PostUp: A mobile app helping remote workers and students find nearby public workspaces for comfortable productivity.

PostUp: A mobile app helping remote workers and students find nearby public workspaces for comfortable productivity.

Role: UX/UI Designer, solo student project

Role: UX/UI Designer, solo student project

Timeline: 15 weeks

The Challenge.

The Challenge.

Remote workers, students, and individuals working from home often experience difficulty in identifying suitable public spaces to conduct their work effectively. The process of scouring the internet for potential locations, reading reviews, and evaluating photos to determine the ambiance of a workspace can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. The experience of arriving at a coffee shop only to discover subpar wifi connectivity and overcrowded tables can exacerbate the situation.

Remote workers, students, and individuals working from home often experience difficulty in identifying suitable public spaces to conduct their work effectively. The process of scouring the internet for potential locations, reading reviews, and evaluating photos to determine the ambiance of a workspace can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. The experience of arriving at a coffee shop only to discover subpar wifi connectivity and overcrowded tables can exacerbate the situation.

  • Discover spots through personalized recommendations, enticing users with positive experiences shared by people they know.


Discovering new locations through friends

  • Discover spots through personalized recommendations, enticing users with positive experiences shared by people they know.


  • Discover spots through personalized recommendations, enticing users with positive experiences shared by people they know.


Discovering new locations through friends

  • Users benefit from a comprehensive screen displaying essential information for informed decision-making. The integration of a busy-hour graph, extensive amenity details, contact information, and a navigation button as the final decision point ensures a seamless user experience.

Streamlined screen for informed decision-making

  • Users benefit from a comprehensive screen displaying essential information for informed decision-making. The integration of a busy-hour graph, extensive amenity details, contact information, and a navigation button as the final decision point ensures a seamless user experience.

Streamlined screen for informed decision-making

Streamlined screen for informed decision-making

The Solution

  • Allows easy discovery of locations nearby through map


  • Intuitive swipe makes it quick and easy to be immersed in the map

Find new spots near you

  • Allows easy discovery of locations nearby through map


  • Intuitive swipe makes it quick and easy to be immersed in the map

  • Allows easy discovery of locations nearby through map


  • Intuitive swipe makes it quick and easy to be immersed in the map

Find new spots near you

Understanding the problem

In order to gain a better understanding of the problem, I decided to conduct an interview with Gabriel, a former colleague of mine. Through our conversation, I discovered that remote workers like Gabriel often struggle with finding suitable locations for their work. The interview revealed common challenges such as sifting through numerous options, limited information on amenities, and a lack of reviews. These insights shed light on the frustrations and missed opportunities that remote workers face when searching for alternative workspaces.



  1. Whats the first thing you experience when you want to find a local spot to work in?

  2. Whats your process of choosing a locations?

  3. What are deal breakers for you when you finally choose between spots?




How might we create a platform that allows remote workers to find environments suitable for their workspace?

How might we create a platform that allows remote workers to find environments suitable for their workspace?

Coming up with ideas and solutions

Coming up with ideas and solutions

Coming up with ideas and solutions

Using my research findings, I created a chart to identify pain points and opportunities throughout the user flow. This detailed information helped me uncover areas for improvement, aiming to enhance the user experience. Analyzing each step allowed me to streamline the process, making it more efficient and user-friendly. By addressing challenges, we can optimize the overall flow and create a better experience.

CONTEXT

Remote workers feel the urge to find a workplace near them

They reach out to friends for recommendations

They start looking online for potential spots

Remote workers start narrowing down on which type fo spot they want through wording in search

They analyze basic information and amenities

Choose spot and make their way to the location.

Exploring all nearby potential locations becomes a lengthy tasks

Wants to know how popular it is amongst his/her co workers.

The amount of options could become overwhelming

Could lead users the wrong direction

Types of places a user is interested in could not have the amenities you want

Address on website could be incomplete or have changed

Remote workers start searching online for a workspot

Get personalized workspace recommendations from your trusted network

Explore handpicked workspace options from trusted online sources

Tailor your search to find your ideal workspace

Efficiently evaluate workspaces based on essential amenities beforehand

Allow recent users to confirm its location and integrate google maps

Remote workers feel the urge to find a workplace near them

They reach out to friends for recommendations

They start looking online for potential spots

Remote workers start narrowing down on which type fo spot they want through wording in search

They analyze basic information and amenities

Choose spot and make their way to the location.

Exploring all nearby potential locations becomes a lengthy tasks

Wants to know how popular it is amongst his/her co workers.

The amount of options could become overwhelming

Could lead users the wrong direction

Types of places a user is interested in could not have the amenities you want

Address on website could be incomplete or have changed

CONTEXT

Remote workers start searching online for a workspot

Get personalized workspace recommendations from your trusted network

Explore handpicked workspace options from trusted online sources

Tailor your search to find your ideal workspace

Efficiently evaluate workspaces based on essential amenities beforehand

Allow recent users to confirm its location and integrate google maps

Remote workers feel the urge to find a workplace near them

They reach out to friends for recommendations

They start looking online for potential spots

Remote workers start narrowing down on which type fo spot they want through wording in search

They analyze basic information and amenities

Choose spot and make their way to the location.

In the realm of location selection, three dominant apps currently reign as the best and most efficient options. To enhance the final solution, I thoroughly examined these three products, analyzing their SWOTs. By studying these market leaders, I aimed to incorporate recognizable and effective elements into the development of my own solution.

SWOT Analysis


Accurate and detailed location data for establishments

Integration with other services such as search, messaging, and payment

Robust search filters to find specific types of places



Strength

Lack of organization of location, information could be incorrect

Amenities are often not mentioned

Reviews are from all type of customers

Weaknesses

Divide reviews by how they used the establishments like workers, curious foodies etc..

Date and confirmation of information to make sure its all correct

Easier navigation for filters to not have too many options

Opportunities

So many pf the app could implement features from this solution and take the apps users base

Many ride sharing apps already have large control of the overall market

Other apps have a lot of data on user already

Threats

How have competitors quickly and easily connect users to establishment of their liking?


How have competitors uncluttered options from the searched establishment?


How do competitors inform users of information/ what types of information were they displaying?

Goal of the analysis

In the realm of location selection, three dominant apps currently reign as the best and most efficient options. To enhance the final solution, I thoroughly examined these three products, analyzing their SWOTs. By studying these market leaders, I aimed to incorporate recognizable and effective elements into the development of my own solution.

SWOT Analysis


Accurate and detailed location data for establishments

Integration with other services such as search, messaging, and payment

Robust search filters to find specific types of places



Strength

Lack of organization of location, information could be incorrect

Amenities are often not mentioned

Reviews are from all type of customers

Weeknesses

Divide reviews by how they used the establishments like workers, curious foodies etc..

Date and confirmation of information to make sure its all correct

Easier navigation for filters to not have too many options

Opportunities

So many pf the app could implement features from this solution and take the apps users base

Many ride sharing apps already have large control of the overall market

Other apps have a lot of data on user already

Threats

How have competitors quickly and easily connect users to establishment of their liking?


How have competitors uncluttered options from the searched establishment?


How do competitors inform users of information/ what types of information were they displaying?

Goal of the analysis

Exploring all nearby potential locations becomes a lengthy tasks

Wants to know how popular it is amongst his/her co workers.

The amount of options could become overwhelming

Could lead users the wrong direction

Types of places a user is interested in could not have the amenities you want

Address on website could be incomplete or have changed

CONTEXT

Remote workers start searching online for a workspot

Get personalized workspace recommendations from your trusted network

Explore handpicked workspace options from trusted online sources

Tailor your search to find your ideal workspace

Efficiently evaluate workspaces based on essential amenities beforehand

Allow recent users to confirm its location and integrate google maps

In the realm of location selection, three dominant apps currently reign as the best and most efficient options. To enhance the final solution, I thoroughly examined these three products, analyzing their SWOTs. By studying these market leaders, I aimed to incorporate recognizable and effective elements into the development of my own solution.

SWOT Analysis


Accurate and detailed location data for establishments

Integration with other services such as search, messaging, and payment

Robust search filters to find specific types of places



Strength

Lack of organization of location, information could be incorrect

Amenities are often not mentioned

Reviews are from all type of customers

Weeknesses

Divide reviews by how they used the establishments like workers, curious foodies etc..

Date and confirmation of information to make sure its all correct

Easier navigation for filters to not have too many options

Opportunities

Threats

So many pf the app could implement features from this solution and take the apps users base

Many ride sharing apps already have large control of the overall market

Other apps have a lot of data on user already

How have competitors quickly and easily connect users to establishment of their liking?


How have competitors uncluttered options from the searched establishment?


How do competitors inform users of information/ what types of information were they displaying?

Goal of the analysis

Inicial Flow sketches

Inicial Flow sketches

Inicial Flow sketches

After identifying potential opportunities and building solutions to problems found in other similar apps i created inicial sketches to represent how to Ui would be laid out to facilitate the experience of users.

Round of testing and improvements

Round of testing and improvements

Round of testing and improvements

During the testing phase, an essential discovery was the demand for instant and seamless access to an interactive map that leverages geolocation. This feature would empower users by delivering a personalized list of locations aligned with their specific filter preferences near them.

Things I’d do differently

Things I’d do differently

The GV Design Sprint provided valuable insights and knowledge, despite initial apprehension about its fast-paced nature. Prior organization facilitated accelerated prototyping, delivering a rough prototype for rapid testing. It emphasized the importance of organization for expediting design stages and the value of user interviews in identifying flow imperfections. User interviews humbled personal opinions, prioritizing user needs and critiques. Overall, the sprint improved the design process and user experiences.



  1. The power of rapid user tests - Initially concerned about the rapid pace, I feared difficulties in engaging users for prototype testing. However, frequent and swift testing proved advantageous, enabling me to complete the app efficiently. The iterative process facilitated rapid development and minimized time constraints. Next time i would confront this as swiftly as possible and not worry about the receptive nature of it.


  2. The weight on research - Encountering unfamiliar territory, I initially lacked knowledge about how workers and students search for spots. Reflecting on my student experience, where finding a quiet place on campus was common, I realized the urban setting presented new challenges. To address this, I engaged with users, conducted extensive research, and explored various methods of connecting users with establishments. While my research was thorough, I recognize the potential for deeper exploration into the decision-making behaviors of individuals. Given more time, I would have delved further into this aspect.



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