Desk research, Contextual Inquiry, Target interview, Synthesis, UI design & prototype, User test & iteration
ROLE
TEAM
Personal project
Figma, Procreate
Protopie, illustrator
TIMELINE
2023. 3~ 2023. 5
TOOLS
Problem Statement
There is a lack of suitable spaces &
environments for people to work in Korea
Social Background
1.iLimited personal space
In 2021, the average living space for single person between the age of 20-30 in South Korea was about 20m2.
2. Growing freelance population
The number of people taking on freelance work in addition to their regular jobs or transitioning to full-time freelancing has been steadily increasing each year
3. People seeking for Coffeehouse effect
People tend to work and study in cafes because being naturally aware of those around them helps them focus more, a phenomenon known as the ‘coffeehouse effect.
source: https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25147563#home idx=15150815&bmode=view https://campaigns.do/surveys/259
Field research
1.iContextual Inquiry
I shadowed a freelance Product designer Hong(26) before she headed to a cafe in order to observe practical real-life experience of a person who works alone.
2. Interview & Cardsoarting
I interviewed 10 individuals who have experience using various kind of workspaces and conducted the card-sorting activity.
Insights
People need a platform that introduces workspaces they can grow and concentrate with other people.
Cafes have limitations for long hours work. especially because of the "Unpredictability".
People tries to find a suitable place separated from the living area for tension.
People have psychological barrier finding a private workspace.
Analysis
People prioritize positive tension and finding someone whose personality aligns well with theirs as the most important values when searching for shared workspaces.
*Keywords interviewee has mentioned it most while talking about working spaces
Solutions
Users need a UX that allows them to efficiently find a workspace that suits their working personality.
User Persona & Scenario
1.
Sebin, who lives in a tiny studio apartment, feels distracted and finds it hard to concentrate while working alone.
5.
After returning home, She encountered the Synergy app and took a work style assessment, and she received recommendations for a workspaces that suits her.
2.
To concentrate better, she decides to go to a café to work.
6.
After finding a workspace that seems to suit her well, she requested for a visit to meet the people in the workspace.
3.
Upon arriving at the cafe, realizes that all the seats with power outlet for her iPad are taken.
7.
She meets the workspace people, shared some conversations, and decides to become a member of the workspace community.
4.
She managed to find a seat near a power outlet, but the chair was uncomfortable to work for a long time.
8.
Sebin enjoys a motivated and pleasant work life, finding compatibility in working styles with people who inspire and motivate each other.
llustration & Design Assets
Animal illustration representing working personality traits
I decided to represent five working personalities using animals because people can easily relate to the traits of animals, making it easier to understand the concept of active time.
User Interface
Step1: Onboarding & Personality result
Choose a option regarding your situation and check your working personality by doing a short survey and start to explore!
You can check the working personality trait of the animal and replace the animal card freely by dragging them.
This configuration will be reflected in the subsequent workspace recommendations.
Step2: Main page
Explore recommended nearby work spaces
based on your working type.
Workspace details
Explore recommended nearby work spaces based on your working type.
Introducing a one-liner for the workspace.
You can see the working styles of workspace users at a glance.
Check out the facilities available in the workspace.
You can learn the detailed rules of the workspace.
You can request a visit to the workspace to see chat with the members and to inspect the place thoroughly.
Step3: Request a visit
Through the reservation feature, you can chat with workspace members on-site and check the space.
Next step
I got a feedback from the people I have interviewed previously.
To improve the user experience, we conducted user testing with an iteration prototype. We used the think-aloud method and received the following overall feedback.
Keep
Seeing the problem in global perspective and find more opportunities.
Considering how to effectively apply the work personalities of people.
Problem
There are doubts about categorizing the work personalities of people into five simple categories.
There was less focus on the “after match” part of the app.
Try
Do more research if this idea can reach out to global level and conduct a user test on people from different countries.
Develop the research of the working personality and make better categories that will effectively help people match with spaces.
