Goal
To consolidate the information of a home/neighborhood, while providing a more transparent, easy to comprehend view of all life in the neighborhood.
MY PROCESS
1.
Empathize- Who are my users and what are their needs and pain points?
Contents
I researched competitors such as Zillow, Redfin and Turlia to determine how these applications utilized various functions and possible pain points users might have which each one.
MoveFinder is an online application designed to help those who are moving to a new location and want a more detailed feel of that neighborhood.
Role: UX and UI Designer
Timeline: 5 weeks - 80+ hours
Tools Used: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Figma
This was a ficticious scenario as part of the UX Design Academy
Competitive Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Interviews
Problem Statements
Personas
I created two personas to help me explore the needs of specific users from their perspective
Problem
Users are having to use too many sources when researching a location to move to and taking too much time when researching a new location Users also find that they are not getting an authentic view of their intended neighborhoods.
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
Component Library
High Fidelity Wireframes
Feature Set
Now that the goals are defined, I proceeded to prioritize features based on impact and effort.
I then interviewed 5 different users to understand pain points they experienced when using different goal apps. I gathered users of different ages, demographics and home ownership backgrounds in order to gain a wholistic view of the needs of all home buyers.
Interview Goals:
Gather information from a variety of home buyers with various intentions and home buying stages
Determine what features users find important when researching home buying/renting
Determine what pain points users have experienced when using competing applications
What are similar values and opinions when buying a home?
Summary of User Interviews and Survey
Values
All 5 users expressed that they value being able to utilize multiple features at once. Many of them were compromising with partners, or needed a more personalized search when looking up a community. Most users also valued a transparent view of not just the homes, but the community and culture within a neighborhood.
Pain Points and Frustrations
A reoccurring pain point with all users was that they were having to use multiple applications when looking for a home. For example, users might use Zillow to find home prices, but then switch to Trulia when looking up what the neighborhood looks like. Users spent too much time with multiple applications. Users also found that some of the filters were not personalized enough to their specific needs.
Problem Statements
I created multiple “Point of View” statements as well as “How Might We” in order to empathize with user pain points.
Point of View Statements
I’d like to explore more ways to show statistics visually because users prefer to have options when researching information
I’d like to be able to highlight and prioritize authentic reviews or reviews from users to be able to avoid bias
I thought users would find more discoveries when looking for a place to move, but after talking to people I learned users already have a stipulation or a must have; therefore, users need to have an initial filter when searching for a location.
How Might We Statements
How might we show location statistics in a way that is easier to comprehend visually and takes less steps?
How might we prioritize reviews from users who are from the area or don’t show bias?
How might we personalize and filter searches to the needs of specific users?
User Interviews
2.
Define- What are the user needs and pain points?
Contents
I sorted the responses into different categories. These were defined by pain points, and what users wanted the app to look like. The categories were also decided on repeated responses.
Affinity Map
Affinity Map
Personas
Project Goals
Feature Set
Project Goals
I created a venn diagram listing both user goals as well as business goals to see where both align and what goals to prioritize.
3.
Ideate- How will users navigate to the end point?
Contents
I created two user flows for users to problem solve how a user would both login to their profile and also completes a search
User Flows
User Flows
Takeaways
Users need alternative paths when applying filters
Users need to be re routed when they make mistakes or wrong inputs
Users should be re routed back to the home page when completing onboarding or signing in
Takeaways
4.
Prototype- Let’s Design it!
Contents
Design Patterns
Design Patterns
Component Library
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
High Fidelity Wireframes
Prototype
Prototype
5.
Testing- Let’s see if it works!
Contents
I conducted usability testing on 5 users to receive feedback and any pain points that users are experiencing. I created feedback grids, affinity clusters, and then determined the severity of each piece of feedback.
Revisions
Usability Testing
Usability Testing
Revisions
Conclusions
Interactive Favorites
Users wanted to be able to receive feedback when liking or favoriting something. So, I created an interactive prototype so users knew when they clicked on the like button
Conclusions
Reflection
Because this was my first project as a UX designer, I learned so many invaluable skills to take into my next projects. I learned that so much of the user’s experience is not only how they interact with the product, but the research that goes into why they make the choices they do. As a designer, I have become much more empathetic while working with the user, and have learned to remove much of my own personal bias.
Takeways
I have become much more proficient while working in Figma. I found myself utilizing components much more and saving time.
I would like to see myself removing my own bias from the interview process. I found myself targeting the questions towards a specific answer. I need to be more open ended when interviewing users
I want to ask about more pain points the user is experiencing.
I would like to take more time with the low fidelity wireframes to save time in the long run.