INTRO:

Perceiving Picabash

Picabash is a relationship-driven local business in Minneapolis focused on connecting people wanting to host unique events with people in the community offering unique services. The business was started by a busy, working mother wanting to create memorable birthday parties for her children. She found it was difficult to find venues and activities that may not typically be present when doing a quick Google search.

Picabash was created to expedite the process of connecting people looking to plan meaningful events with businesses in the community that might lack visibility. Their web application allows consumers to search for vendors by event type and other criteria. There is also the opportunity for vendors to list their business on the site through various membership plans. The goal is to encourage the vendors to offer discounts on their services for individuals planning events through Picabash.

 Starting Space

When beginning to work with the client, my team wanted to ensure we are doing the following:

• Gain empathy for the client by understanding where they started, how they operate, and where they are going.

• Recognize what they are trying to accomplish.

• Uncover the challenges they are faced with and where pain points may be occurring.

• Design a blueprint of how they may be able to implement changes that offer solutions to problem areas.

RESEARCH:

Reviewing What’s Up and Running

In order to comprehend the greatest areas of opportunity, I conducted a Usability Review with my team using standard Heuristics to categorize different issues users may encounter.

Assessing with a Plan of Action

After compiling our results, an Evaluation Plan was created that focused on tasks the two user groups (consumers and vendors) would complete while moving through the site. I wanted to figure out where people were having difficulty engaging with the core functions of the web application.

During remote and in lab testing sessions, users were asked to compete 4 scenarios that resembled the paths consumers and vendors would navigate while on Picabash:

Scenarios:

Evaluating the Event Space

After developing an idea of how people were currently using the site and where they might encounter obstacles, we talked with potential users to test our hypotheses.

Research Goals:

• Determine the extent to which customers understand the browsing/search/booking process. What obstacles are customers finding?

• Determine the desirability of use to vendors - how does the application effectively highlight their businesses?

• Determine the extent to which the promotion of women & POC owned businesses are perceived by consumers.

Synthesizing the Statements

To make sense of the data, my team compiled the information gathered during testing sessions. We created common themes encountered during the scenarios. Through tagging each bit of data gathered, we were able determine the areas where users experienced the most confusion and usability issues.

Three common themes emerged:

1. Visibility of local, women, POC owned businesses not present

2. Lack of clear page layout and hierarchy

3. Unclear labeling and lack of instructions throughout site

DESIGN:

Creating Solutions

Picabash emphasizes the importance of expediting the experience of finding and showcasing unique, local vendors, so solutions centered around that notion were developed. Invoking the recommendations created by my team would allow users and vendors to move through the web application with fewer barriers while also putting the mission of Picabash at the forefront of the site.

The following are the key solutions recommended:

1. Incorporate images from Picabash vendors

2. Create clear hierarchy to decrease user uncertainty

3. Apply clear labels and direction throughout site

PROPOSE:

I crafted a presentation for client stakeholders to communicate the updates I made to the site.

Key Slides:

Interpreting Interactivity

Picabash stakeholders have asked our team to create interactive prototypes to demonstrate the changes suggested. These will be used during another round of usability testing to determine their effectiveness. 

CONCLUSION:

The goal of Picabash is to serve as a conduit that connects consumer to business. All of this is done through emphasizing the importance of people seeking unique experiences created by local and diverse businesses.

My solutions were centered around demonstrating the significance of community throughout the site, implementing a distinct hierarchy within pages, and making sure information is displayed clearly to consumers.