Habitat
Mobile app
Finding the right interior furnishings is not straightforward; It frequently takes a good deal of time and excellent taste, which not everyone have. What if an app could take care of everything? Habitat App has access to those retailers that have joined the app and select the most appropriate furniture for the customer’s needs. By entering an area and other essential information about the space, the user can get a prototype of the ideal room’s forniture and purchase it through the platform within just a few clicks.
My role
UX/UI designer; UI design Developer; Developed and maintained a design language across desktop and mobile devices; User research; Prototyping.
Date
Sept 2021 – January 2022
DISCOVERY
User needs
The problem I intended to solve by developing this application was to give anyone the opportunity to choose the best furnishings for their home, without turning to designers or architects. The price for this type of service is very expensive and not accessible to all. It often happens instead, that the user knows what he wants to achieve but does not know where to find the required products, in this way Habitat App becomes not only a platform for design but also for business, giving the customer what he needs, where necessary.
DISCOVERY
design Goals
To help users with home interior design, I developed an artificial intelligence system that allows the application to create optimal furniture given the measurements, room shape, environment and budget of the consumer. A 2D and 3D prototype is developed to simplify the user’s visualization of the furniture. In addition, the proposed furniture is present in shop partner of habitat and therefore can be directly purchased from the platform.
DISCOVERY
Research method
I have conducted several types of research including:
– interviews
– card sorting
– questionnaires
the objective was to tune raw data into valuable insights.
- Collect all research data and organise it.
-
Reaffirm my research goals.
- Getting hands on the data
- Coding my qualitative data.
- Identify user insight and synthesise my data.
- Share my insights. (with my team or shakeholder and turn it into action)
DEFINE
Persona
DEFINE
Information Architecture
DEFINE
Design System
I approached our design system atomically, creating atoms, molecules, and organisms that build upon each other. Our goal here was to establish a system that was efficient for users to use, while simultaneously digestible to develop Habitat App in Unity. Being conscious this would become an authorable site on the client side, we were meticulous in our documentation of the system, and strategically built organism level components in a way that could be used in many diverse scenarios.
The design of this system focuses on design principles such as: Visual hierarchy, Usability heuristics, Colour, Typography. I started from the research data to support my design decision.
The user interface design process was divided into different stages:
- Sketch
- Wiraframing
- Components
- User and task flow
- Hi-Fidelity design / Mock-ups
- Prototyping
develop
Get inspired
We found that many users found it useful to have on Habitat App a page where they could see some examples of furniture. The Explore page was therefore created with this in mind, offering already furnished rooms to inspire users to come up with new ideas.
develop
Create a design Network
We have responded to our customers’ need for maximum flexibility to suit their tastes and budgets, and have created a place where they can find everything they are looking for in furniture. Network marketing is a type of activity that is also called multi-level marketing and is closely related to direct selling. In practice, it involves selling a certain product by building up a customer base through networking. This is the ultimate goal of Habitat App, which sees itself as the hub centre of the furniture industry, connecting stores from all over the world on a single platform.
develop
Ensure customisation
Using Unity in the C# language, I created canvas drawings that allow the user maximum flexibility in terms of how the room is represented. I then added 3D renders to make it possible to visualize the created environment. We realised how important it was to introduce a system capable of perfectly reflecting the client’s needs and this is why the “Select Your Space” page was designed. .
develop
User testing
As we wrapped up first design stage, it was important to us that we understand our designs were fitting the user’s needs. We created a prototype to test and collect data from Habitat’s target audience, which ultimately filled in the gaps from research, and gleaned insight into a user’s behavior.
We learned that users respond very well to personalized data and lifestyle, and looking at specs heavy tools like Build & Price, we needed to inject more customization and guidance into the flow help the user see their prospective house come to life.
Usability test conducted:
- Blink test
- Initial Impression
- Perform an expectancy test
- Task and Scenario
- Feedback Wall
develop
showcase
Scalability
In the near future, Habitat App aims to expand its product range to include not only mass-produced furniture from large companies, but also handmade and handcrafted accessories. We are currently working on expanding our retail network to provide our customers with a wider range of products. The goal is to make Habitat a one-stop destination for the home, and provide our customers with the widest range of products possible so they can find unique products from all over the world. Everything they need in one place, without having to travel far.
Feedback
- 70% of users who have tried Habitat App say they would use it and consider it a great market innovation.
- Shops such as Ikea and MADE say they would be willing to join the Habitat network.
- More than 80% of customers say that it can be a great source of inspiration for new ideas and to stay up-to-date with the latest furniture news.