PayLodge
Overview
PayLodge is an innovative mobile app that brings the ease of tenants paying their rent to their landlords to their finger tips. Instead of the traditional check or cash exchange on the first of every month between tenant and landlord, tenants can easily pay their rent on or before the first of the month with a few taps on their mobile devices. PayLodge allows users or tenants to pay their rent, create an autopay schedule for their rent payments, analyze their utility bills and even report an issue within their residence to their Landlord. PayLodge highlights one of the many duties of daily living and providing ease to all tenants that uses the app.
Process:
Discover
User Research Goals for PayLodge
Understand the processes and emotions that users experience around using other rent payment apps
Identify common user behaviors and experiences with tasks that an emotion rent payment provides
Understand what culminates in a happy user for a rent payment app
Survey
In order to gain some quantitative insight, I surveyed and interviewed 10 volunteers. In doing so I wanted to dig deeper into their pain points and expectations for rental payment app and understand their previous experiences paying rent.
The participants were emailed the questionnaire after agreeing to participate and interviewed soon thereafter. The participants consisted of working class New Yorkers varying from ages 25 to 52.
User Groups
In my interviews with people who said they were very likely to use an app like PayLodge, I was able to identify the following user groups:
Group 1: Working adults who would like an consistent way to pay their rent every month as well as report an issues in the event of any. These users:
Tend to be overwhelmed with their responsibilities such as family or work during the week.
Have additional obligations or challenges that make it difficult for them to find time to meet with Landlord
Would use an app to reflect and understand their needs regarding their rent every month
User Research Summary
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps with 10 individuals to understand the users I’m designing for. A primary user group identified through user research were working adults residing in New York City who pay rent, are often on the go and identify their mobile phone as a main tool in completing daily tasks.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about PayLodge users, but research also revealed that they were open to being able to use an app that is both easy to use, secure to make their rental payments and giving them a platform where their property concerns can be adequately heard and attended to.
Competitive Audit
I picked 2 competitors, which are: Flex - Rent on Your Schedule and Lvble which are both rental payment applications.
Lvble does not allow users to disconnect from their rental portals and allows only for up to 5 days past due date to make a payment.
Flex includes a paywall and negatively impacts users personal credit score by not adequately delivering user payments or confirming delivery of rental payments.
Define
Observing Brianna Carter opened up the door to take an even deeper look into the emotional experience of our users’ personal story and their potential pain points as it pertains to the convenience of fulfilling their rental payments and on time. This allows me to question: What was the user doing, thinking and feeling? What was their intent?
Empathy Map
The simple and quick process I used next to create an empathy map, further proved that I had to look at things through the eyes of the user- not my own. Seeing the needs, fears, wants and goals of the people that shared their journeys with me, allowed me to create a persona of the group of people I am targeting to design for.
How Might We
After conducting research, understanding deeply user’s needs, goals, motivations , it is time to frame HMW questions which are basically problem statements that have been rephrased to convert challenges into opportunities.
How Might We… creative a simple browsing and payment experience for users
How Might We… engage users with a more effective process to specify their preferences within the payment process
How Might We… create an easy to understand visual interface for users to utilize.
Develop
Deliver
High Fidelity Mockup & Prototype
PayLodge: Mobile Application
Easy-to-use minimal interface design
Maintaining PayLodge brand colors
Navigational change from Home page itself
Roboto Typeface designed for maintaining brand across platforms
Brand Experience maintained on all platforms — Mobile, Web
Easy-to-visualize payment progress to determine the exact point in payment submission process
All major payment methods linked including with checking savings which eliminates need for in-person exchange
Easy to edit functionalities prior to payment — Change amount, add AutoPay, Add Utilities, change send on and delivery date
Usability Testing
I conducted a round of usability testing involving 10 participants whom agreed to engaging via an interview.
Goal
Determine if users can complete core tasks within the prototype of the PayLodge app. Determine if the PayLodge app is difficult to use.
Questions
How long does it take a user to sign in or join?
What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps that users take, to pay their rent, utility bills or report an issue
Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?
Are there more features that users would like to see included in the app?
Do users think the app is easy or difficult to use?
Findings from the study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 1 findings:
For most users, progressing through and processing their payment was efficient
Most users found the payment flow intuitive
Users want to have more resources addressing payment options and preferences
Validation
All users could easily reach to the final payment stage
4 out of 5 were able to recognize Customization of payment options and use it.
5/5 users were able to recognize and use the ‘Report an Issue’ feature
Generally, users were pretty excited to see and use a new and modern rental payment app
Success and Failure Metrics
Success and failure metrics is the last tool used in the deliver phase of the double diamond. This is a CRUCIAL step in good UX design.
Research, affinity mapping, empathy mapping, a user persona, an as is scenario, user journey mapping, problem statements turned into how might we statements, ideation through brainstorming, deciding on our minimum viable product by recapping pain points, designing a mockup of my concept. All imperative steps to reach a quality design. But then how do I truly know if it’s working? How do I know the user is benefiting from my product? How do I know what features are hits? And more importantly, which ones are a miss?
I need to look at task completion rates - What in my app is not easily understood or takes too long? User reviews: What is frustrating users about our product? Engagement rates: How often is the user actually using my app? Retention rates:Are the users downloading and then deleting my app? If so, why? If I can see where I am failing, I can then correct these problems and take steps to re-design and create a functional, intuitive and pleasing product for the user and the stakeholder.
Accountability Considerations
Designs were made with WebAIM. WCAG standards were strictly adhered to for colour contrast.
Provided access to users who are visually impaired through adding alt text to images for screen readers.
Alternative options were provided for gestures, like; clicking outside and overlay to close it. Used icons to help make navigation easier.
Reflection
I am thrilled with the progress of this project and excited for it's development. While a whirlwind of work, the prospect of me seeing users successfully utilize this rent paying mobile application in market is well beyond my expectations.
If there was more time available…
More research, as it‘s a complex and extensive topic with many factors (for example, technical and social challenges) and various stakeholders
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.
Conduct more user research to determine new areas of need.
Add more features and flexibility backed by research.