Methodology

This project's approach was primarily structured around the first four stages of Jesse James Garrett's Five Stages of User Experience.

This project focuses on the typical UX stages, not including the fifth UI stage.

The research stage is mostly illustrative as no actual interviews were conducted. 

Note-taking setup for interviews, where I am conducting the interview and note-taking at the same time.

Interview script and colour coded post-its ready in Miro. Having both resources in one place makes it easier to record and moderate.

This setup is illustrative of how I would prepare and set up; no actual research was conducted.

Research findings can be synthesised by grouping feedback into themes.

Recurring points can be summarised in a single post-it. Points that were mentioned multiple times can be indicated with a coloured dot. 

Task-specific stages were used instead of marketing funnel stages, as the experience centres on completing a real-world task rather than choosing between competing products.

Funnel stages occur briefly during space selection but do not represent the core problem being addressed.   

Mapping and understanding the experience of both space users and owners helps design a service that serves and is useful for both.   

Turning identified pain points, challenges, and goals into user stories helps maintain a clear, user-centred design focus.

These user stories help decide what problems we should try to solve and guided the structure of key user flows and wireframes.

"How Might We?" questions created from user stories. These were then prioritised and qualified to help decide on the initial scope for the V1 design. 

Scope of functions defined from HMW exercises and decisions were informed by research outcomes and opportunities identified through user journeys and process flows.

First sketch of a solution, building from the current experience of users.

Design Inferred ~ Signup should be simple and should minimally impede the goal of a user when they are using the app for the first time (which is likely when they are trying to complete a task). 

Design inferred ~ Having users feedback about spaces can be beneficial in several ways:  

• It can highlight day-to-day issues to other users (i.e. Wi-Fi not working). 
  
  
• It can provide a third-party view for users choosing to use a space. 
  
  
• It could highlight issues more quickly to space owners so they can in turn address them more quickly. 

Idea ~ Could user feedback be consolidated using an AI tool? This could prevent repetition and reduce the risk of miscommunication. 

Expectations and policies will likely be unique for different spaces, so it should be possible to set this at a 'space level' not an 'owner preferences' level. 

Question ~ Should a space be required for the user to create a space owner account? It does not make sense for them to have a space owner account without one. 

There is likely a need for global insights/feedback for all spaces; can this just exist as notifications for now?

The primary user problem the service aims to support is helping a user find a space. This is a location-dependent issue; therefore, the primary view will be a map view for the homepage and for viewing saved locations. 

Note 1

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The current scope of the service does not include messaging or communications between space owners and users. Encouraging users to call or message the shop could unnecessarily increase the workload of space owners without a direct benefit to them.

This is how the details page would look for a cafe. Other spaces, such as libraries, would display different information. A cost indicator, for example, might not be as important, whereas understanding how many seats/desks might be available could be more useful.

Note 1

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Users may benefit from other users' feedback in two key ways: understanding if a space is right for them, and being warned if there are any specific issues at that moment (i.e. the Wi-Fi is down).

In this section, the use of AI provides an opportunity to:

  a) Consolidate various reviews into a concise summary, making it easier for a user to quickly understand what others think of the space. 

b) Reduce the impact of extreme views negatively affecting the perception of the cafe.


Note 2

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Although most of the amenities information can be presented in a checklist, it is possible that users would want more information on some of the criteria. For example, it might be important to note how many desks are at a space. If there is only one, the chance of the user being able to use it is much lower than if there are four, and this would impact their decision on which space to use.
This could be investigated in user testing, or through assessing reviews left on spaces compared to the way the space was advertised. 

For a space owner, the priority is to manage their space; therefore there is no 'Map View'. 

The display priority is indicating time-sensitive information — for example, complaints that the Wi-Fi is not working.

These can be highlighted and summarised in a notifications panel.

Even if the space owner only owns one space, the main display would still be this 'Spaces Overview' page, as this displays only the critical information and delivers it at a softer, more digestible pace than if all the information were presented on a space details page.