Overview
Role: Solo UX/UI Desing/Research/Branding/Wireframe/Prototype/Student Project
Tools: Figma/ Miro/ Notion Time: Two weeks (80 hours). CA.2023
Background
ReloHub helps users relocate to the USA and Europe. Our customizable services include personal relocation and real estate agents who specialize in rent, sale, location selection, legal immigration guidance, and budgeting. Our user-friendly platform tracks processes and offers tailored relocation plans for a stress-free experience.
The Problem
Define Relohub has encountered an array of challengers for users who are relocating from or to the USA and Europe. Competitors struggle to ensure access to accurate and up-to-date information regarding job hunting, inmigration requirements, and real estate procedures in different countries. This has proven to be a complex and dynamic problem.
The Goal
To establish Relohub as the leading platform for international relocation service by focusing on delivering highly customizable services and up-to-date service and defining the target audience’s obstacles as pain points across the relocation process. A one-stop shop is the solution vs. what you set out to learn with research, setting it apart from competitors.
Discovery Stage
Designing the Right Thing
Before jumping to the solution mode, I wanted to connect with the consumers’ experiences, wants, and needs. I used the double diamond framework to guide us through the design process.
In this step, I utilized:
Competitor Analysis
Affinity Map
User Persona
DISCOVER
DEFINE
Doble Diamond Design Framework
DEVELOP
DELIVER
Research Goals
I wanted to conduct meticulous research that goes beyond surface-level insights, delving into the intricate aspects of users’ experiences, encompassing their immediate challenges, long-term aspirations, emotional drivers, and decision-making. This research will establish a robust knowledge base essential for shaping an innovative and highly responsive platform.
Conversation Analysis
Segmentation/ Service awareness/ What could drive a relocation/ What type of service does the client require
Design Process
Define Stage
Secondary Search
Competitive Analysis
User Persona
User Interview
Affinity Map
SWOT
Prototype Stage
Mid-Fidelity
Usability Testing
Affinity Map
Hight -Fidelity Prototype
Design Stage
Task Flow
User Flow
Miro
Wireframes
Branding
Responsive UI
UI Kit
Develop Stage
How-Might-we Questions
Point-Of-View Questions
Product Goal
Secondary Research
Systematically focusing on the SWOT competitor analysis allows me to find factors that help select strategies and make informed decisions when designing and choosing the components to create cutting-edge services and functions. In this analysis, we will find critical aspects, shedding light on how they can shape the outcome of the relocation platform. Researching leasing relocation platforms helped to identify gaps in their services and platform performance. I
researched four direct competitors. A comprehensive SWOT competitor analysis is available.
SWOT Competitive Analysis
Strengths
Strong network-partnerships
Expertise and Knowledge
Customized Services
Weakness
High cost
Lengthy relocation process
Oportunities
Growing globally demand
Technological Advances
Threats
Intense competition
Economic stability
User Interviews
Systematical to gain a comprehensive understanding of relocation experiences, I conducted interviews with individuals who have relocated domestically and internationally and those who have not. Here are some key insights: Analyzing and computing each interview has allowed me to link similar Behaviors. All my subjects had moved once or twice throughout their lifetime—gathering experience from different backgrounds, locations, ethnicities, and future willingness to relocate. The age range among them is between 31 to 42 years, except for one who is 22 years. Three principal drivers of relocating are family, work opportunities, and lifestyle. Following the flow of the interview in a very organic way with each subject gave me the reasoning of the Why beyond the abovementioned reason.
55%
WORK
30%
LIFE STYLE
15%
FAMILY
Other things that my interviewers mentioned:
Subjects had previous relocation experience, diverse backgrounds, and a willingness to relocate in the future.
Handling personal belongings is crucial for the company's reputation and attracting new leads.
Transparency on fees, timelines, and customized plans to expand market share.
Affinity Map
We used Affinity Mapping to transform user interview findings into a clear roadmap for Relohub—this technique involves recurring patterns and themes among experiences, distilling complex data into actionable insights. The result was a user-centric and efficient relocation process.
Insights
Factors like networking and a trend of talented individuals seeking a connected and balanced lifestyle were considered
It aimed to evoke an emotional response through language and tone in services
Needs
In-depth immigration services were not top priorities but were still crucial for updating knowledge.
They emphasized the need for expert agents to cater to a diverse clientele.
Developing a well-trained and empathetic workforce to support clients' relocation needs is prioritized.
As I have gained a considerable amount of knowledge about the audience, including their goals and needs; the user persona process has allowed me to concentrate on resolving the most critical problems and addressing the major needs of the user groups. Now, let me introduce you to April and Nick. They are planning to move in the near future.
User Persona
Define Stage
Designing the Right Thing
After the first stage, I started filtering through all the information I'd gotten and elaborating on it to define the main problems and the design challenge.
DISCOVER
DEFINE
DEVELOP
DELIVER
Doble Diamond Design Framework
How Might We
Designing the Right Thing To clarify the problem I’m trying to solve, I use Point-of-View (POV) statements to help me ideate with a specific goal. Additionally, I sue How-Might-We (HMW) questions to frame the brainstorming session and generate solutions. These statements and questions are based on the insights and needs I gathered during my Empathy Map exercise.
POV
I would like to explore ways to deliver clients’ freights on time and not damage.
I would like to explore connecting local real estate agents to future clients who wish to relocate to a new country or city.
I want to convey a comprehensive methodology for choosing a new place to relocate to.
I would like to create a flexible payment plan for relocation services that allows us to offer a competitive price.
HMW
How might we outsource freight companies to accomplish delivery deadlines?
How might we successfully create a workforce of real estate?
agents committed to our new business?
How might we ease the relocation selection process?
How might we lower are cost and overhead to maintain a competitive price?
Product Goal
After conducting an HMW (How Might We) analysis and brainstorming potential solutions, I developed a list of project goals. These goals will guide the future development of Relohub’s mobile application and provide a set of criteria for determining which features to include in the app. I identified user goals from my user persona and empathy map.
Business Goals
User Goals
After creating the Task flow, I develop user flows corresponding to each task and scenario, allowing me to envision different situations a user might encounter.
How can I design a solution that would work well for various contexts and allow users to write a message without much friction?
User Flow
Task Flow
Task Flow for a user that needs to rent a propety
Task Flow for a user that needs to rent a truck
Develope Stage
Designing the Right Thing
By considering all the information gathered in the prior steps of the design process, I ensured that fewer problem worlds arose during the implementation phase. This approach allowed us to identify technical limitations that would have been unknown otherwise, thus avoiding potential issues that might have occurred down the line.
DISCOVER
DEFINE
DEVELOP
DELIVER
Doble Diamond Design Framework
Digital Wireframes
In the process of designing Relohub, High-fidelity wireframes were created as a blueprint for the app's visual design. The wireframes provided a skeletal structure and layout of the app’s features and elements. By focusing on visual consistency and hierarchy, the wireframes allowed for early visualization of the user interface and interactions, enabling the design to be tested and refined before committing to higher-fidelity visuals. A to-do list was created to design the critical screens identified in the task and user flows, and low-fidelity screens were sketched out quickly using pen and paper to capture ideas.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
High-fidelity Wireframes
Tile Style & UI Kit
As part of my work on Relohub, I created a style tile to refine the brand’s visual identity. To guide the later UI design, the style tile summarizes the brand’s key elements, such as logo design, color palette, typography, and imagery.
Delivery Stage
Designing the Right Thing
After delivering the final prototype, our focus shifted to ensuring its functionality and user satisfaction. We began by gathering user feedback and closely monitoring key performance metrics. The outcome was overwhelmingly positive.
DISCOVER
DEFINE
DEVELOP
DELIVER
Doble Diamond Design Framework
Prototype
See the interactive prototype
Usability
Outcomes
Relohubs’ service focuses on real state consultation, including rent, sale, location’s choosing, legal-immigration handly, and budgeting. A medium to success with each customer is to allow the client to track their progress on our platform ( website and app) and to have a highly customizable relocation plan. Five participants, ages 28 and 60, were part of the usability test once each participant performed the task, and here are the outcomes.
Recommendations
Update the relocation destination header
Include new pages in the goal plan tracker
Switch to a vertical layout for the goal tracker
Redesign the calendar picker
Rename the header for my real estate agent
Findings
One user found the user page overwhelming.
Some users had difficulty adding new goals.
One user mentioned the app looked outdated.
Four users completed tasks, suggesting good usability
Testing took 3 to 5 minutes, allowing efficient usability assessment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ReloHub's suite of services, covering real estate consultation, legal immigration guidance, budgeting, and customizable relocation plans' flexibility, demonstrate our commitment to simplifying the relocation journey. Our user-friendly platform facilitates effortless progress tracking. At the same time, usability testing revealed some minor challenges for participants aged 28 to 60, most experienced good usability. With efficient testing completed in just 3 to 5 minutes, we are dedicated to continually improving the user experience.
At ReloHub, our mission is to empower individuals with busy lives to relocate seamlessly, unlocking new work opportunities and enhancing their overall lifestyle.