Apartment Laundry Service App

Problem

The laundry services are plagued with many inconveniences, and some of them are listed below:  

i. Uncertainty about availability: Residents often face the frustration of arriving at the laundry room only to find all machines in use, resulting in wasted time and disrupted schedules.

ii. Maintenance issues: Residents may encounter issues like broken machines, leading to dissatisfaction and complaints.

iii. Reservation Hassles: Without a reservation system, residents are left without a way to plan their laundry tasks, which can be problematic during weekends.

iv. Payment Inefficiencies: Outdated or complicated payment methods can cause frustration and delays in getting laundry done.

Goal

The goal for this project is to implement a laundry service app taking care of the following factors:

i. Improve Availability Transparency: Implement a system that provides real-time updates on machine availability, allowing users to plan their laundry tasks effectively.

ii. Efficient Reservation System: Integrate a reservation feature that enables users to book specific machines for designated time slots, reducing wait times and ensuring availability.

iii. Maintenance Alerts: Establish a notification system for maintenance schedules and alerts in case of machine malfunctions.

iv. Streamlined Payment Process: Develop a seamless and secure payment gateway for easy loading of credits, ensuring a hassle-free transaction experience.

Business requirements

i. User Authentication: Registration and login functionality for residents to create and access their accounts.

ii. Dashboard: Overview of available machines and their status (available, in use, out of order).Upcoming reservations (if applicable). Notifications and alerts.

iii. Machine Availability: Real-time status updates of all laundry machines. Filter options by machine type (washer, dryer) and availability.

iv. Reservation System (MVP): View with available timeslots for each machine. Ability to select a time slot for a specific machine. Basic reservation management (make, edit, cancel reservations).

v. Payment Integration (MVP): Secure payment gateway for adding credits to the app wallet. Basic transaction history.

vi. Notifications and Alerts (MVP): Push notifications for reservation confirmations and cycle completion. In-app alerts for important updates.

vii. Profile Management: User profile with name, contact information. Change password, update profile picture, edit information.

viii. Support and Help Center (MVP): Contact form for customer support.

Identifying Users & their needs

The target audience primarily consists of apartment residents who rely on shared laundry facilities. These users come from diverse backgrounds, ranging from young professionals and students to families and seniors. Their expectations revolve around efficiency, convenience, and hygiene.

i. Unpredictable Availability: Residents are frustrated when they cannot find available laundry machines when they need them, leading to inconvenient wait times.

ii. Lack of Transparency: They have no real-time visibility into machine availability, or maintenance schedules.

iii. Inefficient Scheduling: Coordinating laundry schedules can be challenging, especially in larger apartment complexes.

Research Plan creation

The goal of this UX research plan is to gain deep insights into the needs, preferences, and pain points of apartment residents when it comes to using communal laundry facilities. This research will inform the design and development of the app to ensure it addresses the specific requirements of the target audience.

1. Key Research Questions

A.  Understanding User Needs and Pain Points:

i. What are the biggest challenges or pain points residents face when using the communal laundry facilities in their apartments?

ii. How frequently do residents use the laundry facilities? What are their typical laundry habits?

B. Current Behavior and Practices:

i. How do residents currently manage their laundry tasks? Are there specific times or days that are preferred for doing laundry?

ii. Do residents tend to wait for machines to become available, or do they plan their laundry tasks ahead of time?‍

C. Expectations from App:

i. What features or functionalities do residents expect from a laundry services app to enhance their laundry experience?

ii. How important is real-time machine availability information to residents?

D. Reservation Preferences:

i. Would residents prefer the option to reserve specific machines and time slots in advance? Why or why not?

ii. What level of flexibility do residents desire in terms of rescheduling or cancelling reservations?

E. Payment Process and Preferences:

i. How do residents prefer to make payments for laundry services? Are they comfortable with digital payment methods or do they prefer other options?

ii. Are residents open to using a wallet system for laundry payments?

F. Feedback and Reporting Mechanisms:

i. Would residents be willing to provide feedback on their laundry experiences, such as machine cleanliness or functionality?

ii. How would residents prefer to report issues or maintenance needs related to the laundry facilities?

G. Notification Preferences:

i. How do residents prefer to receive notifications about their laundry activities (e.g., push notifications, email alerts)?

ii. What level of customization would residents like in terms of notification settings?

2. Research Methods

A. User Surveys: Conduct online surveys targeting apartment residents to gather quantitative data on their laundry habits, preferences, and pain points.

Based on the survey, following results were concluded –

- All respondents have no idea on machine availability from home and often have to wait for getting their turn.

- 60% respondents prefer doing laundry on weekends but machine availability is a concern.

- All respondents have specified they need to recharge laundry card to use the machine, no other payment option available.

- 70% of respondents are reluctant to raise service request for faulty machines as only option is to inform building admin and there is no communication back if the machine is repaired or not.

Click here to go to user survey link

B. User Interviews:

Conduct semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of apartment residents to delve deeper into their experiences and gather qualitative insights.

Click here to view the questions prepared for the interview

C. SWOT Analysis:

Analyze existing laundry services apps to identify best practices, popular features, and areas for improvement. The competitors analyzed are Coinamatic, Commercial Laundries Inc., Advantage Equipment Inc., Wash App,

Here’s the SWOT analysis report

Persona

Based on the feedback & responses received from the initial research, the following personas were developed to focus on.

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Click here to view persona in Figma

1. Create the Mood Board

Mood boards are inspirational and directional, so I make sure to includes anything that will help me establish a foundational look and feel for visual design.

Here’s the mood board for the project -

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Click here to view the mood board in Figma

2. Finalize the Typography

I have selected Roboto due to availability of several font weights and variables. It will help to present the design and content as clearly as possible.

Here’s the view of fonts for display, headings and others

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Click to view the typography in Figma

3. Color Palette

I have decided to use dynamic color based on the logo of the app.

Here’s the color palette based on logo for the app –

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Click here to view the color palette in Figma

4. Hi-Fi Prototype

After setting up the typography, color palette and mood board, it’s the time to work on hi-fi prototype

Here’s the hi-fi prototype for the project –

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Click here to view the hi-fi prototype in Figma

1. Usability Test

The hi-fi prototype is being now tested with the interested participants to collect feedback and check if the concerns and requirements have been addressed or not.

Here’s the feedback that has been received about the hi-fi prototype -

• The user should be able to modify or cancel the bookings.
• User should be able to report any payment or wallet issues in the service section.

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2. Incorporate Feedback

The feedbacks are being incorporated into hi-fi mock-up to align the design as per the feedback.

What I learnt

The righter questions that I can ask will give a clear path to develop the product.

Once the product developed its also important to have usability tests so that so important user-friendly features which might have been previously missed gets incorporated.

Simplicity is the key, the designs that are simple and easy to use are more intuitive.