Trading Skills

Project: Trading paints course work
Company:Mobile UX London
Date: August 2017


Brief

Discuss real problems that can be solved with tech in 8 weeks, with users you can contact for research purposes.

Here we discussed a variety of ideas first looking at dating apps, which then quickly turned into a way of connecting people. The main idea was a trading skills app where baking a cake can be exchanged for child minding within the local community to helping with DIY around the house.

To first validate our idea we quickly gave a quick profile of what we thought our users could be. This was first time buyers and mums.

Process

First we looked at all the filters that we could use, to help us offer the products that would be suited. This got us breaking each section into payment, lifestyle, work, style, wearables and seeing what options fit into these area. Once drawing up some quick wireframes to show how these would work, we took a look and started to scale down the options to leave with 3 main areas that the user would have to choose from, Pay, Lifestyle and style. These options then allow us to show the products that would best suit the user, as well as highlighting the apps, and accessories the user might find helpful at point of sale.

Research

From the user interviews we quickly found that the amount of trust needed with mums to baby sit or to do the school run was far too much to focus on so we decided to focus on first time buyers and DIY tasks.

This came with its own problems though as to create trust in the neighbourhood and try to make sure that neighbourly relationships were not broken with our product.

Principles checklist from user interviews:

  • Build respect between community. (Any problems can create awkward situation with neighbours).
  • Allow users to focus on immediate friends first that already have a rapport.
  • Try to move away from publicising roles that occur weekly.
  • Find a way that makes people want to join in and help, rather than just receiving work.

Competitors

Personas

From the research gathered we created our personas

First time buyer

Young couple Age: Late 20’3 early 30’s

Occupation: Buyer, Works full time, 8.30 – 6.00Just moved into first home.

Still enjoys nights out with friends. Finds there’s not much time time in the week.

Tech savvy, has all latest technology, but not keen on DIY although does help friends if needed

 Mum

Age: 36

3 Kids: 3, 5, 7

Occupation: Product Owner,Works Part time

Works: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. 9-4

Can work from home, Finds despite not working Fridays a full weeks work is still required to fulfil job role. Will often not leave on time to help team with project queries.

Ideation

First we explored the initial idea of creating journey maps, mind maps, random links, and creative stimulus where we considered other environments related to our users.

NABC (Needs Approach Benefits Competition)

Who/ What, How much, When, How, Where?

Taking the ideas we have generated we started to narrow down the ideas and chose our strongest ideas and created the following sketches to further explore our ideas.

Idea selection

Here we took our ideas and scored them to finally decide where to focus.

Validating our idea with a quick experiment

Just to see the uptake with friends I carried out a quick experiment. To test the uptake of the our concept I posted a question on Whatsapp to friends asking for help me with a DIY task.

Question posted:

Q: Does anyone want to do some manual labour for little to no pay.

Group size: 16

Responded Yes: 6

Refusals: 1

37.5% uptake in idea

Comments received:

  • Someone asked if people would be up for child minding instead
  • One person asked what points system would they be rewarded with
  • Another asking if there would be beer

Day of work:

  • 5 people turned up with 2 of them turning up half way through the job

Our idea:

Creating a community for personalised needs. Allowing users to reach out to the local community for help with their tasks in exchange for their time.

Here our users can request help for a job and will pay in time. To gain more time the users will have to help other people in the community.

Storyboard

Information Architecture

Journey maps

Here we used our personas and research that we had gathered to run through each task our users would go through when doing a DIY task.

User Flows

Using the journey maps I started to look at the general process the user would go through when using the Trading skills application.

Site map

Wireframes

Paper prototypes

Here we wanted to quickly test how to best present user profiles to other users within the app.

We learnt here that it’s best to trim down the information and to focus on reviews and star ratings.

Prototypes

Using Proto.io We started to move the sketches to wireframes and into a direct Prototype that could be tested. First looking at the initial Prototype by using it myself and putting together a User journey to show how the users would flow through the app, making notes and alterations from the thoughts of the rest of the class.

Usability testing

Deciding the research goals

Looking at the current prototype I came up with a list of areas that I wanted to explore.

  • Do we need a navigation.
  • Does the user understand the process of receiving time for carrying out tasks.
  • Can users easily add tasks and enter information.
  • Can users easily find where to look through tasks and apply for them.
  • Do users understand what is happening on the homepage. (As this is the main control panel that keeps user informed of upcoming jobs, and whether they need to carry out anything.

Setting the scene for the User testing

  • You have been doing some DIY and need to get some help to get the job finished. Sign up to Trading Skills using a facebook and get to the homepage homepage.
  • You are about to starting stripping the wallpaper but would like some help this weekend. Please use the app to add a task and then return to the homepage.
  • How would you go about getting some more time that you could use to create more of your own tasks.

User interviews

Completed Prototype and User flow

Below showing the latest iteration of the Trading Skills app. Using the notes taken from user testing:

  • Putting task that users needs to carry out in a more prominent position on the homepage.
  • More messaging to allow users to know when they have carried out a task.
  • Maps so users know where the task is taking place at a quick glance.
  • Slight copy amends.
  • Allowing users to filter when searching job.

Further development

There are further amends or enhancements that need to be explored.

These include:

  • Investigating equipment and users lending equipment to each other.
  • Further investigation into linking Friends to help jobs, Wether this is linking the right people to you. Or grouping friends and you can select a group of friends to help with a task, so there is less awkwardness in everyone getting to know each other.
  • Trading knowledge section, maybe people don’t need help with tasks and a quick chat would help.
  • Further investigation on keeping people safe when using this app. Using a photo recognition software that sometimes are used in dating apps to confirm the right person, and to make sure all addresses are correct.
  • If there is no one to help, look to see if you can include local trader advertisement.