Project Background

Inspiration

As a creative and lover of both details and research, I know how much time I personally spend preparing for a DIY project. Learning what is required to execute on a project idea for one's home is often its own job that must be completed before the fun part - the project itself! - begins. I set out to learn more about how others approach this process and to design a mobile app that would help relieve some of the most common pain points that other DIYers tend to face.

Role

Product Strategy, UX Research, UX Design, UI Design, Brand Identity

Objectives

Ease the most frustrating parts of being a DIYer/Creator/Crafter by:

• Providing trustworthy instruction and advice
• Curating the best home and lifestyle related projects
• Provide a personalized way to save and organize notes and inspiration

Research

Methodology

• Survey
• 1-on-1 Interviews
• Competitive analysis

Survey

I conducted a survey with 23 participants with the primary goal of finding ideal candidates for one-to-one interviews. Twenty of those respondents considered themselves occasional or frequent DIYers. Some of the survey findings also contributed to an overall understanding of user behavior when approaching DIY projects, including inspiration sources and preferred methods of organizing project information.

Interviews

One-to-one interviews were conducted with seven individuals between the ages of 32 and 53, all of whom were occasional or frequent DIY enthusiasts who work on a variety of projects related to home improvement and decor.

I used an affinity map to distill common needs and pain points from the raw interview data. As themes emerged, it became clear that while DIYers approach projects from many different angles there were several common frustrations amongst the group.

Competitive Analysis

After investigating a number of mobile apps available in the DIY and crafting space, three stood out as the most relevant to the intended audience for this project.

The apps used as benchmarks all included useful and interesting features for the DIY enthusiast.

However, I noticed a gap in the market for an app that provides inspiration, organization, and reliable how-to advice in one place.

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Key Research Insights

The research process uncovered pain points in the DIY process that I divided into three main categories:

With this information at hand, I set out to design a mobile app that could act as a trustworthy resource for users that would relieve many of the most common obstacles to project success.

Define

Personas

Based on interview results, many DIYers of various skills and interests encounter similar issues when planning and executing a new project. Still, some key differences in approach and priorities were apparent during interviews, leading me to create two distinct personas.

Task Flow

One feature of the mobile app includes allowing users to upload their pen-and-paper items, photographs, and links in association with a board or project of their choosing.

Low-fidelity wireframe sketches outline additional key user flows across the app.

Design

Solution 1: Eliminating categories in favor of custom search

In interviews, nearly all users reported having a project in mind at the start of their process. How they came to that choice and which elements of the project were most significant to them, however, varied more widely.

• Rather than hunting through pre-determined sections, users have ultimate flexibility in looking for projects - by category, materials, techniques, use, etc.
• As a curated collection, visual content is informative, well-edited, and housed within the app platform, eliminating the common issue of outdated blog links, incomplete information, and misleading titles.

Solution 2: Comprehensive tutorials and support resources

Multiple data points are communicated for each project to help users quickly and easily determine fit, learn more about the skills or tools needed for the project, and get working on their project faster and with the best resources for success.

• Budget, time, difficulty, and user reviews are included up front, in addition to badges that denote special interest categories like eco-friendly projects.
• Supplies are linked to sources for online purchase, providing convenient purchase as well as clarity around types, brands, and other supply details that users frequently have questions about
• The Tips section helps users quickly scan potential pitfalls and connect to supporting knowledge and skills
• The Knowhow Pro program introduces a premium service where users can access personalized advice about their project

Solution 3: Personalized project organization

• Image based 'Project Boards' in a style made ubiquitous by Pinterest provide users a familiar pattern within a more specialized and curated space dedicated to their projects
• The 'Notes' feature acts as a personalized repository for all inspiration related to a project from any source - users' photos, typed reminders, or links to websites.

Style Guide

The guiding attributes for The Knowhow brand were chosen to visually convey its purpose. A clean interface, easy-to-read typography, and a natural, fresh feeling color palette reinforce the app as a trustworthy resource that is refreshingly simple for users.

Test & Iterate

I built a high-fidelity prototype in Figma to gain feedback on The Knowhow's features and functionality with four users.

Testing Insights

Successes:

• Delight at finding project boards and that they utilize similar conventions to Pinterest
• Positive feedback on inclusion of linked resource articles and supplies for purchase
• Praised the methods page for the included option to see all on a single page or scroll step-by-step
• Found the app clean and modern, color palette appealing
• Most users said they would be interested in, and willing to pay for, the PRO feature (paid upgrade)

Opportunities:

• Legibility of budget meter on the main project page, particularly for older test participants
• Some testers were unsure how to continue to project details from the main project page
• Badges were confused for buttons by two testers
• Some testers tried to scroll on the project pages rather than use the tabs
• The Notes feature was praised but users wondered how they might access it more quickly (wish fewer clicks).

Iterations made:

• Increased size and visibility of project details button
• Changed color of meters to improve readability
• Added anchor links to project details so users have option to scroll or use tabs to access all sections

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Next Steps

The Knowhow has many opportunities to grow from the minimum viable product produced for this study into a robust resource for DIYers. In addition to further usability improvements discovered through testing, such as expanding the way the Notes feature can be used in the app, next steps for the brand could include:

• Community building features
• Build out of The Knowhow Pro program
• Content expansion to include more lifestyle oriented categories
• Virtual education features such as single classes or class series

Conclusion

The process of creating a mobile app from start to finish was eye opening on many levels. While this project had a limited scope and timeline, getting a glimpse at the many use cases that need to be considered when planning for not only a wide audience but also a wide variety of content gave me an appreciation for the detailed work that goes into so many of the apps I use each day. Going into testing more quickly than I have in past projects with the plan to iterate and test again was an effective approach for a project of this size, and a method I will look forward to applying to future projects.