…and talks about it.
…and talks about it.
Simplifying the process of renting public event spaces
Simplifying the process of renting public event spaces
A facilities management platform and marketplace that helps community members search and request public event spaces in their local area
A facilities management platform and marketplace that helps community members search and request public event spaces in their local area
Industry
Real estate, marketplace
Dates
Nov 2022 - May 2023
Client location
The United States
Team
1 designer, 2 developers, 1 QA, 1 project manager
Did you know that school district facilities can be rented?
Did you know that school district facilities can be rented?
This may come as a surprise to many, but public event spaces like gyms, pools, classrooms, basketball and tennis courts and even theaters and auditoriums are often available for rent.
This bringing together of renters and spaces is a win-win for the community who are able to access great school facilities, and for school districts who are looking to utilize their idle capacity and generate revenue to recoup the costs of running and maintaining these facilities.
Our clients have an operating facility booking platform but their users have faced issues with the old booking flow. The process was not as smooth as they would have liked it to be, resulting in a high number of customer support calls.
This may come as a surprise to many, but public event spaces like gyms, pools, classrooms, basketball and tennis courts and even theaters and auditoriums are often available for rent.
This bringing together of renters and spaces is a win-win for the community who are able to access great school facilities, and for school districts who are looking to utilize their idle capacity and generate revenue to recoup the costs of running and maintaining these facilities.
Our clients have an operating facility booking platform but their users have faced issues with the old booking flow. The process was not as smooth as they would have liked it to be, resulting in a high number of customer support calls.
My task was to rethink and improve the flow, while avoiding any major changes that could intimidate old users
My task was to rethink and improve the flow, while avoiding any major changes that could intimidate old users
Aside from UX problems, the previous design was outdated, and it was time to make it more modern.
The majority of platform users are 50 and older, so we need a simple user interface with additional visual hints instead of blindly following latest UI trends.
Aside from UX problems, the previous design was outdated, and it was time to make it more modern.
The majority of platform users are 50 and older, so we need a simple user interface with additional visual hints instead of blindly following latest UI trends.
We gathered feedback from users and did competitive research
We gathered feedback from users and did competitive research
♦ Time slots don’t show real availability so users have to go back and forth to figure it out
♦ Users keep seeing error messages but don’t know what’s wrong
♦ There’s no way to tell the capacity of any facility until you get to checkout
♦ Amenities, services and equipments are displayed all at once so it’s hard to scan
♦ Time slots don’t show real availability so users have to go back and forth to figure it out
♦ Users keep seeing error messages but don’t know what’s wrong
♦ There’s no way to tell the capacity of any facility until you get to checkout
♦ Amenities, services and equipments are displayed all at once so it’s hard to scan
A common practice is to display photos in a grid format, allowing users to view more photos if desired. Icons are used to make information easier to scan. The booking section is usually fixed on the right side of the page, offering users to select from available dates and time slots. Additionally, a "You may also like" section is included to enhance the search process.
A common practice is to display photos in a grid format, allowing users to view more photos if desired. Icons are used to make information easier to scan. The booking section is usually fixed on the right side of the page, offering users to select from available dates and time slots. Additionally, a "You may also like" section is included to enhance the search process.
Together with clients, we decided to split page into sections and work on each in iterations
Together with clients, we decided to split page into sections and work on each in iterations
The top section includes the facility name, its owner, location, and images. To showcase more pictures, I have chosen to display the photos in a grid format.
In the previous design, there was a large map that users rarely interacted with but it still cost client money to display it. To reduce maintenance costs, we have decided to hide the map under a See on map button, this way clients only pay per request.
The top section includes the facility name, its owner, location, and images. To showcase more pictures, I have chosen to display the photos in a grid format.
In the previous design, there was a large map that users rarely interacted with but it still cost client money to display it. To reduce maintenance costs, we have decided to hide the map under a See on map button, this way clients only pay per request.
Amenities section showcases everything that the facility has to offer. We display rates, capacity, and all services and equipment that are available for booking. To make it easier for users to scan this section, I grouped all items and added icons.
Amenities section showcases everything that the facility has to offer. We display rates, capacity, and all services and equipment that are available for booking. To make it easier for users to scan this section, I grouped all items and added icons.
We dedicated most of our time on this project to improving the booking flow
We dedicated most of our time on this project to improving the booking flow
We went through multiple iterations, some of which were completely different from the old designs, just to test some ideas and think outside the box.
We went through multiple iterations, some of which were completely different from the old designs, just to test some ideas and think outside the box.
After testing multiple versions of time pickers with users and discussing the restrictions of each with developers, we decided to reuse the grid layout from current design. It allows users to see availability right away and they can select as many hours as they need. We added functionality to show range on hover and adjust minutes to any value (this was a legal requirement from client side).
After testing multiple versions of time pickers with users and discussing the restrictions of each with developers, we decided to reuse the grid layout from current design. It allows users to see availability right away and they can select as many hours as they need. We added functionality to show range on hover and adjust minutes to any value (this was a legal requirement from client side).
Once we tested our final prototype and verified that our designs met AA accessibility requirements, we handed off the designs to the developers
Once we tested our final prototype and verified that our designs met AA accessibility requirements, we handed off the designs to the developers
The improved booking process makes it easier for people to see available dates and time slots. Detailed information about facilities has been added to improve user satisfaction and increase the chances of finding the perfect facility for their requirements.
The improved booking process makes it easier for people to see available dates and time slots. Detailed information about facilities has been added to improve user satisfaction and increase the chances of finding the perfect facility for their requirements.
