Drift
Rent and Schedule Kayaks or Canoes On the Go
Deliverables:
Wireframes, Prototype, Usability Testing, App Screens
Platforms:
Figma, Userbrain, Google Form Survey
Impact
3+
tasks validated in testing with multiple successful bookings completed
Users were looking for more features to be added and that further exploration and testing is ideal
Explore additional testing for participants with diverse abilities to gather comprehensive feedback and ensure design equity
How can we make it easier to rent?
Users want to book a kayak or canoe trip in advance for convenience and flexibility but can become discouraged with lack of accuracy of information on available boats.
There are also over complicated rent and book sites that should be simplified or rethought to improve the user experience for the user.
Provide a straight forward app that provides an easy user flow.
Display only relevant information that allows the users to quickly and easily schedule a boat that fits their schedule with also accessible availability.
Focusing on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations
Challenges Ahead
What are the user problems and how can I solve them?
Survey Goals to Achieve
I want to understand the processes and emotions that people experience around the problem my product is trying to solve.
I want to identify common user behaviors and experiences with tasks that my product is trying to address.
I want to understand user needs and frustrations as they relate to the product I’m designing.
Getting to know the users
I primarily focused on two personas because they placed a significant emphasis on two core functions: the ability to quickly check availability and rent kayaks/canoes, and the convenience of scheduling and renting online.
Alex F.
Occupation: IT Specialist
Age: 22
As a busy IT Specialist, I want to see the availability of kayaks/canoes in advance so that I can save time before heading out the door.
Frustrations
Alex has tried renting kayaks from local rental shops in the past, but has found the process to be time-consuming and cumbersome. They often have to call ahead to check availability and make a reservation, and then wait in line to pick up and return the kayak. Alex is looking for an app that will streamline this process and allow them to quickly rent a kayak on the go.
"The biggest challenge is the fact that there is not always an available canoe and you can't check ahead of time."
Wardah S.
Occupation: Healthcare
Age: 33
As a traveler, I want to easily schedule kayaks/canoes so that I can do it at the comfort of my home.
Frustrations
Wardah is a busy professional and doesn't have a lot of time to spend searching for kayak and canoe rental options. She also prefers to use apps or websites to make the rental process as convenient as possible. In the past, Wardah has found it difficult to find reliable rental options that offer the type of experiences she's looking for.
"I think it’s convenient and flexible and easy to rent out online because you can research and it saves time from going out and renting. You can do it at the comfort of your home."
Identifying the problems users face
If Wardah downloads the kayak/canoe app, then they will quickly and easily pick a kayak or canoe that fits their schedule.
My kayak/canoe rent app will let users rent quickly which will affect how users schedule on the go by saving time and skipping the line. I will measure effectiveness by reviewing task success rate and net promoter score.
Completing a task from start to finish
The user opens the app on their phone and is taken to the home screen. They select kayak from the available options and is then presented with several kayaks to choose from.
After selecting their desired kayak, the user chooses the date and time they want to rent on the booking details page.
When ready to confirm, they are prompted to pay through the app, receiving confirmation with all necessary details upon successful payment.
Creating screens
The wireframes enabled quick prototyping and iteration of screen layouts and flows, tweaking info hierarchy, and key elements to create the ideal interface. This helps build an impactful experience that fully supports the user needs.
Interactive prototype
Users encounter kayaks and canoe selection right away. From there the user can tap a location and schedule booking.
Home
Boat selection
Billing
Test plan
I’d like to understand what specific challenges the users might face when scheduling and paying for kayaks/canoes. My goal is to identify these challenges and find ways to overcome them.
What can I learn from the steps users take in order to schedule a kayak or canoe?
How long does it take for the user to find a kayak/canoe and schedule?
Does the user get stuck at any point?
Unmoderated usability testing
Users were asked to look at a live low-fidelity interactive prototype
Remote, participants will complete usability study at their own homes
3 participants are to complete app on their own
Length: Each session will last between 5-15 minutes, and will include an introduction, a list of tasks, and a short questionnaire.
Participants are people who like to kayak or canoe-outdoorsy. 1 Male, 2 Females between 22-46 years old.
Users involved with Lo-fi prototype
1 of the 3 participants completed every step with ease, but did not fully complete the payment method. Users expressed how quick and easy it was to rent, but 1 participant did not complete every step in payment section.
Insight
1 participant could not quickly see payment method box
Solution
Remove arrow icons that indicate toggling on and off
Insight
1 participant is not aware of the privacy policy before committing to payment
Solution
Move privacy policy close to total and provide a larger area to click
Insight
1 participant is confused with the interaction of billing summary
Solution
Design billing summary without toggle arrow
Insight
1 participant is pausing with toggle arrow on billing info section
Solution
Only indicate arrow interactions when appropriate
Prototype testing insight findings
The payment process isn't exactly quick to complete, and the arrow next to the billing summary either lacks clear instructions or seems unnecessary.
3 out of 3 participants gave positive feedback when it came to how easy it was to book a kayak/canoe.
"Doesn’t allow me to click on billing summary."
"I didn't dislike anything; it was an easy and standard flow for something this (and that's what I liked.)"
"The app is really easy and well integrated. I like all the features in this app. the processing of booking is really time saving and smooth."
"There's different options here. And I'm going to assume someone is going to be knowledgeable and also show visuals."
"I thought it was simple and self explanatory, and super easy to use."
"That was easy. It was click, click boom, done.”
High-fi prototype
After providing solutions to the payment section, 3 users were able to test out the high-fi interactive prototype. Here's recommendations that were given
Insight
Unsure of what kayak/canoe does once type of boat is selected
Solution
Provide description of what the boat type is on kayak/canoe selection
Insight
Wants to know about the upcoming weather
Solution
Provide a preview of the weather on home page
Insight
Was unsure about how many locations to choose
Solution
Provide description that indicates that a person can only choose one spot
Prototype testing insight findings
3 out of 3 users were able to successfully rent and schedule a kayak or canoe on their own with ease. However, all users made comments about features that were lacking such as upcoming weather, descriptions for selectable options, and exploring options for custom times and days.
What was said from users
"I'm not sure how many locations to choose."
"Easy to use. Nothing really that I would change. It's simple and user-friendly. I might ask that the app give a few tips as to the weather of these locations (maybe?). But overall, this was very simple."
"Also, I might ask the app help me choose the right boat for my use case (kayak vs. canoe, pedal or row)."
"It would be nice to have a shorter duration of time to select."
"Overall I enjoyed the simplicity and ease of the app. I feel like it had a minimalistic design. I felt as though everything was familiar and functioned almost exactly how I would expect to."
"I liked how easy it was to flow through everything and that I was not met with any surprises and there was never an overwhelming amount of information on the screen. It was very to easy to use."
"It would be nice to be able to view weather for an upcoming weekend."
"Easy to navigate and no problems with selecting or choosing any of the selection. To me, everything went smoothly and also this is a well thought out design which has NO FLAWS. Overall, I think it great and easy to use and set to apply."
Impact
All participants successfully rented and scheduled a kayak or canoe with ease during testing
Users were looking for more features to be added and that further exploration and testing is ideal