start, I looked at blog sites, however, they provided minimal information and it was clear that it would not be enough for PostUp users. Searching the app store for apps dedicated to finding places to work in cafes did not produce great results either as they had limited features.
In the end, I referred back to the User Interview on what apps were being used to find a place to work: Google Maps and Yelp. These have a ton of features, however, they were not catered to remote workers and freelancers.
To get ideas fast, a round of Crazy 8s was conducted. My way of approaching this exercise was to laser focus on certain amenities such as distance or crowd level and generate an idea surrounding this amenity. One interesting idea was similar to Snapchat's Map Explore feature. Users would be able to see how the density of a cafe to make their decision.
In the end, I decided on a design that would be familiar to users' current methods. Under Jakob's Law, users are likely using Google Maps and Yelp in their current process. I did not stray too far from this when drawing out the Critical Screens.
With a head full of ideas, it was easy to get off track. The main takeaway from Day 2 was that a good idea does not have to be sophisticated. It is important to learn where to draw the line between art and design. Users want something they are familiar with.
On the third day, all proposed ideas converged into one final design. The ideation stage helped provide possible solutions, and now, the decision stage helps put those ideas into context.
To do this, I expanded on the User Persona that was previously provided by PostUp to include the currently used apps and amenities that were highlighted in the Affinity Map. Nina, the featured user, was then placed on a Storyboard. This allowed me to see the situation from her eyes and go through the process: from opening the app to finding a place to work.
During the storyboarding process, I remembered to keep in mind the business needs of PostUp. In order to charge customers $5.99/month, I proposed a "freemium" business model.
I believed users should be able to freely search and save locations that match their requirements or else they would revert back to using Google Maps or Yelp. However, if a user opted to pay for a premium PostUp+ account, they would be able to reserve a seat, along with required amenities at locations that work in collaboration with PostUp. These locations are notated with the "PostUp+ Approved Location" Badge.
With a deeper understanding of how a user may potentially use this app, it was time to create a prototype to put in the hand of potential users to test.
To create the prototype, I used PostUp's colour scheme and Google's Material Design System. This allowed me to quickly draft up a prototype to be used for Usability Testing.
After the prototype was completed, it was important to understand how well the app would be received by remote workers looking to find a place to work. Five (5) participants who regularly work from home or at cafes/libraries were chosen to complete a Usability Test.
The goal was to see how users would interact with the app and how each flow can be optimized to create a better user experience. Usability Test data revealed three main points to improve on:
1. Show Users Why They are Using PostUp
2. Expand the User Reviews Section
3. Improve the Reservation Feature
" When I enter the app, I do not know what it is for"
"I am not sure what this green badge is for"
During Usability Testing, participants were not compelled to complete any action on the Landing Page. It was not clear to 3/5 of participants what their first click should be. I needed to create stronger messaging on "Why is the user on this page".
Additionally, all of the participants did not understand what the PostUp+ Approved Location badge meant. It was in an awkward place by itself and did not relate to any information in proximity.
To address these issues, I wanted to bring clarification and focus to the features that make PostUp useful. Iterations are shown below:
"It was not clear that lowering or raising your requirements would result in more spots."
The reservation overlay was the most misunderstood feature of the prototype. Participants did not see the point of adding or subtracting the requirements. They also associated subtraction with taking away a requirement.
These screens were improved by expanding on what "Review Requirements" meant, providing details on the number of amenities available, and simplifying how users choose requirements. Iterations are shown below:
"I was confused if the numbers meant 6 outlets or 6 votes"
When going through the User Reviews feature during the Usability Testing, I was expecting the minimalistic design to fail. However, I wanted to test its limit and see if users would be able to understand if the numbers meant "number of items" or "number of votes". It did better than expected with 2/5 of the participants understanding precisely what the numbers meant.
I also asked participants if showing just the votes was enough to make an informed decision. Out of all the participants, only 1 mentioned the need to see comments. The other participants agreed that the addition of comments would be helpful when it was mentioned by myself first.
To improve the User Reviews feature, I changed the heading to "Community Votes", as this was a better representation of the information provided. An up and downvote icon was added to each amenity. The likes and dislikes were also put into separate sections for clear messaging. I was still adamant about showcasing User Feedback without comments. Having comments would be added in the future, however, I did not believe the MVP required it.
Iterations are shown below:
As I completed this design sprint to complete a prototype for PostUp, I had 3 key learnings:
1. My obsession with producing a minimalistic design can and will turn around to bite me. There is a fine line between minimalism and lack of information.
2. The best idea does not have to push boundaries to create something completely new. Great apps are inspired by other great apps. They are then tailored to their specific problem.
3. It is important to know what features are required for the MVP, and which features can be put in during the second phase of a product.
