Goal: Research and test client’s existing app design
Timeline: 3 weeks
Team: Amy Wagner, Ben Pangilinan, Alex Turzinski and George Brown
Deliverables: Heuristics evaluation, Competitive analysis, Wireframes, Hi-fi prototype
The Challenge
Wrkspace is a mobile app designed to help make accessing co-working spaces easier. Its goal is to unite co-working spaces through a membership model by giving its members access to a variety of co-working locations across the country.
My team and I were tasked with researching and testing the cofounders original designs for the app and improving the overall UI.
Research
After having an initial kickoff call with the client to discuss the parameters of the project, he provided us with the original app designs that he made in Canva, as well as his pitch deck. He wanted us to take his designs and create a hi fidelity prototype of the app that he could show to stakeholders. Additionally, he had some concerns about his business model and wanted to see how he could make Wrkspace more financially viable. Our team started by researching the current market and really diving into the needs and wants of potential users.
Methods: User Interviews, Market Research, Competitive Analysis, User Flow
Businesses are closing their offices
As the pandemic continues, businesses are closing their offices and transitioning their workforce online.
Increase in demand
Studies show that the number of co-working spaces is projected to reach over 40,000 by 2026, which is double the number in 2021.
Corporate co-working
The biggest trend shaping the industry is the rise of the corporate co-worker. Increasingly, companies are leveraging co-working spaces to decentralize their office space and support employees that wish to work closer to home.
The great resignation
Research shows that workers would either quit or start looking for a new job if required to return full-time.
User Interviews
We interviewed 10 people about their current workspace and history with co-working spaces. After affinity mapping our responses, we focused on a few key themes:
- Users want to have information about a space before they book it
- Users have trouble finding a space that fits their practical and emotional needs
- Users find the booking process to be difficult
Persona’s
Based on our research, we decided to focus on 2 different persona’s. We wanted to showcase the potential for this app to be used for companies wanting office space for their employees, as well as for individual users.
John
Bio: John is a 36 year old father of 4 who is also a product manager at a tech company. His job is fully remote, and he has a hard time focusing at his home office.
Needs: He needs an app that can efficiently help him find a coworking space that has all of the amenities and comforts of a home office.
Cheryl
Bio: Cheryl is the Director of Office Operations for an ad agency in New York. Her agency’s lease is too expensive to maintain, and due to the pandemic, most of her staff are working a hybrid model.
Needs: She is looking to find offices with cheaper prices and flexible leases, and is interested in using a coworking space as a substitute for a business office. She needs an app that can help her find a coworking space for her employees to work from during the pandemic.
John and Cheryl’s User Flows
Design and Iteration
We started by building out lo-fidelity grayscale wireframes in Figma. We tried to focus on the Member Portal, from onboarding and booking, to confirmation and account management. We then performed usability testing on our lo-fidelity wireframes, where we had users try and book a coworking space for both an individual user and a company. While users liked the flow, content and ease of the app, it was apparent that we needed to improve a few areas.
Issues that came up during usability testing:
- Users thought the 3 blocks were clickable buttons, rather than steps for how to use the app
- Users wanted to view the plans before getting a free trial
- Users were confused about the small arrow at the bottom of the page
We made a few design iterations based off of the feedback from our usability tests.
- Removed the blocks around the numbered steps
- Adjusted the click-to-action button to say “Select A Plan”
- Removed the next arrow
Next Steps
- When presenting our research and designs, we pitched the idea that opening Wrkspace up to corporations might bring in more revenue than individual users.
- The client was onboard with the direction we had taken, but still needed to get coworking spaces to partner with him in order for this membership based model to work.
- The clients next steps are to use our hi-fidelity prototype in his pitch deck to help showcase his vision to potential stakeholders.