MOVEU
Timeframe + Logistics
MY INVOLVEMENT
80 hours of comprehensive design work: end-to-end design. This work involved: creating a research plan, conducting secondary and competitive research, conducting user interviews, developing user personas, defining the mood board, organizing information through task flows, synthesizing research, creating lo-fi and hi-fi wireframes, conducting usability testing, developing a UI kit, revising hi-fi wireframes and prototype.
TEAM
Individual Capstone Project - DesignLab 2023
Project Overview
STORY
In the United States, an individual typically relocates 11.4 times in their lifetime. This means planning and executing moves frequently, either with professional movers or through DIY efforts. Regardless of the chosen approach, moving is often a source of frustration, with many users expressing a sense of disorganization throughout the process.
Enter MoveU—a comprehensive solution that streamlines your moving needs. By completing our "book a move" questionnaire, you let MoveU take over. We compile a roster of pre-screened and validated moving contractors, guaranteeing you're in direct contact with contractors, not brokers. After reviewing these verified professionals, you can select the best match based on cost, location, and availability. At every phase of your move, MoveU ensures your confidence and preparedness. Through our messaging portal, contractors and movers can communicate, sparing you the hassle of calls or unanswered voicemails. Before and during your move, a detailed task list from MoveU keeps you on track.
PROBLEM
Moving to a new place is often overwhelming and stressful. From planning movers to packing and keeping track of the move process, moving to a new place is a disorganized and frustrating process.
Competitive Analysis
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Gaining industry insights and studying rivals is pivotal in shaping MoveU's business strategy. By capitalizing on competitors' weaknesses and acknowledging their strengths, MoveU can carve out its unique competitive advantage.
User Interviews
DISCOVERING PAIN POINTS
Conducting 10 semi-structured interviews, I unearthed user pain points and collected qualitative data. This shaped personas, pinpointed problems, and offered invaluable behavior insights. Zoom sessions facilitated interviews, with audio transcripts aiding reflection on conversations.
MAGIC WAND QUESTION
The "magic wand question" has proven insightful and useful in user interviews. It empowers interviewees to imagine an ideal scenario without constraints. Here are a few responses I gathered while asking: "If you could use a magic wand to shape your ideal online moving experience, how would it look? What tools would be most valuable?"
User Personas
A REPRESENTATION OF USERS
Concluding user interviews, I distilled findings into two user personas, aiding MoveU's focused user approach. This strategic understanding—Who will utilize MoveU?—will steer design discussions in subsequent stages.
Information Architecture
HOW SHOULD WE ORGANIZE?
Organizational decisions are pivotal for a seamless design. By using affinity mapping and insights from user interviews, we can craft site maps and task flows that serve as the backbone of MoveU's structure.
Sketching
LEARNING THROUGH SKETCHING
During the sketching and brainstorming phases, no ideas are bad; it’s a time to throw out all ideas onto the page. This process helps refine the visuals and is useful to think through the overall user flow. Keeping things loose and sketchy makes this creative process explorative and efficient.
LO-FI WIREFRAMES
GEARING UP FOR USER TESTING
To initiate user testing, I crafted a lo-fi prototype. This step not only garnered valuable user feedback but also facilitated the transformation of my initial sketches into a more deliberate and polished design.
USABILITY TESTING
USER TESTING
To test the hi-fi prototype, I conducted five in-person usability testing sessions. Five out of five participants were involved in the initial user interview process. During the testing, I shared with them my hi-fi prototype. The participants were asked to complete three different task flows: create an account, book a move, and review the move task list.
RESEARCH GOALS
Determine if users understand the purpose of the service
Determine if users find the "book a move" service intuitive and easy to use
Understand how users interact with the product as a whole and what stands out to them
Learn if users find the product useful
Determine what challenges users face while preparing for a move
Gather data on product effectiveness
DESIGN
REFINING MOVEU’S IDENTITY
Following user testing, I honed MoveU's platform aesthetics. Insights from testing directed my subsequent actions. Predominantly, feedback focused on design aspects rather than information. This prompted refinements like enlarging buttons, enhancing the color palette, and streamlining the overall flow.
HI-FI WIREFRAMES
FINAL PRODUCT
The hi-fi prototype includes revisions from user testing and personal changes that I feel make this interface a beautiful and intuitive product. To recap, the final features include:
Account creation
Book a move
Review the move task list
CLOSING THOUGHTS
DESIGN IS ITERATIVE
In reflection, I take immense pride in the MoveU project. It encompasses a holistic design suite poised to offer users a smooth and stress-free moving experience. Yet, evolution remains a constant. Design thrives on iteration. Given the opportunity, I'd conduct further user testing on my hi-fi prototype. This additional feedback would refine concepts, delivering a more comprehensive product outcome.
