CASE STUDY

Travelers

USER RESEARCH, PRODUCT STRATEGY. PRODUCT DESIGN, DESIGN LEADERSHIP

ROLE OVERVIEW

This project aimed to gauge customer opinions on a platform where neighbors share and review projects by local contractors, aiding users in finding the right contractor for home repairs. Our primary focus was on creating a rapid app concept to test various hypotheses and guide future business decisions.

In my role as the Principal of UX Design, my responsibilities included:

1. Formulating and prioritizing key business hypotheses.
2. Developing and implementing a user research plan.
3. Conducting multiple rounds of user interviews.
4. Creating initial branding for the app.
5. Designing swift product concepts and prototypes to gather insights about users, informing future business decisions.

DISCOVERY & USER RESEARCH

We organized three rounds of remote sessions, each lasting 1.25 hours and involving seven homeowners. These participants had experience hiring professional contractors for home repairs or improvements within the last 6 months. During these sessions, we encouraged them to explore the prototype, engage with different features, and discuss their potential requirements and expectations related to the app concept.

Collaborating with Travelers business leads, we formulated the following essential questions for clarification:

1. Confirm if the Grapevine product concept effectively tackles the revised problem statements for hands-off homeowners.
2. Evaluate specific assumptions embedded in the Grapevine product concept.
3. Gain deeper insights into homeowners' needs, goals, pain points, and use cases concerning home repairs or improvements.
4. Pinpoint functional areas that require prioritization and enhancement.

USER GOALS & USER FLOWS

Following each round of interviews, we fine-tuned our user flow, providing insights for the subsequent iteration of our prototype. This collaborative effort enabled the entire team to converge on the primary use cases, user goals, and the subsequent steps for further investigation.

FINAL DESIGN & OUTPUT

Although the primary focus of the project wasn't on product design, we successfully crafted a brand and user experience that performed well in testing. These designs not only addressed our initial questions but also uncovered several new insights guiding the next steps for the business.

Key features that emerged from this effort included:

1. Users could showcase past projects with contractor ratings and badges.
2. Users could engage by commenting and asking questions about various details on projects posted by others.
3. Users had the capability to search for reliable contractors.
4. We opted to avoid using the Travelers brand as it impacted user trust in search results.

The project's findings and strategic recommendations were summarized in a synthesis presentation presented to the executives at Travelers.

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