Covid-19 Business Pivot Design
A UX design case study on the design sprint process and mockup creation
Context
COVID-19 has impacted all our lives in a significant way. Some of the most severely impacted economically have been those who own or work for small businesses. Companies across sectors and industries face a multitude of challenges, with revenue top-of mind. Not only are they not able to maintain larger teams to maintain production needs, spending on non-essential expenses and transitioning to shelter-in-place models are pushing everything remote.
Commerce, business models and marketing are all up in the air, seen everywhere. As a result, brick and mortar establishments are relying on delivery services and online orders, and many are rethinking how they can iterate as a way to keep the lights on.
I participated in a 24 hour hackathon in which my UXDI classmates and I were tasked with figuring out a way to help small businesses deal with the new reality they are facing.
Research
Through some initial research, we learned that restrictions that limit customer interactions have been particularly devastating to restaurants and other service industries that depend on customers coming to their physical locations.
On the flip side, we thought about the potential opportunities of most of the world being stuck at home, many of whom have more free time on their hands and are desperate for social interactions.
My team conducted a quick survey to get a better sense of whether people would be interested in learning something new, given the current situation, and what types of activities they might be interested in.
The data showed an overwhelming majority of people would like to use this time to learn new skills and want to support their local businesses.
With that information, we came up with the idea for a platform for local businesses to connect with customers by offering activity kits paired with online classes. Businesses are already doing some of this on their own (zoom fitness classes and bar cocktail kits) but our platform would provide a streamlined website for customers to identify and support local businesses in their neighborhood while engaging in a social connection and learning a new skill through a group class.
We followed this up with a competitive analysis to better understand the competition’s offerings and see how we could create something unique. Although there are many companies providing similar services and products, we realized no one is focused on supporting local business or emphasizing virtual social connections through their product offerings.
We mapped out what the customer journey would look like and In just a few hours we were able to put together a prototype to demonstrate what the website might look like.
Iteration
As a follow-up assignment, we were individually tasked with designing hi-fi mockup pages of our solution for mobile, desktop, and tablet.
First, I looked at several of my favorite websites and the competition for inspiration. I then sketched out some rough drafts of what some of the pages might look like.
I then fleshed out my designs a little more into low-fidelity wireframes to get a better sense of the content layout.
Results
Finally, I was ready to transfer my design to a hi-fi mockup in Adobe XD. It was my first time using the software and I definitely experienced some frustrations at first but it was a great way to learn the ropes quickly.
Reflection
It’s incredible what you can come up with in a short amount of time for a project you are passionate about. I also really loved the team aspect of this project and then having the opportunity to turn the concept into a tangible design on my own. It was invigorating to work on a problem that is so relevant and widespread and such a great feeling to be able to use UX design and the skills I’ve learned through the course to help my community.
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to become an expert in UX Design, Design Thinking, UI Design, or another related design topic, then consider to take an online UX course from the Interaction Design Foundation. For example, Design Thinking, Become a UX Designer from Scratch, Conducting Usability Testing or User Research — Methods and Best Practices. Good luck on your learning journey!
