Project
ezMove APP & Website
Duration
April - August 2022
My Role
UX Designer | UX Researcher | UI Designer
Tools
Figma | FigJam | Invision | Procreate
OVERVIEW
What is ezMove?
ezMove is a collaborative platform that enables individuals to help & get help during the moving process by decreasing stress through scheduling, to-do lists, setting alerts, and sharing tasks with others.
Uniquely, individuals are able to stay on top of the packing process by creating QR codes, printing the codes & use them as package labels, and uploading photos of packed items for easy packing & unpacking.
CHALLENGE
Why ezMove?
As we enter an era of the post-pandemic future, I have witnessed a wave of relocation. In fact, I remember my own experience not long ago.
As a mom with 2 pre-teens, a dog and a Beta-fish, the whole stress and exhaustion of moving led to a light bulb moment.
To solve this problem, I decided to explore, how can I create a tool that will make the moving journey easier.! With that, an easier new beginning is born.
PROCESS
How I did do it?
I noticed the parallels between planning this project & planning an actual move!
There are so many aspects and levels of challenges that require high levels of dedication, focus, & Planning in order to succeed.
Here's how I did it using the UX design process:
01
Empathise
Problem Space Refinement
Competitive Research
Secondary Research
Primary Research
PROBLEM SPACE REFINEMENT
What could it be?
Individuals moving/relocating are faced with an overwhelming to-do list with specific due dates which require a high level of organizational skills, decisions making, and utilizing resources. This is challenging since most of them have busy work schedules & lifestyles.
Starting with the decision to move, the journey begins with what might seem like an endless task. I will be focusing on the planning phase of the move, which comes after you have found your new home & a moving date has been set.
This includes:
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Planning
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Budgeting
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Finding a moving/packing company
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Cancelling, Booking, & Organising Tasks
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Scheduling
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Setting reminders
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Wrapping
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Packing / Unpacking
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Donating, Purging, & more…
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
What is out there, Now?
Listed below are solutions for the same problem space to compare & understand existing perspectives. I utilized this information in the next stage of the project in order to find a unique solution.
• Create notes & lists • Voice notes • Add photos • Share notes with others
• Reviews from real customers • Inventory checklist • Weights calculator • Estimate supply • Calculate costs
A personal moving assistant – a real live person! will help with with (booking movers, updating your address, selling items, etc.)
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Facts l didn't know?
I conducted some research to understand the many aspects that make moving so stressful.
"There’s no one cause of stress when it comes to a big move. Instead, it’s a bunch of smaller things that add up to make moving one of the more stressful things that many of us will ever do."
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Changes: Every move carries some big changes along with it.
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Money: One of the biggest pain points for anyone making a major move is money.
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Help: Most of the time, moving your things is not something that you can do alone.
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Time: Moving takes so much time!
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Research: It's important to carry out a significant amount of research before any move.
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Supplies: Getting enough moving boxes, tape, labels, markers or other moving supplies.
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Money: Down payments & security deposits to name a few!
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Travel plan: Including the best routes, potential stops along the way, & how many trips are needed.
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Packing everything: Preferably at least a few days or weeks in advance of your move.
Life Storage Blog
DESIGN
CHALLENGE
How might we provide individuals on their moving journeys with organising tools, tips, and resources in order to prepare them for what to expect during all stages of the move?
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Directly gathering insights from users
I planned to interview 5 individuals that have moved within Canada in the past 12 months, this will provide me with the quantitative data needed.
I was able to connect with each on many levels since I had a similar experience myself. However, each user had a unique experience, regardless of the common highlights of the moving journey shared with each other.
USERS
Users
5 Individuals
Location
Live in Canada
Moving Period
Relocated within the past 12 months
INTERVIEW SCRIPT
I utilised the knowledge gained from the secondary research to include a list of open-ended questions that will address the different aspects of the move; planning, scheduling, budgeting, packing, coordinating, the day of the move, arrival, unpacking, & settling down in the new place.
PAIN POINTS
MOTIVATIONS
BEHAVIOURS
I conducted interviews with five different users, each having a different financial status, background, & unique experience. I learned there are many common factors that contribute to the stress of moving. I synthesized the feedback into Pain points, Motivations, & Behaviours.
THEMES
What can I incorporate into the solution?
Interviewees disclosed the need for a systematic approach to planning their moves. Starting with the ability to select a reliable moving company, schedule the to-do list, set reminders, efficient packing, & being able well informed on every aspect of the move. Ending with tips & tricks on how to settle into their new place.
What was shared in each case was the level of stress! What stood out, even more, was that in every circumstance, family & friends were always available to help! That is because the main factor that everyone had in common is not having enough time. Users underestimated the time needed especially for packing. Hence, others' help was a great relief.
02
Define
Persona
Journey Map
PERSONA
Main users personality traits
Studying the above categories, I developed a persona with common motivations, behaviours, & pain points.
I learned that regardless if users used a moving company or not, juggling work & planning a move is exhausting. They use online schedules/to-do list apps to share with their partner, roommate, or family members.
Ultimately, users would like to be & stay informed throughout the process even if they do delegate tasks to others. Staying up to date is very important.
EXPERIENCE MAP
Recording the user's moving process
Combining my personal moving experience with insights collected in earlier research, I created an experience map. the persona, Dani.
Dani is excited to move to her new place. She is trying to discover her new neighbourhood through social media & trying to get tips from others that have moved to that area in the past. She starts to look for recommendations and real reviews for moving companies.
It isn't long before she realises that the moving process is overwhelming with all the to-do lists, due dates, and scheduling. However, when Dani creates a detailed plan she feels more at ease and confident that she will be able to get things done.
Dani shares with her partner the detailed to-do list and schedules to collaborate. However, their busy work schedule puts pressure on both of them. Since it is expensive for her to hire a packing company, she decides to ask family & friends for help. however, keeping track of everything that needs to be packed, where to start, & how to collaborate is a big challenge.
This experience map reflects the ups & down that, Dani will go through before, during, & after the day of the move.
Possible design intervention:
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Create a collaborative platform where people can get help / help others with different tasks of the moving process: schedule, to-do-list, & packing
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Leave real live reviews & get helpful tips
03
Ideate
User Stories
Task Flow
Sketches
USER STORIES
Possible Scenarios
Thinking of the users' 30 user stories and categorizing them by similarity.
I decided to focus on the memorization aspect after having learnt that there are not many digital solutions that help people memorize large volumes of text or big music pieces. Moreover, from the interviews.
EPICS
Targeted solutions
Analyzing the user stories, I found related stories that can be categorized as epics. Those epics are actual guidelines for features that I will be incorporating into the solution I'm working on.
REVISED
DESIGN
CHALLENGE
How might we prepare individuals for planning their move with collaborative tools in order to allow help from friends & family?
TASK FLOW
Complete Packing a Box
With the chosen core epics for the app, I created the main task flow that allows the user to add a package to the list of packages.
The user will fill in info about what's in the package, which room it belongs to, whether is it meant to be donated, and take/upload pictures of how things were organised to help with the unpacking too.
SKETCHES
Scribbles, ideas, notes, & more
One task flows, many users. The owner of the project, DANI with the collaborators on this project her partner, a family member, & a couple of friends.
Ideas started rushing & I started sketching with the goal of creating a simple design that is intuitive. I created an inspiration board of different collaborative platforms to help me ideate.
Ultimately, this project is supposed to grant the user an ezMove.
04
Prototype
Wireframes
Prototype
WIREFRAMES
I developed wireframes that translated the task flow through sketches & assets.
05
Test
Usability Test
Gathering Feedback
Iterations
USABILITY TEST
How to improve the current prototype?
After creating the wire flow mid-fi prototype, I conducted two rounds of testing with 5 different users each round. Users were given 5 chronological order tasks to complete. I took notes of each user test & assessed the usage patterns if they are easy or difficult to identify & remember.
GATHERING FEEDBACK
What was challenging for the user?
After creating the wire flow mid-fi prototype, I conducted two rounds of testing with 5 different users each round. Users were given 5 chronological order tasks to complete. I took notes of each user test & assessed the usage patterns if they are easy or difficult to identify & remember.
ITERATIONS
How the design changes improved the user experience?
I completed multiple changes on each of the 4 main wireframes and added frames to enhance the flow experience.
After the second round of testing, I reiterated again.
Iteration includes Asset, icons, & text changes, in addition to reorganizing the information hierarchy.
06
Refine
Brand Identity
UI Library
Final Prototype
BRAND IDENTITY
Developing the tone, look, & feel of the brand
Words that describe EZ MOVE Brand:
Easy
customizable
Dependable
Practical
Convenient
WORD MARK
SKETCHING
I started sketching the word mark after getting inspiration from the visuals collected in the Mood board. Word mark to express the packing process.
WORD MARK REFINING
The typeface needs to have solid stackable-looking letters. Especially the letter M-needs to symbolize the box/house Icon.
TYPOGRAPHY
I wanted to choose a font that is both clean & soft to contrast the boxes & QR code edges. Jura is modern, legible, sans serif, and elegant.
COLOURS PALETTE
Colours were inspired by the moving boxes, lead color print on boxes, and the wall off-white
ICONGRAPHY
Icons used have clear lines with soft edges. I utilised my design background to create a few unavailable icons. This was done carefully keeping in mind the design proportions of the icon template.
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Final refinements were added. Colours, Typography, animation, and imagery.
Features Highlighted:
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Dynamic QR Code with Mobile App Deep Linking Capability
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Photo Upload
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Icon selection
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Customized project profile
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Project owner emphasis
07
Final Statement
Future Plan
Take away Summary
FUTURE PLAN
Marketing Website
This web page will inform stakeholders and potential users of the many features of this digital solution, accessible through desktop & mobile.
Easy is a main selling point, with a section dedicated to taking the user through simple steps to achieve a major task. This will trigger the audience's curiosity to try and ultimately use ezMove.
TAKE AWAY
What did I learn to become a better designer?
• To utilize my curiosity and never shy from asking questions, the more I share the more others share too.
• To Always be ready for your assumptions to be wrong.
• To pivot, start all over again, & be ready for more brain bogglers whenever needed.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this case study, planning a move and creating a digital solution are very similar. Setting a detailed plan is key to staying focused on the end goal.
Maybe my next project will be creating a planning solution for UX designers.