Project Summary
CoAbode is a website founded by a single mother for single mothers.
The website provides a platform for single mothers to connect with one another, create friendships, and even home-share in order to alleviate some of the inevitable struggles of single motherhood.
The Product
The client asked our team to improve the existing website. Through heuristic evaluation, interview insights, card sorting, re-evaluating site architecture and functionality, we decided to implement a complete re-design of the website that would meet current site conventions, therefore improving usability.
Team
Nareh Hovhannisian, Leah Roberts, Aronne Jang
My Role
Researcher (Competitive & Comparative Analysis, Heuristic Evaluation, User Research, User Interviews, Contextual Inquiry, Persona Creation, Card Sorting, Task Analysis, User Flow, Wireframes, Affinity Mapping, User Testing with Middle and High-Fidelity Prototypes)
Platforms
Sketch, Photoshop, Numbers, Principle, InVision
Timeline
Three weeks of research, ideation, testing and design
Discovery
Site
Evaluation
Competitive &
Comparative Analysis
Affinity Mapping
User Interviews
Persona Creation
Site Evaluation based on Neilsen usablility heuristics
Problem
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Website not secure
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Friend Circle call-to-action button non-functional
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No clear button to join CoAbode
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Inactive user remain in database
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Profile photo dimensions inconsistent
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No sorting feature aside from zip code
Violation
Error Prevention; Consistency & Standards
Error Prevention; Recognition Rather than Recall
Consistency & Standards
Error Prevention; Consistency & Standards
Consistency & Standards
User Control & Freedom; Flexibility & Efficiency of use
Severity
3
3
3
3
2
3
Based on site evaluation, usability, security, lack of modern conventions appeared to be critical issues of concern.
PROBLEM
GOAL
How might we provide easy-to-access, insightful information about users in order to streamline the search process and increase the likelihood of single mothers finding a match?
Revise website in order to increase both the number of single mothers actively using CoAbode, and the likelihood of their finding compatible matches.
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Competitive & Comparative Analysis
Because of the unique nature of the CoAbode website, I could analyze only indirect competitors, focusing on home finding and sharing websites, as well as dating websites and applications.
I wanted to uncover some good practices around security as well as to understand the conventions and logic behind matching services in order to enhance the CoAbode website´s experience.
Good Practices Insights
Rich multiple choice questions during creation of profile, which are logged by site and used as filter categories during search process to aid in efficient matching
Two-step authentication process/linking to social media and phone to verify user authenticity and aid in site security
User freedom and ability to block or flag other users for suspicious behavior (security)
Most important information prioritized within thumbnail photo of users within search page for more accurate and quicker matching
Map feature for more accurate location in searches
Affinity Mapping
User Interviews
Through mapping quotes and themes from our user interviews and contextual inquiries, we decided that the incentive to use a platform such as CoAbode boils down to a lack of time, money, and a desire for community.
A website such as CoAbode could, in fact, help address these issues by matching mothers seeking the relief of community, as long as it strengthened its matching
Top Considerations
While users see value in a platform such as CoAbode, they made it clear that their use would be contingent on feeling the website is secure (as child rearing is a delicate topic) and not wasting their time digging through profiles to gauge compatability.
We used these valuable insights to create a more secure website, and a strong sorting mechanism to enable single mothers find a more exact match
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Our Persona
Through interview insights, I created the following persona to enable research sythesis
Task Flow
We asked users to create a CoAbode account on the current website and to think outloud while doing so.
Single mothers want an easy and trusted way to connect with other like-minded single mothers and form a supportive community.
Users like Alana have attempted to reach out to other single mothers on CoAbode website, but the time they spend scrutinizing the profiles to identify possible matches has not resulted in any connections. Moreover, the lack of adherence to website conventions in addition to the insecure nature of the website makes them feel uneasy about using the platform.
How might we enhance the security of the website and provide easy-to-access, insightful information about users in order to streamline the search process and increase the likelihood of CoAbode users finding a match?
Based on the issues user frustrations and concerns, we revisited the problem statement in order to better resolve specified problems through ideation:
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Ideation
Feature
Prioritization
Information
Architecture
New Site Map
User Flow
Feature Prioritization
Using these three phases of Getting to, Joining, and Searching the Community, we created a MoSCoW chart in to prioritize which features were necessary.
We found that virtually all the features we had thought of were necessary.
SECURITY
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Secure Website (SSL certificate)
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Two-factor authentication/verification through social media
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User ability to flag or block suspicious users
STREAMLINING process of joining
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Clear call-to-action button to join on virtually every page (header and footer)
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One way to join, regardless of whether users want to make friends or to home share
Effective ONBOARDING
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Rich forms and multiple choice questions which would be logged by website and showing up during in searching process as strong sorting features
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Ability to express personality within forms that would later show in profile
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Standardize photos to enhance website's validity
SEARCH process
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Strong filter and sorting options to streamline the possibility of finding a match
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Map feature for more precise locations
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Last Active shown on user profile
Must have features
Information Architecture
We conducted six open card sorts in order to understand under what headings users would find it intuitive to find certain resources, such as FAQs, contact information, and call-to-action buttons.
New Site Map
Based on user trends in the card sorting process, we revised the site map:
User Flow
To guide our design, the following user flow showcases proposed direction of:
Getting to the community, searching, joining and serves as a guide for our mid-fidelity wireframes:
Design
Mid-Fidelity
Wireframes
Usability
Testing
High-Fidelity
Prototype
Mood
Board
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Homepage
Forms & Onboarding
Final Verification & Search
Usability Testing
We conducted ten usability tests with our mid-fidelity wireframes.
Based on feedback, the following design changes were made:
Mood Board
We decided to use orange because not only is it currently a popular color in the industry, but also signifies community, determination and success.
Yellow signifies happiness, positivity, optimism and joy,
Blue signifies stability, trust and sincerity
These emotions were in line with those we wished to incite in CoAbode users.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Next Steps
Design out more flows, test and iterate upon filters, features (messaging), etc.
Design Native app
Enable chat between users on website
Enable posts on site (similar to Facebook feed)
