The app that provides solutions for shared laundry facility users who want a more cost-efficient, effortless laundry experience
(UI/UX Concept)
MY ROLE
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UX Researcher
UX Designer
Responsibility​
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Research, Ideation,
Wireframing, User testing
Timeline​
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8 weeks
Project Type​
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App Design
Introduction
Why was SPOT! created?
The idea for SPOT! started with the hypothesis that apartment residents need a real-time monitoring system for their shared area laundry facility for better time management and greater convenience. Shared laundry experience typically meant multiple visits to the laundry facility to check on available machines or strangers touching your laundry if you are late for laundry pick up.
Discovery
Research: User Interview
To confirm my problem statement, I conducted in-person interviews with current laundry facility users in my apartment building and shared - laundry facility users in my personal network.
I asked them to define what a good laundry experience means for them and their current biggest pain points.
The most important points were :
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Real-Time laundry room machine status to reduce unnecessary trips to the laundry room
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Make sure there is a machine available when they arrive at the facility
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Communication with other users and maintenance staff
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Cost-efficiency is essential
Refined Problem Statement
Shared Laundry facility users need a real-time monitoring system for time management and convenience. They also expressed a great need for a communication system between other users and maintenance staff.
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Define
Competitive Analysis
Feature comparison matrix
I ​decided to investigate potential competitors to find out if there are any existing solutions for my user needs. From my analysis, I discovered that most competitors incorporate advanced technology to resolve their user's needs but fail to consider the conditions and constraints of most shared-laundry facilities users. There is a gap between their solution approach and the user's ability to apply it in their laundry experience.
Is advanced technology the best solution for everyone?
According to my research, cost efficiency was an essential factor for shared-laundry facility users.
Most shared laundry users are from lower-middle income groups, students who already have a ton of loans on their back, or live in low rent apartment buildings. Adding advanced tech solutions to laundry facilities means landlords need to purchase these expensive tools, then maintain them. Would landlords be willing to go through this expensive process? Also, wouldn't the installation and maintenance increase the average cost of laundry for facility users?
Advanced technology may offer users an effective way of managing their laundry, but it is not accessible for everyone. SPOT! can help fill this gap.
Affinity Mapping
To define the design architecture of my app, I used the most frequently mentioned needs from the user interview and organized them into an affinity map.
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Essential Features:
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Laundry reservation
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Live Status Data
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Create a platform for community communication
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User - maintenance communication system
Constraints:
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Keep prices same/low
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Focus on convenience
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Persona
An Important tool I used during the development stage was the persona. I gathered my research findings and created a persona to provide guidance when developing design solutions. This persona also was a valuable tool while working with user testing results- especially when staying on track and sticking with data when brainstorming solutions. ​
Develop
Prioritization matrix
Storyboard
Exploring the main user needs and brainstorming features
The solution was inspired by the idea of handling laundry experiences like online dining reservations
User Flow
Due to the lack of technical features, the laundry machines cannot connect to the app, which means it is impossible to receive real-time alerts on unexpected issues without user cooperation. The maintenance staff will have a separate UI that allows them to monitor the reservations and status regularly. They can choose to charge late fees for delayed loads to reduce frequent late users (Maintenance will need to transfer the data manually and apply it to the user's upcoming bill).
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Reservations will automatically expire once reserved time passes, and any reports from tenants on delayed picks ups will result in late fees.
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If there is a clash between reservations vs. walk-ins, reservations will be given priority.
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Final Prototype
After user testing on multiple iterations, I created a design solution that maintains consistency and ease of flow by using recognizable UI patterns. I also arranged and combined the tasks and subtasks into sections to focus on the essential features.
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When building SPOT!, I made sure the tracking system includes all 4 stages of the washer system with a countdown graph so users can track every step more efficiently.
Users make multiple trips to the laundry room to check for open machines. Some users utilize the facility during the least crowded times, like late at night or early in the morning. I created a reservation option to ensure users have a platform to claim a spot in the laundry room on their preferred time.
Users can use this Live Status feature to track down users of delayed machines, check out walk-in possibilities, and contact maintenance for requests and reports. I added buttons that direct users automatically to messaging pages.
This solution gives users the platform to communicate and resolve laundry room issues more efficiently.
Final Thoughts
This UX case study illuminated the importance of understanding the target audience's needs and preferences. It emphasized prioritizing affordability and timely service over new technology integration for laundry app users to cater to user and business needs. Overall, this project was a reminder of the significance of empathy-driven design and the holistic understanding of the user and business requirements in product development.