PREPARE - EXPLORE - CONNECT -

PREPARE - EXPLORE - CONNECT -

FUTUREROOTS was my very first case study. I was 22 years old and planning on moving from San Francisco to New York within the next year, but I was going entirely on my own, and that terrified me. I would think to myself, “I wish there was something that connected people like Bumble BFF, but also had extensive organization tools like Notion for all the logistics of planning a move, but also had an explore page for housing, local events, popular night spots, etc. so I wouldn’t feel like such a stranger in my new environment.” Conveniently, I was in school for UX/UI Design at the time, and needed an idea for a case study.

Problem

Moving to a new place can be extremely daunting when done alone. There are inventory lists to create, budgets to manage, and seemingly endless amounts of research to do, and that’s all just before actually moving. After moving, there are new public transit systems to navigate and a sea of unfamiliar faces. As a result, many people choose to remain in their hometown for most of their lives.

Solution

FUTUREROOTS invites solo movers to ease their stress with a wide list of tools and features ranging from moving timelines to help stay on track, to personally tailored destination recommendations, to upcoming local events to immerse people into their new environment.

About the project

  • As the experience designer for this project I was responsible for research strategies as well as visual design.

  • Figma

    Procreate

    Photoshop

    Optimal Workshop

  • 3 months

Objectives

  1. Understand the blueprint of a move from small scale (city → city) to large scale (state → state or country → country)

  2. Learn what the most common hesitancies are for movers

  3. Learn what services movers are already using and how they are or are not effective in making the moving process more manageable

Methodologies

  • Interviews were conducted with a number of people to target our research objectives and questions

  • Comparative and competitive research was used to get an understanding of what is already being offered as well as what has yet to be created for moving services

Design Process

Empathize

Define

Ideate

Prototype

Test

How might we…

...help independent movers become educated on the general safety of their new communities so that they feel comfortable and confident exploring their new surroundings?

How might we…

...help independent movers feel as immersed into their new communities as quickly and effectively as possible to avoid feeling overwhelmed and isolated in their new environment?

How might we…

...help independent movers assess their social, emotional, and physical readiness to best prepare them for their move?

How might we…

..help independent movers acquaint themselves with local food options in their new environment so that they are able to eat the foods they want?

Survey Responses

USER STORIES

REAL QUOTES FROM REAL PEOPLE

(with fake images)

USER PERSONAS

USER PERSONAS

Card Sort

Our goal is to understand how our users logically sort through and navigate information. This will help us to optimize the information architecture of our site.

The methodology we're using to achieve this is card sorting. We gave 5 participants access to 33 cards and 3 categories, and left them to sort them however they felt fit.

CATEGORIES

PREPARATION

SOCIAL

NEIGHBORHOOD

  • sports

  • trivial

  • live music

  • gyms

  • clubs

  • bars

  • climate

  • arts

  • culture

  • nature

  • commute

  • organization

CARDS

  • templates

  • checklists

  • mental health

  • support from friends/family

  • timeline

  • vision board

  • goals

  • budget

  • constraints

  • nightlife

  • crime

  • safety

  • walkability

  • restaurants

  • grocery

  • community center(s)

  • diversity

  • political affiliation

  • demographics

  • public transit

  • time zone

The "preparation" category proved to have the most consistent agreeability among the 5 participants

Consistent variability in the data show that categories "social" and "neighborhood" categories prove to be interchangeable

"Pets, nature, noise, and public transit" were the only cards placed at least once into each category by participants

EVENTUALLY,

THIS…

BECAME THIS…

AND FINALLY…

(drumroll please)

FUTUREROOTS offers a handful of different ways for users to find their next neighborhood. They can add filters, check out what's trending, or take the quiz to receive personally tailored recommendations based on their preferences.

The built-in quiz tool collects the user’s personal preferences and matches them to 3 locations they'd likely thrive in.

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