PostUp
A Design Sprint Case Study
The changing landscape of work, characterized by the rise of remote and flexible employment, has prompted numerous professionals to work from home and public spaces like cafes and public meeting rooms.
However, despite the increasing demand for such public spaces, locating the ones that align with the specific requirements remote workers have, including low noise levels, power outlets, internet access, and other basic amenities still remains a challenge.
What is PostUp all about?
PostUp intends to enhance the remote work experience and seeks to develop a mobile app designed to revolutionize the way remote workers discover ideal public workspaces. The aim is to simplify the process, making it an effortless experience while saving valuable time and money associated with workspace hunting. It allows remote workers to share tips, resources and advice with one another.
Google Venture Design Sprint
Traditionally, a GV Design Sprint is a collaborative 5 day process led by a team. However in this unique solo GV Design Sprint, I used the Google Venture Design Sprint with the objective of addressing core business decisions through design techniques such as wireframing, prototyping and usability testing.
Day 1 - Research
I began by carefully reviewing the design brief provided, especially in the form of videos. The comprehensive document introduced me to the target persona, shedding light on their behavior, goals and frustrations. Mapping out the paths a user might take became easier upon understanding from the core information provided.
My Target Persona?
How Might We?
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#1
How might we streamline the process of finding productive public workspaces for remote professionals, reducing the time they spend on searching?
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#2
How might we ensure that remote workers get access to basic amenities like high-speed internet, washrooms, power outlets, etc through our app?
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#3
How might we design an app addressing the frustrations and challenges faced by remote workers when seeking suitable public workspaces and also enhance their overall experience?
Mapping Customer Journey
Day 2 and 3 - Lightning Demos
On day 2 and 3 of the sprint, I decided to take a look at the most popular apps like Yelp, Zomato, etc., after which I took realistically around 30 minutes to sketch the 8 core screens for my app.
Day 4 - Hi-Fidelity Prototype
With the help of the storyboard, I brought PostUp to life by adding a dash of colours and designing a High Fidelity Prototype.
Task for the User: Please sign in to your account and get directions to Cargo Cafe.
Please find the Hi-Fi Prototype below!
The highlight that makes this app stand out is that the users will be able to pick and choose from very specific features/amenities listed on the app based on their preferences and make their overall user experience extremely easy, hassle-free and within seconds.
Day 5 - Validation
For usability testing, I conducted 5 remote usability tests. The participants were either remote workers or students that preferred and enjoyed studying/working from different public workspaces. Upon carefully monitoring them navigating through Postup, I was happy to see that all my participants were able to successfully navigate through the application and pick the right public workspaces to work from.
“Spaces near you’ could be a button that users could click on..”
User 2
“I love the overall design and the typography you’ve used on your app..”
User 1
“The list of cafes should by default be filtered by distance”
User 3
My Experience :)
“This was an amazing experience and my first ever 5 day modified Design Sprint. It involved decision making but at 10x speed. Sometimes, makes me wonder and agree with the fact that we got to make tough and quick decisions to get the best out of that moment and not linger around the same thought over and over again.”