OPIN
OPIN is a demand survey service that solves the vacancy problem of rental spaces, which has increased since COVID-19. OPIN provides store owners with residents’ needs, and residents with stores they want.
My Role
UX Research
Interaction Design
Prototype
Hi-Fi Design
Design Team
Suyeon Lee
Jiin Yoo
Sehyun Lim
Haewon Jang
Date
March - June 2022
Problem
Over 50% increase in vacancy rate in South Korea after Covid-19 aggravates the local economy.
A preliminary survey application that provides store owners with residents’ needs, and residents with stores they want.
Solution
Design Challenge
How might we solve the vacancy problem of rental spaces, which has increased since COVID-19?
Field Research
To understand deeply about current circumstances, we went out to the street, walked 6km, and counted the number of empty stores on the street.
Insight: Over 50% of stores are closed or run out of business compared to before Covid-19. After that, we felt the need to understand the consumption patterns of people after Covid-19.
Desk Research
To understand the consumption patterns of people after Covid, we checked the changes in the number of credit card payments within a 500m residential area.
Changes in the number of credit card payments
within 500m residential area
<Statistical data provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government>
Insight: We found that as people spend more time at home, consumption near residential areas has been activated. Based on the data, we wanted to learn more about how store owners, residents, and real estate are related.
User Interview
So we randomly visited over 20 stores, real estates, and residents passing by the street for a guerrilla interview. Eventually, we led 15 in-depth interviews who are in their 20's to 50's.
Interview from Salad store owner
Interview from real estate
Insight: We learned that there was a lack of communication channels between the store owner and residents before opening the store.
Research Insights
To gain insights about missing categories, and to inform design decisions, we conducted a workshop by doing card sorting.
Step 1: Identify the Common Categories.
Step 2: Group the Cards.
Step 3: Analyse the Distribution of Percentages.
Step 4: Make Your Decisions.
Insights:
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Before opening the store, store owners tend to rely on real estate information.
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Residents were suffering inconvenience since there were no stores they needed.
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A direct preliminary survey of local residents' needs was needed.
User Personas
We created two main personas to help us explore the needs of both store owners and residents.
Information Architecture
In order to draw wireframes, we organised the information architecture of both business owner and residents' flow.
Wireframes
We produced various concepts of wireframes and utilised them to usability testing.
Usability Testing
To figure out the problem of the current concept, we conducted usability testing with 6 users.
Insights:
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Many users were not rolling the wheel UI.
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Some users have no idea how to change their needs before submitting.
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Some users were confused when they used the search bar since they have multiple keywords options in their mind.
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Based on UT, we iterated the wheel UI into multiple selection boxes with real images.
Iterations: Based on the testing, we felt the need to iterate the wheel UI into a more intuitive design such as multiple selection boxes with real images.
User Journey Map
To make a trigger to revisit the app, we added ‘Online Bet Game’ concept that users can make a money by submitting their needs.
Key Features
01.
Select a Space & Need
Select a vacant rental space in their neighborhood and make a bet on which store they would like to enter the space.
02.
Bet Game Succeed
After the store launched with the help of OPIN, residents who bet on the store will receive prize money.
03.
Mode Switch
Switch to the store owner mode by pressing the ‘to Store Owner’ button on my page.
01.
Onboarding
Select the store items you are interested in and selectively view the needs of the items you want.
02.
Check The General Amount Of Needs
Easily move the map and check the total amount of demand for the type of store.
03.
View Detail Information After Payment
After payment, you can see more detailed
information including top 5 needs, ages, real voice, and keywords of residents for each rental space.
Show Display
For the show display, I produced a motion graphic promotional video, created banners, and did 3D printing for the props.
Next Steps & Takeaways
1. Specify user journey by storyboard
During the UX graduate show, I conducted a docent of our work. However, I realised that the 'Bet Game' process might not be familiar to some users. So the next step is to set up the end-user goal and create a storyboard based on it.
2. Design with purpose
In the process of designing, I consistently communicated with other teammates and need to persuade my design verbally and visually. I learned that explaining my designs with purpose is one of the key skills required for every designer.
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