The Collective Member App
My task during my tenure at The Collective was to conduct user and UX research in order to illuminate what underpins consumer preferences by understanding how people live and work together online and in person at The Collective properties in the UK. We used these insights to help re-design and develop a new version of The Collective Member Mobile App (iOS and Android), as well be able to develop a long-term digital communication strategy with members.
Role
Digital Product Design Lead
Year
2019
Team
Matt Luxford | Lewis Boodt | Lora Salomidou
OBJECTIVES
-
To understand the core usability and functional issues that our users encounter when using our member app.
-
To understand how our members want to consume, browse and use the events functionality using our member app.
-
To understand how our members of staff can benefit from our app.
-
To understand the needs of only Long Stay members in regards to functionality and events within our member app.
USER TESTING PROCESS
We improved our member App's general usability.
-
100% of participants and staff navigated the app without coming across any major blockers, in regards to the new IA.
-
90% of our participants and staff did understand what content lives within the different areas of the app.
We delivered events in a functional, yet inspiring way, and make it simple for our members to access our events via the member app.
-
100% of members can book events without blockers.
-
We learned our staff cannot achieve a frictionless journey to create and maintain an event, due to operational tooling and lack of process.
-
Although there were no unmet requirements for events, we were able to capture & prioritise features for members.
CARD SORTING EXERCISES
Why did we do card sorting sessions?
-
Understand our users mental model, how they would structure the app content
-
Test current navigation & Information architecture in the app prototype
-
To understand what labels did not make sense to users
-
Test naming conventions
KEY FINDINGS & INSIGHTS
-
Most users organised the content in 4 main groups
-
Users didn’t understand: community profile, building directory, amenities & tickets
-
The 4 most created categories were: Events, My Building/ Building info, My Page/ Profile, Help/ Contact/ support.
-
Users tend to group/mix announcements, and “what’s on today”
-
Most users puts “announcements” under “Home”
-
Most users puts “what’s on today” under “Events”
-
Most users puts “FAQ” under “Support”
-
Most users see “settings” as it’s own category
-
Most users adds “notifications” under “Home”
NEW UX JOURNEY MAP
After concluding our research, we began speaking with different teams across the business to capture their feedback on the original output. We spent extra time with the Brand team to understand their brand standards work and identified the role product design can play in the ‘Signature Moments’. Those conversations led to use broadening the scope to include not just the Signature Member Experience, but the whole customer experience (including the ‘basics’/foundational).
This led us to fundamentally changed the IA of the app, as well as refining the E2E User Journey, focusing on a user led feature list of: Events, Communications (notifications), Support / Help, Community and Building. This allowed us to do the right thing for our members, while also addressing business needs.
CHANGING THE AI
Before
After
THE UX & DESIGN PROCESS
New IA & User Journey Map
UX Prototype used for testing
DESIGNING WITHIN A NEW BRAND
As the App work going forward, the team and I had to contend with a brand re-design which was simultaneously being developed. We took the following approach, so that the app appeared to be consistent with our evolving brand:
-
Updating titles and key sections to the new typography introduced, which was a web optimised version of our branded type.
-
Keeping colour to a minimum and using monotone colours, with once accent colour: Collective Blue, a vivacious teal.
-
Used brand photography to make the app come to life, and show case our seven signature experiences - how we differentiate our brand and create a unique experience for our members. Through photography we aimed to deliver on our core values, grounded in insight from our members on what life at The Collective is really like, delivering on our promise of “be more together”.
TACKLING SHORT TERM NEEDS
The research and subsequent re-design of the Member App helped us achieve the short term needs of the business, which were:
Stabilisation
Member research & NPS surveys data provided evidence and insight for the need of a Member App to support & solve for pain points. Members wanted a useful tool to enhance their stay. The new app would enable customers to carry out simple operational tasks, such as discovering/attending events, finding building information, member support, etc. These are tasks that are currently performed by staff in person, by phone, or by email.
Enhancing the In Stay Experience
There was an immediate need to support our events programming through the App, which benefits employees and members by tracking attendance & gaining feedback on Events. In short term start we decided to being introducing features such as Housekeeping Schedules & pre-arrival comms to enhance our members time with us. The new app is aimed at creating and maintaining meaningful personal and professional relationships online, thus delivering on its promise to create community as a core value proposition to its members.
CREATING A LONG TERM VISION
& GROWTH PLAN
The Collective's mission is to build and activate spaces that foster human connection and enable people to lead more fulfilling lives.
Through the re-design of the Member app, we saw immediate areas of improvement to better serve our members. Via crucial user research, which informed a through well-thought out UX strategy and design, we were able to create a roadmap to achieve that success in the long term and to blending with our Customer Experience strategy of Signature Moments.
