Overview

For the final project in the Google Certificate in UX Design I developed

a product for the good of society. I came up with the idea after my wife

mentioned her friend having a hard time finding an apartment that

suited all her specific needs. My wife and her friend both have ADHD.

They told me there is a real gap in the market for apartment finding products

made for people with mental heath conditions and disabilities.

Objective

Research and design a product that provides a platform where users with

mental health conditions like ADHD can more easily find a place to live.

Conduct foundational research, a commercial audit and interview

individuals with ADHD in order to develop concepts and discover

a place in the market for the product. Design an app and responsive

website based on research findings and feedback from users.

Process

REsearch

Secondary Research ~ Contextual Inquiry ~ Contextual Audit ~ Surveys ~ Interviews

Analysis

Find patterns in research ~ Problem Statement

Ideation

User Profile ~ User Journey Map

Design

Paper wireframes ~ Digital wireframes ~ Low-fidelity prototype ~ high fidelity mockups ~ Prototype

Feedback

Usability study ~ Interviews ~ Affinity Diagram

Iteration

Modify mockups ~ Prepare for more research

Research

Secondary Research:

I searched scientific papers, academic studies, and credible websites to determine behaviors and traits demonstrated by individuals living with ADHD, OCD, and anxiety. I also examined how living designs and features might provide relief or ameliorate their condition.

Takeaways:

There is a breadth of scientific evidence that support certain living arrangements and features will help to facilitate more comfortable living and develop a lower stress environment for people living with mental health conditions.

These include:

Visible organizational units so user can see their possessions

Soothing colored walls and interior elements

Low noise and disruptive elements

Additional storage for possessions

Natural sunlight

Pet-friendly for emotional support animals

Contextual Inquiry:

I observed individuals with ADHD use other apps and organizing their spaces to determine how they might benefit from specific design layouts in the app and website. I also determined what amenities might be offered as search criteria in the product:

Takeaways:

Users demonstrated a need for simplified organizational folders. Also, highly visible folders or organizational units to make up for lower recall and organizational memory.

Commercial Audit:

Examination of four products related to apartment search and facilitating services to individuals with mental health challenges revealed insights for potential organization, amenities to offer, and general design ideas. These products were Zillow, Apartment List, Wheelmate, and AccessNow. Furthermore, it was discovered that our product would be developed for a relatively “blue sea” market, with no direct competitors offering the breadth and scope for services individuals with mental health challenges.

Zillow: General insights were drawn from essential layout of search bar and criteria presentation. Map size relative to listed properties were noted, and designs for Wabodes deviated from that of Zillow in both app and responsive website.

Apartment List: The product offered amenity insights to determine what is being offered to their target user group. I used that content as a baseline to expound from and determine how I might separate my product from Apartment List, i.e offer things like double pane window or visual organizational storage, which appeals specifically to my target user group.

Wheelmate: This product offers accessibility location information for those with mobility challenges. I drew insights from how they garner information from the user via profile and then applied that criteria to search results. The accessibility points are then plotted on a map. This clear visual layout would appeal to my user group. I decided to plot potential locations of properties on a map using a Wabodes icon I designed.

AccessNow: This product offers users a chance to review the accessibility of locations and businesses. This is not the nature of my product, however there were some insights gathered from the general organizational structure and criteria used to determine accessibility. This information will be especially helpful in the eventual application of the Wabodes app when built for a mobility or sensory disability application.

Surveys

A survey was used to determine what apartment amenities might be desired by individuals with ADHD. Five individuals with ADHD were given a 10-question survey, which used open ended, non-biased questions to gather feedback. Survey participants were approached through social media groups I had access to. Questions included “What are some features unique to you that you might look for in an apartment?” and “What are some things that would prevent you from renting an apartment?

Takeaways: Many of the living features derived from the secondary research described to be beneficial to those with ADHD was confirmed in the survey. One major element found was sensitivity to noise and it being a major factor that would influence decisions to rent. Other features included, natural sunlight, in-suite laundry, extra storage, and visual organizational opportunities, such as open concept shelving.

Interviews were also conducted to gather feedback for how the organization and design of an app and responsive website

would benefit a person with ADHD.

Interviews

Interviews were also conducted to gather feedback for how the organization and design of an app and responsive website would benefit a person with ADHD. Questions included “What are some features unique to you that you might look for in an app?” and “What are some things that would prevent you from using the app or website? and “In what ways would it be easier to use the app?“

Takeaways: Many interviewees discussed simpler, single-criteria topics or choices presented in a single screen. They discussed the potential to be easily overwhelmed by too many choices being presented all at once. They also mentioned the importance of being able to see “matches” or options they have chosen all at once. This would prevent them from forgetting or being overwhelmed.

Analysis

Problem Statement:

Design an app and responsive website that offers a way for people living with ADHD and other mental health conditions to easily find places to live because other apps have not been specially curated to suite their user needs.

Patterns in Foundational Research

Design

App and website layout need to be simply presented with fewer choices per screen and organized in a clear, concise manner and prevent the user from feeling overwhelmed.
Soothing colors would facilitate a more calming user experience.
A map depicting all the search results is exhibited in many popular apartment search products and would benefit our user by aiding them in organizing the search results and not overwhelming them with a busier format.

Informational Architecture and content

Users with mental health considerations would benefit from amenity categories based on noise mitigation, visual organization, natural sunlight, soothing colors additional storage, and acceptance of pets.

Ideate

User Profile

Sam is relocating to Seattle after taking a new job in marketing. She doesn’t know anyone in the city and is getting frustrated finding the right place to live. She also have ADHA and anxiety. She is finding that most places she views have features that would make her disability worse, such as loud noises and few helpful amenities like in-unit laundry, large closet, and proximal to a gym. Sam also have a dog named, Bruce, who is her emotional support animal. Sam is having a hard time navigating places that do or don’t allow pets. Sam wishes there were and app or website that would help her find the right place quickly. Accessing the app on her phone would be very helpful as she is very active.

User Journey

User: Samantha is using the most popular apartment finding app to find an apartment in Seattle after taking a new job.

Scenario: She is living with ADHD and there are specific things she has found to be helpful coping with her mental health condition.These things include apartments that have natural light, low noise, visual organization, and soothing colors. Other important things are in-unit laundry, carpet and it needs to be pet friends for her dog, Bruce.

Expectations:

Easily find a apartment in the desired location with all the amenities she wants and is also in her budget
Clearly organized map with search results so user can navigate to them
Clear photographs and floorpans and amenities

Design

Mobile App Paper Wireframes

I used a mobile-first approach to develop my sketches to ensure there would be progressive advancement in each iteration. I started with designs for a mobile app and graduated to

designs for a responsive website for a mobile device and desktop.

View all wireframes here.

Feedback

Digital Wireframes

I used the information from the foundational research to design the “introductory/establish profile” and search criteria screens. I used a very simple layout with one to two choices presented on the screen to prevent overwhelming a user with ADHD.

Usability Study

A usability study was conducted with five participants, each having ADHD. The study was unmoderated and the duration of the study was less than 20 minutes. Participant were sent the link for the wireframe prototype. They were asked to click through the wireframe task flow. Then they were given a survey that asked about the general design, content, and flow of the task. The task was to start a profile, establish criteria, and search for an apartment. Success rates were also collected.

Iterataion

High Resolution Mockups

Check out the prototype here

Responsive Web Design

As mentioned, the project was started with a mobile-first design strategy. Therefore, once I finished the mobile app, I went on to design for a desktop website. Some considerations were taken for the desktop i.e. more information and resources could be presented to the user. Other adjustments for sizing and space were made. The figure on the left shows a responsive website design for a mobile app and the figure on the right is the map page for the desktop screen. There is a link to the entire project below.

Accessibility Considerations

Clear, simple design to ensure individuals with ADHD are not overwhelmed
Prominent headers for screen readers
Soothing colors used for a calming experience and stark color contrast

Future Considerations

Conduct another usability study to determine any friction points in the product and iterate new design
Test the product with a larger audience and gather more feedback
Develop design ideas for other disabilities like mobility or sensory.

Let’s connect

Thank you for reviewing my project!

I’d love to hear your comments or questions.

Please reach out to me at editor@shaneharms.com

Wabodes Apartment Finder App

Overview

Objective

Process

REsearch

Analysis

Ideation

Design

Feedback

Iteration

Research

Analysis

Ideate

Design

Feedback

Usability Study

Iterataion

Accessibility Considerations

Future Considerations

Let’s connect