Background
PostUp is a new startup that wants to make it easier for freelancers and remote workers to find great coffee shops and public spaces to work from. They did user interviews to learn user pain points, and research on current method users used to seek for gaps and opportunities.
Based on the current research, this is a 5-day design sprint to come up with possible solutions.
Day 1
Synthesize research findings
Based on the highlight quotes from user interviews, some common themes were revealed on freelancers’ needs and frustrations.
Meet Nina
User Goal
Less time on finding, more time on working.
How might we…
help freelancers find places that match their criterias to work?
help freelancers minimize the time spent on finding places to work?
better show the space for working so that freelancers can quickly decide if they want to go there?
Identify the commonalities
Day 2
Brainstorming
I then did the Crazy 8’s study to quickly generate different ideas.
Lighting demo
Yelp
Google Map
Zillow
Airbnb
Based on the interview, the main method of looking for a remote work place among users now is simply by using google maps. I looked at Yelp, Google Maps, Zillow and Airbnb to see how their search and filter function works to gather inspiration.
Day 3
Decision making
Storyboard
Design prioritization matrix was used to help determine the 3 design aspects to further develop - map view, filter options and pick 5 for user. I then created a storyboard to better understand the scenario from the user’s perspective.
Day 4
Prototyping
Often times, it’s hard to make a decision because there are too many choices. The home screen of the app provides you the top 5 picks based on your needs, this helps you narrow down the choices.
Filtering before viewing
Similar to a dating app, setting your criterias before you view the results help on getting a more precise result that matches your needs and thus saves time on browsing.
Narrow down your choices
Scannable information
Display useful information to help determine if this place has all the amenities the user needs. Showing “Remote workers’ top choice” will bring the user the sense of immediate connection.
Day 5
Make sure it works
Final day is to do some usability test to make sure it works.
I conducted 5 remote usability test, all 5 users were able to accomplish the tasks without any question.
Takeaways
Narrow down the problem.
To analyze what the deeper problem is, and then brainstorm solutions focusing on the specific problem is easier to come up with a more effective solution. In this case, “too many options” is the real problem that we needed to solve.