F A C T I T I O U S P R O J EC T
MechMonk is a project I worked on while taking up the Google UX certification. The project involved designing an app for a local auto repair shop
Duration
3 months
Role
Entire product design from user research and interviewing users, defining the problem, brainstorming for solutions to wire-framing, prototyping and usability testing
Tools
Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Miro, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Word
Empathize
User Research
Target User Group
The target audience is vehicle owners and users between the age group of 18-60 years. They are people with busy schedules, those who have difficulty in getting their vehicle to/back from an auto repair shop for regular maintenance and for emergency auto services.
Goal
Develop an app which will enable users to easily connect to an auto repair shop for their regular and emergency auto needs and help them maintain a record of their auto maintenance.
Challenges
The biggest challenge is automating this entire process. Currently, everything is done over phone calls. The user is required to call the auto repair shop for his auto needs, which causes confusions and delays.
User Interviews
Interview Goals
The goal of the interview process was to understand the process that users currently follow for getting their vehicle to an auto repair shop. I wanted to know the smooth phases, hassles and roadblocks that users face in the current process. I also wanted to know what features they would like in an app that was developed for this process.
Interview Mode
I conducted remote interviews over Zoom with busy professionals who are vehicle owners and users who often do not have the time and space to spend to look after their vehicle, but they are required to do it to ensure that their vehicle functions fine. The candidates were chosen through a screening survey after which I scheduled an interview with them, which lasted for 30-40 minutes.
Interview Insights
All those interviewed voiced the same concern of the hassles of having to connect with a auto repair shop over phone calls. Another hassle commonly mentioned was that of the time being wasted in the entire process, from attempting to connect to an agent to waiting in the customer lounge while the vehicle was being serviced. They also complained about the inefficient way in which the past maintenance records of their vehicles are maintained.
Define
Personas
User Pain Points
Opportunities
User Journey Map
Ideate
Crazy Eights
Prototype
Storyboards
Big Picture
Close Up
Information Architecture
Wire-framing and Prototyping
Testing
User Testing
I performed unmoderated usability tests on 30 users with the prototypes to ensure that the users were able to perform the basic tasks that were expected from the app. The user flow of the app, attractiveness and ease of use were tested.
Findings
90% of the users found the app easy to use and intuitive. There were individuals who had a few usability issues like unable to find how they could update their vehicle details and facing difficulty in understanding the words and language used n the app. These issues were immediately corrected and tested again to ensure that the users would not face any further hassles.
Testers Say
Final Product
Conclusion
This was my first dive into the complete UX process from start to finish, hence encountering many obstacles and opportunities for improvement. One of the most important things I learnt from this project was the importance of putting the users needs first and foremost. It made me look at an app from a different perspective, than the usual way of looking at an app as only a product that is used to generate profits. The project pushed me to learn more about user behaviour and psychology, to make technology is a smoother experience for the end users.