Design Case Study: QuickFix App

Role:UX Designer

TOOLS: SKETCH,INVISION

QuickFix is an app for communication with building management. The users can submit a request and receive confirmation from building management in less than 5 minutes. By combining an efficient organizational system for the management with an intuitive and easy communication portal for residents, QuickFix reduces all negative time lost when using other, traditional methods of communication.

57% renters need a better way to communicate with building management. In a survey with 23 respondents, 13 of them directly complained about the inconvenience of calling for service requests. Users want an efficient way to communicate with the building management, so I think a stable mobile app will be an effective solution to enhance the communication experience of residents and building managements.

A superior living experience is something that will benefit both the residents and the management of a residential building. The latter benefits from simply superior reputation, less turn over of residents, and thus higher demand for units. This translates to higher revenue and more stability in terms of revenue for the management. For the residents, a superior living experience is simply what all residents seek provided they can afford it.

After the basics of location and the comforts of standard 'luxury' buildings are provided for, the living experience is determined by the level of service that a management is able to provide the residents. Organization of services and a means to effortless communication are key to making the residents and the service staff happy. Thus a set of tools -- or better yet one comprehensive tool -- which can allow this sort of secure, mobile, effortless, and efficient communication to happen on a regular basis will be the competitive key to a management's success in providing a 'superior living experience' for the residents.
QuickFix is the solution to this need for efficient and convenient communication in the residential community.

User Persona
Name: Lilian
Age: 27
Job Title: Web Designer
Location: New York
Bio: Lilian is a fulltime designer who lives in New York City more than 5 years. She is spending 3 hours daily on commute to work in New Jersey.
Problems: Lilian has bug issue in her apartment recently. She had to call her building management to convince them take a look at it, and several other phone calls to set up a time. When she found out the bug issue came back again after 10 days, she decided to deal it by herself.
Needs:
Need to communicate with management efficiently.
Need to involve her roommate into the conversation(When schedule a time with management, either her roommate or her will be home)
Need to schedule a time faster.

Wireframe + Prototype

• First round of user test: Paper Prototype

Top Findings of First Prototype Usability Test
5 of 5 users didn’t use the GPS function; they all thought it was an enter button.
Suggestion: Add an enter button, and make the GPS function more noticeable.
3 of 5 users think the sending request process is too long.
Suggestion: put a progress bar under, so users would know how many more steps to go.
5 of 5 users couldn’t find the camera function.
Suggestion:
1. Put the camera icon next to the request description, so that the users will understand they can add a photo/video to support the request.
2. Put “Take photo/video” as a selection right after the request category page so you can either choose taking photos of problems or select what the problem is.

• Second round of user test: Invision Prototype

I tested my second prototype with 3 participants, 1 of them were familiar with our product.
3 of 3 users didn’t notice GPS button, they typed the addresses into the box.
Suggestion: Put a GPS or Find my Location on the button.
3 of 3 users got lost in Emergency Page.
Suggestion: Put emergency call button on homepage.
2 of 3 users suggested to keep the button placement consistency, either put on the top or bottom.

• Final round of user test: User loves it! Click here to try out the final product!

The next step?
The next logical step will involve a more thorough study of the market from the residents' and managements' perspectives. This will be done by making contact with individuals who work in the residential management field and asking for their insights into the daily inconveniences of their job. The easiest way to approach these people will be to find friends or people through acquaintances who have had some experience in being landlords or part of a rental management system. 

I have a few in mind, but will have to follow up on as much information I can get. Also, it may be interesting to see if I could set up a filtered survey online that will only ask for people who have been involved in residential management -- even if it is as a doorman or a super. Getting their input on what troubled them most when working and what sort of managerial structure they were presented with and what they thought of it will provide good information. For residents, it will be easier to gather information as there are simply more residents than managers in general. All this new information will guide me into both the furthering of functions for my app and also how I can present it as the most attractive solution to people upon completion.

I expect the study will require more features to be added onto the app and each step will have to be tested rigorously in order to present the most stable and attractive setup for both residents and management alike.