HOME HEAVEN
THE PROJECT
To Create an App with a Team of 3-4 Designers and generate ideas for a problem we think exist and need to be solved. My role in this project was both as a researcher and a designer. I designed the logo, selected the color scheme, created the homepage to set the style guide for the team, and participated in user interviews and research
OUR IDEA
HomeHaven is an app designed to assist homeowners with their DIY projects and house repairs. This app significantly improves the planning and execution of home improvement projects by providing a user-friendly platform that offers step-by-step instructions and access to a collection of DIY project ideas and resources.
RESEARCH
Our goal was to interview homeowners to understand their needs, challenges, and preferences when working on home projects. We aimed to identify key pain points, gather user stories, and explore sources of inspiration. Using the data from these interviews, we created a user persona and defined the users’ pains and gains. Additionally, we plan to analyze competitor apps to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).
AFFINITY DIAGRAM
SWOT
USER PERSONA
I LIKE, I WISH, WHAT IF
PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
PROBLEM STATEMENT
HomeHaven is designed to help homeowners complete DIY projects in a timely and cost-effective manner. We have observed that homeowners are frustrated by the high costs and inconsistency of contractors and prefer to do the work themselves whenever possible.
How might HomeHaven provide homeowners with DIY project tutorials and instructions to ensure they complete their projects right, and right the first time?
PROTOTYPING
Paper
Lo-Fi Wireframe
Group Collaborative
PROTOTYPE FLOW
FINDINGS / ITERATIONS
After our usability testing, we found that our current project icon was ambiguous and did not convey its meaning on the navigation bar. To address this, we changed the icon and added labels beneath each icon for clarity. We also discovered that users appreciated features such as adding multiple tasks to a project and the ability to search by rooms.
HI-FI PROTOTYPING
FUTURE THOUGHTS
Interviewing the users provided valuable insights into their needs. Although we couldn’t address all the feedback, here are some future features we would like to add:
Hands-Free Instructions: When your hands are tied up or messy from fixing a clogged drain, the last thing you want to do is touch your phone. We plan to add a Voice AI Step-by-Step Instructor that will guide users through their tasks with ease, without needing to look at the screen.
Contractor Squad: An in-house team of DIY experts will act as content creators, helping to produce personalized step-by-step videos so you can get the job done right.
S.O.S Feature: For those times when a DIY project isn’t going as planned, this feature will allow users to contact a professional handyman or contractor for virtual or in-person assistance.
CONCLUSION
As a homeowner myself, I wanted to create this app to help people complete their projects correctly and avoid the challenges I faced when fixing up my house. This project was particularly enjoyable as it was my first time working with my classmates. We had many great ideas for the app, and although it was difficult to decide which ones to implement, we discussed them as a team, reviewed our research, and narrowed down the key points and problems we wanted to solve. We learned a lot from each other, and I feel that we created a great app together.