An app for homeless individuals
INTRODUCTION
What
An app that aims to reduce pressures associated with homelessness. Propose a user journey that supports and educates users on relevant material that can support someone at risk of becoming homeless.
Who
Members of the general public and those who at risk of becoming homeless.
Deliverables:
- 3 pages: home screen and 2 other screens of your choosing.Only required for the app.
- A product that blends current tech and is extensible for added features as time goes on.
- A digital space that breaks down information into a digestible form
- Merge information from existing platforms such as Crisis: https://www.crisis.org.uk/
- A functional app that complies with UX methodologies
Timeline
2 weeks
My role
This was a team project where I was a responsible for the some parts of the research, some parts of the ideation the hi-fi wireframes. As a UX/UI designer, I was able to work alongside my teammate using design thinking to solve identified problems and demonstrate my proposed solutions in a hi-fi wireframe (as instructed by the brief) using a responsive design.
Hypothesis
1. We think that sharing success stories about previous homeless individuals will help members of the general public to be more empathetic towards the plight and challenges of homeless individuals
2. In addition to the above, we think that educating members of the general public about homelessness will also make them more supportive in ways that do not only require monetary exchange.
We are going to...
Use the design thinking approach to guide us through the product development process. By following the steps, we were able to research thoroughly about the homelessness crisis before we proceeded to analyse the problem and ultimately come up with a product solution.
Problem statement
How can we come up with a solution that ensures successful local community integration to reduce the risk of becoming homeless?
EMPATHISE
Deep dive / Context
Shelter England defines the term Homelessness as not having a home.
In the journal Analysing the impacts of social factors on homelessness, Mago et al., (2013) indentifies homelessness as a complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, uncertain physical and mental health, addictions, and community and family breakdown. According to Mago et al further explains that, these factors, in varying combinations, contribute to duration, frequency, and type of homelessness. To be fully homeless is to live without shelter; however, many experience partial homelessness that can include uncertain, temporary, or sub-standard shelter. Homelessness is difficult to define, thus governments struggle with uncertainty when creating and implementing policies they hope will effectively manage or eradicate this problem.
Homelessness is increasing rapidly in London due to a decease in resources and the Cost of Living Crisis. Data from the Ministry of Communities Housing and Local Government shows that for every 10 people sleeping rough in 2010 there are now 12.
However, the real figure is likely to be much higher due to the ever growing hidden homeless population. In London alone, there is estimated to be 13 times more people experiencing homeless but who are hidden than are visibly sleeping rough – as many as 12,500 each night.
National statistics on homeless households
In England, homelessness has increased by 74% since 2010. That’s more than double the rate of inflation over the same period and more than three times the average annual change in house prices.
1. The number of homeless households in England rose by 169% between 2010 and 2017, from 26,280 to 61,830 (ONS 2018).
2. The number of homeless children has increased by 87%, from 16,530 to 28,310 (ONS 2018).
3. The number of households with children that are homeless has risen 74%, from 14,240 to 23,870 (ONS 2018).
Some reasons for homelessness according to Greater Change
Lack of options for young people looking for somewhere to live also contributes to homelessness among 18-24 year old's - this age group accounts for more than half (53%) of all newly accepted applications for temporary accommodation in England alone.
In 2015/2016 there were over 300,000 households living in temporary accommodation such as hostels or B&Bs across England due to issues like overcrowding or difficulty paying their rent.
In the last five years, there have been drastic cuts to housing benefits and homelessness services. The government has cut funding for council housing and social housing. The government has also cut funding for temporary accommodation and homelessness prevention.
Impact of covid- 19 on homelessness
According to the National Housing Federation, there have been bigger increases from people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time, people who have been furloughed, people with No Recourse to Public Funds and those who are newly unemployed.
One of the biggest challenges facing local authorities is the ability to successfully move those housed in emergency COVID-19 accommodation into permanent and secure housing. The structural barriers that existed before the pandemic, including a lack of housing supply and a welfare system that does not address the underlying causes of homelessness have been exacerbated during the pandemic
Interviews
We decided to gather insights to test our hypotheis by conducting interviews to better understand the pain points of our potential users.
We interviewed a total of eight participants between the ages of 18 and 50. Their professions varied from student, engineer, med lab assisstants and a PR consultant.
The interview guide that was prepared in advanced can be accessed here.
A report of the interview is below:
Summary of findings from the user interviews:
Interview Debrief
Research Goal
We want to know what features should be included in a mobile app that can inform and educate members of the general public on how to support homeless people or individuals at risk of homelessness.
Participants
8 participants in total: 3 males, 5 females
Age: 18-35 years old
Occupations: Engineer, Student, PR consultant, Nurse, Medical lab assistant, Social media influencer, 2x retail assistants.
Needs
- 6 out of the 8 participants wished that brands and businesses should come up with more creative ways to educate the public about homelessness
- 5 out of the 8 participants emphasised the need to for the voices and stories of homeless individuals to be heard and shared in that make them humane.
- 5 out of the 8 participants stated the importance of educating the public about the available homeless support helpline and other resources.
- 4 out of the 8 participants noted that giving money on the spot to an homeless individual should be the last resort when it comes to help and assistance.
Pain Points
- 8 out of the 8 participants were frustrated by how homeless individuals are ignored and mistreated
- 8 out of 8 people were frustrated by how homeless individuals not categorised as responsible members of society, therefore making them invisible to others
- 5 out of 8 participants were frustrated that lack of shelter is the only emphasised issue when it comes to homelessness, as there are other contributing factors such as a skills gap, job loss, human trafficking, illness and lack of family or community
- 6 out of 8 participants thought there should be more viable success stories about rehoused individuals where were previously homeless
Competitor Analysis
Once we were able to get a better understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the users, we conductd research on some of the direct competitors. Street Link and Shelter
During the research, we noted some of the major strengths and weaknesses of each of the websites. Doing so made it easier to figure out the commonly provided solutions and features included on websites for homeless individuals
Our competitive analysis can be found below:
Street Link (Connecting people in need to services)
Strengths
1. Users can get updates of their reports of homeless individuals through an alert feature
2. Call to action button stands out
3. Maps and geo-location service enabled and powered by Google maps
4. Location description details to support maps services
5. Informative: FAQ section gives detailed information on the services provided
6. Report section doesn’t have a save button, which might encourage the users to complete the report action on the spot
7. Consent for user’s information to be shared with local services
Weaknesses
1. Bad reviews on App stores
2. 2.4 stars rating on app store
3. Not much section dedicated to educating users
4. No use of images
5. Use of colours are not effective enough. Red buttons are used as CTA, but the brand colours don’t really prompt users to take actions
6. Report section doesn’t have a save button, which might encourage
7. Doesn’t have an option to take a picture of the homeless individual but realies on description of individuals
Shelter
Strengths
1. A soution oriented app for homeless indviduals. It provides instant information on how to find food, shelter, healthcare services, resources and work*
2. Has a navigation bar with clear icons to help users find the service they want
3. Accessibility: users dont have to login/register or create an account
4. Has a chat function to any crisis service: food, shelter, health, work...
5. Good use of Miller’s law in menu to categorise and organise different audiences
Weaknesses
1. Homepage is too text heavy, no visual stimulation
2. Chatbot icon might not be clear to the average person.
3. Information heavy and not clearly categorised
Key Takeaways from competitor analysis
Similar user flows
1. Although they tackle the problem in different ways, both apps do not have a coherent user flow.
Brand storytelling
1. The Shelter app does not seem to have an identifiable branding, which does not help with brand storytelling
2. The branding comes across likr an afterthought and reduces the app to just functionality as opposed to an experience
Aesthetic usability effect
1. The shelter app homepage is crowded with lot of written information which makes less readable.
2. No images to help convery meaning or make the app more human friendly
Shelter and Street Link homescreens
Access the high resolution image here
DEFINE
The next step in the process is to define. With the research conducted so far and the findings from the survey and user interviews, we were able to figure out what will be created, for whom, and how. We made use of user personas and project goals to conceptualise a solution.
Persona one
Persona two
Persona three
Once we had our user personas, we took a step back to get a clear overview of both the business goals and the user goals. In addition to those goals, we wrote down the technical considerations too
IDEATE
With the findings from the previous steps of the process. We were able to think outside the box. Using userflow and crazy eights as our preferred ideation techniques, we created a number of deliverables that could help us identify and visualise a solution
Userflow
We created a detailed user flow. This essentially illustrates the various paths that the user can take to complete a task. Creating this flow allowed me to think from the user’s perspective and consider the different options that the user has while using Mirror’s website.
Userflow for the app showing the user journey of two potential users; members of the general public and an homeless individual. A member of the general public can go the report or learn route while an homeless individual can go via the hotline route.
Access the high resolution image here
Sketches /Lo-fi wireframes
Once the userflow was ready, we used it to make some sketches of some screens to get an idea of what the app will look like. As instructed by the brief, we decided to focus on developing responsive screens a mobile version only.
Crazy eights Sketch (1), idea one was selected as the preferred idea to develop the wireframe from
Access the high resolution image here
Crazy eights Sketch (2)
Access the high resolution image here
Hi-fi wireframe
With our sketches, we began to develop several hi-fidelity wireframes on. Please see screens below:
We developed several high-fidelity wireframes. As stipulated by the brief to design three pages, these wireframes include the Homepage, report page, a profile and hotline pages.
You can find the high resolution screens below here
USABILITY TESTING
As the brief did not ask for a prototype, we decided to focus on testing out the Hi-fi wireframe with some users. It was also an iterative process that gave us the opportunity the evaluate if our designs solves the problem and redesign any parts of the product if needed.
Usability Testing
We conducted remote usability testing by presenting our high-fidelity mobile wireframe to our interviewers.
It was conducted to test the flow of design, ease of navigation to see if the design solves the user’s needs and pain points that were captured during the research phase.
The test was conducted with a total of four participants between the ages of 18 and 50. Each of the participants were asked to complete the following tasks:
1. From the homepage, show me how you would educate yourselves about homelessness
2. From the homepage, show me how you would find resources for homeless people
3. Report a rough sleeper
The usability testing plan can be accessed here.
The detailed report of the findings from usability testing can be found here.
Here are the key points from the feedback received:
1. Participants thought that the mobile app was easy to use and very understandable to navigate
2. Participants wanted to see the questionnaires in the report section on one page rather than a click through as they could’t wait to get till the end
3. After reporting a rough sleeper, participants expressed that they’ll like to see a CTA that lets them track their reports
FINAL PRODUCT
Revisiting the problem statement
How can we come up with a solution that ensures successful local community integration to reduce the risk of becoming homeless?
The problem was solved by:
1. Including categorising solutions and making them obvious to the user
2. Providing a report and hotline opportunity that leads back to appropriate support channels
3. More visibility on using resources and success stories to educate members of the general public
4. Intentionally leaving out a login/logout button for easy accessibility
Next Steps
With the priority changes that were made, we understand that the product is never finished. We can conduct another usability test to assess if the revisions have solved the issues that were previously brought up by the users. If needed, we would have to conduct another round of iteration and testing. Once these steps are complete, we can handoff to developers.
Learnings
1. By incorporating the design thinking approach, we were able to empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Through this particular process, I was able to understand the ways in which each of the steps could be used to help develop the final product.
2. During this project, we realised the importance of research and speaking to users as this helped remove biases we had.
3. We learnt that every pain points are useful to the solution and no user response was useless.
4. We learnt that iteration helps and gives us a different view of how the product can be used
CONCLUSION
Although this entire process took us quite some time as it was our first time working on a joint UX project, it was a learning experience that truly taught us the importance of data led design and seeing raw insights through the eyes and mind of the user.