Simppl
Simmpl is a mobile app that matches people who live alone with handyman services to address urgent and non-urgent tasks in their daily lives.
Overview
Timeline
2022/12 - Now
My Role
UX designer
Responsibility
Research, Define, Prototypes, Usability Test
Objective
Create a mobile app that connects people who live alone with handyman services to assist them in addressing both urgent and non-urgent tasks in their daily lives.
Role & Deliverables
As part of my role, I am responsible for user research such as user surveys, interviews and competitive analysis. I also identify target users, define problems, set product goal, and conduct user testing.
Challenges
To provide effective solutions that address the real pain points of individuals living alone, we need to understand how they seek help when facing life problems.
Outcome
We have completed the mockups and conducted usability testing, with an SUS score of 80.5. We also iterated our design based on the testing results.
Background
Simmpl is a mobile app that matches people who live alone with handyman services to address urgent and non-urgent tasks in their daily lives.
Living alone is now a popular lifestyle worldwide, mainly observed in highly developed countries like Europe and America. Therefore, we want to explore the challenges that these these solitaries face and see it as a potential business opportunity to meet their needs.
Research
Survey
We conducted a small user study using a questionnaire to explore the challenges faced by individuals living alone. Out of 78 completed responses, the survey found that 30% experienced difficulties with household repairs, 30% with emergencies, 20% with food delivery, and 20% with time constraints.
User Interviews
We conducted qualitative interviews to gain deeper insights into the behavior and pain points of people who live alone.
Interview Goals
1. Understand the daily challenges faced by people who live alone.
2. Explore how they seek help to address these challenges.
Participant Description
1. 6 participants with living-alone experience.
2. 4 females and 2 males.
3. Age range: 23-40 years old.
Interview Summary
1. Participants share the daily challenges of living alone.
2. Participants share recent experiences of seeking help.
3. Scenario-based questions to explore product opportunities.
Interview Key Findings
Reasons for being willing to pay for help depending on the urgency of the matter and personal level of busyness.
The decision to pay for help depends on whether the task cannot be handled independently or is simply undesirable. The former usually requires professional expertise while the latter consider personal factors such as busyness and lifestyle.
Repair problems that affect living space are the most urgent tasks and are prioritized for payment. People are willing to spend more money to handle them.
People with a fast-paced lifestyle may need someone to handle daily chores regularly to maintain a high standard of living and a comfortable living environment.
The information gap between the demand and supply sides of communication will result in different perceptions of the cost and time required.
Two main reasons for the information gap in communication are lack of professional expertise on the demand side, which makes it difficult to clearly describe the situation, and the actual severity of the problem that needs to be solved.
There is no standardized pricing reference for the same problem on both the supply and demand sides, resulting in frequent discrepancies between the demand's budget and the supplier's quote.
The time required to solve a problem can be influenced by the severity of the problem as well as other factors such as the distance between the demand and supply sides, which can cause the estimated processing time to be extended.
The limited reference value for evaluating professional technical issues leads to reduced trust in the service.
Unsure whether one's problem can be solved based on others' reviews.
Reviews are subjective while professional technical issues require objective certification.
Competitive Analysis
To identify product opportunities, we analyzed the features and interfaces of direct, indirect, and parallel competitors in the market.
台灣 Call 師傅
PRO 360
小雞上工
Lalamove
Through competitive analysis, we found that there are opportunities for us to strive for in automating the matching of supply and demand, integrating map functionality, and tracking the progress of works.
Define
Persona
Based on the data and insights gathered from our research, we have identified two target groups that we can focus on to better reach our target users.
Goal
Offering an instant matching platform for handyman services to assist solitaries with urgent daily tasks they cannot solve on their own.
Hypothesis
For busy working people who leave alone, providing on-demand and scheduled services will help improve their quality of life.
Effective communication tools will help people quickly identify and solve problems, saving time and effort.
Providing professional credentials and service details will establish a trustworthy system, along with a bookmark feature for compiling a reliable list of service providers.
Ideate
Information Architecture
User Flow
It is an example of the flow of sending the request from people who live alone.
Wireframes
After we finished the information architecture and user flow, the UI designer began creating wireframes and having extensive discussions with the team. Our goal is to allow users to quickly register/login and guide them step-by-step to fill in their information.
Design
Branding
⭐ Slanted font represents fast resolution as core value.
⭐ Bold typeface creates a sharp and youthful brand image.
Simp（工具人）+ ppl（people）= Simppl（pronounced "simple"）
Simp is an internet slang term for someone who lavishes attention and affection on another person without receiving the same in return, usually in the pursuit of a romantic relationship. The "Urban Dictionary" defines it as "someone who goes above and beyond for the person they like." This type of behavior, regardless of gender, is known as "simping."
Design System
Get Started Quickly!
Describe the problem details step-by-step.
Matching and Tracking!
Leave a review easily.
The entire procedure, from request summit to closure.
Usability test
To conduct usability testing, we invited 5 female participants who had previously completed a questionnaire and agreed to be interviewed. We tested with the Hi-Fi prototype to figure out whether people can complete the assigned tasks without assistance and discover the opportunity for improvement.
Purpose
1. Confirm the usability of the current design.
2. To gain further insights into user behaviors and preferences.
SUS Survey Result
80.5
Test scenario
You live near Taipei 101. Your job is busy and your company is located far away in Neihu, making it difficult for you to leave work on time to catch the garbage truck. Therefore, you decide to open Simppl and look for a tool person who can help you dump the garbage on time.
Assigned tasks
1. Pre-service - Fill out the form and set location, time, price.
2. During service - Match with a toolman and track progress.
2. Post-service - Payment and review.
Key findings & Iterations
Add other services feature
All participants were confused about the blue plus button and didn't know its function if they haven't used the app before.
We removed the button and repositioned the feature with the service types at the top of the page.
Bookmark list of favorite Simppl
Four participants were confused by the meaning of the color surrounding the avatar and suggested emphasizing Simppl's expertise rather than displaying the task count under the avatar, which they found less useful.
We removed the color from around the avatar and replaced it with dots to represent Simppl's status. In addition, we replaced the task count with Simppl's expertise.
Simppl nearby
Users thought that displaying gray meant that the Simppls were taking a break or were disabled, so it made no sense to show nearby.
We replaced the gray icons with avatars that, when clicked, takes displays the Simppl's profile page.
Set time
Adding a field to set the frequency of the task can reduce the need for repeatedly setting the time, making it more convenient for users.
We allow users to set up recurring requests with frequencies such as once a week, twice a week, or once a month to reduce the back-and-forth setting time.
Choose the best Simppl
When matching with a Simppl, there may be multiple bidders. How to choose the Simppl I prefer?
When there are multiple bidders at the same time, users can swipe the card horizontally to see and select the best Simppl.
Future Consideration
1. Adding a search function
We'll add a search function to help users quickly find suitable services as everyone may have different definitions of service types.
2. Better alternative to form-filling
Form-filling can be time-consuming and inefficient. We could see if there is a better design.
Reflection
1. Balancing demand and supply side needs
At this point, we are designing from the demand side. In the following stage, we can consider interviewing some repair experts to learn how they assess problems and quote prices, thereby closing the information gap between the supply and demand sides optimizing the entire process.
2. Time-based feature challenge.
Designing for time is one of the most challenging aspects, as users may have urgent or recurring needs. We need to consider how to balance these use cases for effective design.
3. Tracking the registration rate and usage rate
Tracking whether the registration rate and usage rate are proportional in the future. It helps us identify patterns in user behavior and preferences.