Share Your Perfect Workspace: Cooworka’s Engaging Review System — Part 1

12 min readJul 5, 2024

Cooworka Overview

Cooworka is an application that encourages people to share their experiences of working from cafes by writing reviews through an engaging gamified app experience.

Role

Lucinda Artahni— IOS Developer
Natasha Hartanti Winata — IOS Developer
Sherly Phangestu— IOS Developer
Aileen Chalina Wijaya— UI/UX Designer, Illustrator
Shazkia Aulia Shafira Dewi— UI/UX Designer

My role & responsibility

Hey there, I’m Natasha!
In this project, I worked as an IOS Developer and UX Researcher, some of my responsibilities:

Conduct user research and validate problems with the users.
Prioritize features for the first iteration of the application.
Develop the front end of the iOS application.
Create system logic to fetch and display data for nearby cafes and cafes matching user queries.
Create system logic to fetch and display location data for regions and cities.
Implement Sign-In with Apple and securely store user data.
Lead team progress check-ins and ensure milestones are met.

It’s impossible to create an app without doing research, right? Before developing a mobile app, we conduct research to enhance our ability to solve problems, understand the target audience, and provide a better user experience.

Identifying Problem

We begin with the brainstorming ideas. We looked for some interesting topics, and we considered several options such as finances, daily work, and travel. We agree that travel has the potential to incorporate gamified concepts. So, the important question is: How do we enhance enthusiasm for traveling through a gamified app? After exploring the possibilities, we initially decided to make an app for exploring Indonesia. But our research doesn’t end there. Due to several considerations during this process, we revised our goals multiple times.

In the next steps, we created guiding questions to deepen our understanding of the topic. This was followed by desk research and interviews to identify the problems people face when exploring tourism in Indonesia. After conducting several interviews, we found that there are no significant pain points for exploring tourism in Indonesia. Some people are not interested in traveling due to external factors, such as the condition of tourist attractions, and internal factors, such as money and time. Therefore, we concluded that this topic cannot be used for a gamified application.

After doing some research, we found that many people face difficulties when searching for suitable cafes to work from due to a lack of detailed information about essential facilities. Key aspects such as the availability of power sockets, the quality of the wifi, and the comfort of chairs and tables are crucial for remote workers but are often not readily available. Without this information, finding a work-friendly cafe can be frustrating.

To understand where this information could come from, we looked into common sources and discovered that most individuals rely on online reviews to get an idea about a cafe’s amenities and overall environment. Reviews often contain valuable insights from other patrons, making them a potential goldmine for the specific details needed by those working remotely. Realizing this opportunity, we saw that leveraging these reviews could provide remote workers with the detailed information they need. However, we also identified a significant barrier: many people are reluctant to write reviews due to the lack of rewards or incentives, the long process of review, and a general feeling of unappreciation. Therefore, our problem statement is this:

We aim to create an app that encourages people to share their experiences of working from cafes by writing reviews through an engaging gamified experience.

By seamlessly integrating exploration and review processes, our app not only makes it easier for users to find the best cafes but also motivates them to contribute valuable insights in a fun and rewarding way.

To overcome these challenges, we explored the concept of gamification as a means to motivate people to contribute reviews. Gamification involves adding game-like elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards to non-game contexts, which can make the process more engaging and rewarding. By incorporating these elements, we aim to encourage more users to share their experiences. Additionally, we designed a review form that is straightforward and easy to complete, ensuring it captures all the essential information needed for working from cafes without being overly time-consuming.

Our solution is an app that motivates people to share their work-from-cafe experiences by writing a review in a gamified app, simplifying the review process and creating a community-driven resource to help remote workers find the best cafes for their needs.

Our Process

User Persona

We’ve developed a user persona for our potential users, Max, A remote worker who enjoys helping others, easily gets bored, prefers working outside the home, and likes exploring new places. He has pain points such as crowded cafes, unreliable Wi-Fi, limited power outlets, incomplete information on cafe facilities for working, low motivation to leave reviews, time-consuming cafe research, and complicated review processes. On the other hand, he also has a gain points such as looking for comfortable and productive work environments, reliable cafe information, an easy method to find suitable places to work, discovering inspiring locations, sharing their experiences, and providing feedback.

Customer Journey Map

After defining our persona, we moved on to creating a Customer Journey Map. The customer journey map is divided into two parts: the current state, which shows the user’s journey with the current solutions, highlighting the pain points in each phase, and the ideal state, which illustrates the user’s journey when using our app, Cooworka.

Current State
The current state consists of four phases: researching cafes, activities at the destination, writing reviews, and retention. The existing solutions for the phases of researching cafes and activities at the destination involve using social media and search engines. However, the pain points for users lie in the phases of writing reviews and retention, with the existing solution being Google Maps.

Writing Reviews Phase:
Users face several lengthy actions:

After finding the cafe name, they must scroll down to find the text box for writing a review.
They need to rate overall experience, food, atmosphere, and provide detailed experience, photos, and food details.

Despite the lengthy questions, there are no questions related to WFC (Working From Cafe), such as WiFi quality, the number of power outlets, and seating comfort. Additionally, users do not receive tangible rewards, leading to disappointment and a feeling that writing reviews is not beneficial. This extends into the retention phase, where users feel demotivated to write reviews due to a lack of personal benefits.

Ideal State
This issue can be addressed through gamification to motivate users to complete reviews, especially those related to WFC aspects like WiFi quality, the number of power outlets, and seating comfort. In the ideal state, we focus on motivating users during the review-writing and retention phases using Cooworka.

Addressing the Core Issues
Upon deeper analysis, we realized that exploration and reviews are inseparable. The act of exploring cafes and writing reviews is a continuous cycle where each phase influences the other. Solving the core issue starts from the research cafe phase and extends to the activities at the destination.

Initially at the research cafe phase, users look for recommendations and read detailed information about cafes to decide where to work. They seek specific details that support WFC (Working From Cafe) activities, such as:

WiFi Quality: Users need reliable and fast internet to work efficiently.
Number of Power Outlets: Availability of power outlets is crucial for charging devices and ensuring uninterrupted work sessions.
Seating Comfort: Comfortable seating is important for long working hours.
Other Facilities: Additional facilities like quiet ambiance, and available refreshments also play a significant role.

Currently, finding this detailed information can be cumbersome and scattered across different platforms, making it difficult for users to get a comprehensive view of the best cafes for WFC.

Gamification Process
The gamification process starts at the activities at the destination phase, making the user journey more engaging and rewarding.

1. Seamless Check-In:
When users arrive at the cafe, our app makes the check-in process engaging by allowing them to seamlessly check in by claiming a mystery chest upon arrival, which remains locked initially. Users then choose a seat near a power outlet and begin their WFC activities. The excitement of unlocking the chest by writing a review adds an element of fun and motivation.

2. Writing Reviews:
To unlock the mystery chest, users must write a review. While writing reviews with our app, users receive notifications to leave a review. The review form is easy to fill out and focuses on WFC details like WiFi quality, number of power outlets, seating comfort, and other supportive WFC information. The more detailed the review, the more XP the user earns!

3. Rewards and Retention:
Users not only earn XP, they also collect cute accessories and collectible items that can be used to customize their avatars. This leads to increased motivation to write reviews and collect rewards, enhancing user retention.

By integrating gamification, we aim to solve the pain points in the review-writing and retention phases, transforming the user experience into an engaging and rewarding journey. This experience motivates them to write reviews, which in turn helps others in the research phase, creating a virtuous cycle.

Competitor Analysis

Beside conducting interviews, we undertook a comprehensive investigation to identify our competitors that offer similar features to those in our app. We analyzed these competitor apps to determine what specific attributes and functionalities make them popular and widely used by people seeking cafes. This involved comparing several leading applications commonly used by people when searching for a cafe to visit.

Furthermore, our analysis extended beyond identifying strengths; we also focused on uncovering the pain points and drawbacks users experience with these competing apps. By pinpointing areas where these apps fall short, we aimed to gain critical insights that would allow us to address and improve these issues in our own app. Our goal was to not only match but exceed the user experience provided by our competitors, ensuring our app stands out as the superior choice for cafe enthusiasts.

Determine Gamification Elements Using Octalysis

Octalysis, developed by Yu-kai Chou, is a comprehensive framework for understanding and designing engaging user experiences through gamification. It breaks down the concept of gamification into eight core drives: Epic Meaning & Calling, Development & Accomplishment, Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback, Ownership & Possession, Social Influence & Relatedness, Scarcity & Impatience, Unpredictability & Curiosity, and Loss & Avoidance. Each drive addresses a different aspect of human motivation, providing a balanced approach to designing activities that are not only enjoyable but also intrinsically motivating.

We brainstormed a variety of gamification elements that we believed would enhance the user experience in our app. The first element we focused on is Development & Accomplishment. To bring this to life, we decided to implement a level system where users can earn experience points (XPs) through their activities. As users accumulate XPs, they can level up, providing a clear and rewarding sense of progression and achievement. Additionally, we planned to introduce a competitive edge by incorporating a leaderboard. This feature will allow users to compete with one another for the top rank, fostering a healthy competitive spirit and encouraging ongoing engagement.

The second element we explored is Ownership & Possession, which we plan to execute by offering a collection of virtual items that users can acquire. These items will be obtained through a mysterious process, where users won’t know in advance which item they will receive. This element of surprise not only taps into the Ownership & Possession drive but also integrates the Unpredictability & Curiosity aspect of gamification. By keeping the item acquisition process unpredictable, we aim to maintain a high level of excitement and anticipation among users, motivating them to continue using the app and discovering new items.

Gamification Analysis

Based on the research and gamification elements we have defined, we have compiled our findings and detailed them in this gamification design template. This template helps us clearly outline our objectives, user persona, desired actions, feedback mechanisms, and the rewards provided through our gamification strategy. By creating this template, we aim to seamlessly integrate our research findings, ensuring that we can more precisely define the gamification aspects of our solution. Additionally, it allows us to better articulate the rewards system, making the gamification elements clearer and more impactful for our users.

Introducing Our Solution Concept: Cooworka! 🎊

After an extensive research journey, we’re excited to present Cooworka — an innovative app that revolutionizes the way people share their experiences of working from cafes through an engaging gamified approach.

Explore What Cooworka Offers:

Find Your Ideal Cafe
Discover nearby cafes tailored to your work preferences with Cooworka’s comprehensive search feature. Whether you need strong wifi, ergonomic seating, meeting rooms, smoking areas, parking facilities, places of worship, or reliable electricity, Cooworka helps you find the perfect spot to work.
Detailed Cafe Insights
Dive into comprehensive details about cafes, including ratings, electricity availability, wifi quality, pricing, exact location, operating hours, and amenities like ergonomic furniture, meeting rooms, smoking area, and parking facilities.
Earn Rewards by Sharing
Engage with Cooworka’s rewarding gamification system where each review unlocks mysterious rewards stored in chests. Receive reminders to claim rewards, motivating ongoing participation and enhancing your cafe exploration.
Streamlined Review Process
Simplify your experience with Cooworka’s intuitive review form. Rate and provide detailed feedback on wifi strength, power outlets, comfort levels, and more. Earn XP for thorough reviews and improved interaction.
Valuing User Feedback
At Cooworka, user reviews are invaluable guides that inform others. Each review uncovers top cafes and highlights amenities like reliable wifi, comfortable seating, parking availability, and more. As reviews accumulate, they dynamically capture evolving experiences, offering real-time insights that enrich cafe exploration. User feedback drives visible improvements, empowering users to make informed choices and contribute to our vibrant cafe community.
Personalize Your Avatar
Customize your digital presence with rewards from Cooworka. Unlock accessories and outfits by writing reviews and leveling up with earned XP, creating a unique digital persona that grows with your contributions.

Visualization Process 🎨

Brand design

Cooworka exists to help users easily share their reviews and insights about cafes. Designed to foster a sense of community, productivity, and trustworthiness, Cooworka thrives on human insight. The Cooworka logo features a chat bubble and a parrot, symbolizing the community we build and the sharing of valuable information. The blue in the logo signifies trustworthiness, and the Sans-Serif font is chosen to convey a friendly, enjoyable, and minimalist feel. We use Nunito for title and sub title, and SF Pro for the body text. We have develop a design system to ensure efficient and consistent design.

Design (Lo-Fi & Hi-Fi)

After finalizing the brand design, we proceeded to design the user flow and create the low-fidelity and high-fidelity versions of the app. Our goals for this application are:

1. Minimize fake reviews by implementing a “check-in process.” Users can review cafes only if they open the app and press the check-in button, which is active only when they are in the cafe.

2. Motivate users to complete the review fields by adding an XP counter to increase user engagement.

3. Avoid confusion when users enter the application by providing cafe recommendations based on categories.

This goal helps us to determine the UI/UX design that will be created. We start with brainstorming and sketching, and once we believe it’s sufficient, we proceed to develop it into a high-fidelity design.

Cooworka relies heavily on user feedback. We aim to create an application that is easy to use and enjoyable. Therefore, we conduct user testing with our target audience. Check out the next part to see how users feel about Cooworka!

Click here to read Part 2!!