OVERVIEW
There is an absence of apps that allow households to function on the same level. It seems like certain aspects exist (media catalog, reminders, etc.) but they are all separate apps that don’t allow for easy or selective data sharing among invites. Among the apps that do exist, many are geared towards children or personal management/reminders, not effective for adult groups.
TASK
Create an app that would allow roommates to share responsibilities of managing a household.
SURVEY
We began our research by sending out a survey to obtain a better understanding about roommates and their situations. These are some of the questions that we posed:
• What were your living situations and how many roommates did you have?
• What systems did you have in place to regulate chores and responsibilities?
• What were common problems that you and your roommates would encounter?
INTERVIEWS
We moved forward with our research by reaching out to current or recent roommates so we could look deeper into their lives and experiences to discover potential pain points and their primary goals. We received the following insights from those discussions:
• Most households did not have any official systems in place to regulate responsibilities.
• People wanted reminders and promptings about their tasks and chores.
• Individuals wanted to be able to see their tasks while also keep track of their fellow roommates’ ones.
• People wanted the ability to customize tasks and notifications to their preferences, not the household’s.
PERSONA
Based on the research, we were able to understand the needs, desires, and goals of our users. I then went on to create a persona of our target audience.
USER STORY MAP
Having gathered our information and with a clearer image of our target audience, we started the flow of the app through collaborating on a user story map.
LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES (SKETCHES)
Once we had a good idea of the basic functions of the app, I began to sketch some of the main screens and the different components.
MEDIUM/HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
iOS Screens
Android Screens
CONCLUSION
The most significant takeaway from this design project was that an abundance of screens does not equate to an understandable and navigational design. “Less is more” is not just an adage, but an applicable principle to design.