How I Improved The Experience Of Utility Area Using Design Thinking Process: UX Case Study

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UXM Community

20 min readJan 18, 2023

Hi, I am Zaid. I am excited to present you with this design thinking project. The goal of this project is to apply the principles of design thinking to address a specific problem or challenge.

Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that involves understanding the needs and wants of users and using that knowledge to develop innovative solutions.

As a part of the Design Thinking Project, I tried to improve the experience of the utility area for the users.

Index

[ 💡You can directly jump to the specific section by clicking on the link.]

What is Utility Area?
What is Design Thinking?
Empathize Stage
Define Stage
Ideate Stage
Prototype Stage
Test Stage
Learnings from the Project
Future Scope of the Project

What is Utility Area?

A utility room is a room within a house where equipment not used in day-to-day activities is kept. “Utility” refers to an item which is designed for usefulness or practical use, so in turn most of the items kept in this room have functional attributes.

The utility room has several uses but typically functions as an area to do laundry. This room contains laundry equipment such as a washing machine, tumble dryer, ironing boards, and clothes iron. This room can also be used to wash utensils.

The room is also used for closet organization and storage. The room would normally contain a second coat closet which is used to store seasonal clothing such as winter coats or clothing which are no longer used daily.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking Process, Source: https://www.interaction-design.org/

The following is the framework of Design thinking:

Empathise

Know the people you’re designing for, so you understand their needs better.

Define

Decide on who you want to design for and what you want to help them do.

Ideate

Come up with different solutions that might be useful to people — remember there are no bad ideas!

Prototype

Quickly create a prototype of your idea using the resources around you, based on the solutions you ideated.

Test

Take your prototypes to your user and get feedback, go back to the first stage, and keep doing it.

Empathize Stage

In this stage, I interviewed 5 users who were also my teammates to get to know about their experience and problems with the utility area.

User Personas

User Interviews

I prepared a questionnaire for my users to get insights about their experience with the utility area, the questionnaire was not fixed I changed it from user to user.

The Questionnaire:

Can you tell me something about yourself- your name, age, occupation?
What are your Hobbies?
Can you tell me about your house size and what are the rooms it has?
Where is your washing area?
Where do you wash the utensils?
Where do you dry your clothes?
Is there one gallery or multiple galleries in the house?
During the rainy season where do you dry your clothes?
How is humidity in your Area?-is it an issue?
Where do you iron your clothes?
Where do you keep stuff like winter-season clothes?
During electricity cut how do you wash your clothes?
The area where you iron your clothes do that area has a fan?
Is there proper lighting in the washing area-the area where you keep your washing machine?
What are the steps you take while washing your clothes?
Can you describe your last experience of washing your clothes?
Where do you keep the liquids to wash the clothes?
How do you dry your clothes during high wind?
How do you drain water coming out of the washing machine?
Do you face any drainage issues?
How many people can be accommodated in the washing area?
Where do you dry your utensils?
Do you face any discomfort while using the dishwasher?
Do you face any discomfort while washing clothes during the rainy season?

Insights from the users after the Interview

User 1 - Yuneet Bajaj

The user doesn’t have a separate utility area in his house.

So washing and drying of clothes take place on the balcony.

The balcony is covered so clothes are dried there in the rainy season. Clothes are sometimes also dried in other rooms during the rainy season.

Ironing is done wherever the socket is free.

Winter season clothes are kept under the bed and in suitcases in extra spaces in the wardrobe.

Some gaps that I identified-

The balcony has limited space because extra stuff like inverter and plants are also kept along with 2 washing machines.

Stand to dry clothes can’t be placed on the balcony as it has limited space.

There is no fixed place for ironing so the user finds it difficult to iron clothes sometimes due to disturbances.

Drainage is an issue in the balcony as the user has to drain the water by himself.

Water supply is also an issue so clothes can’t get washed for some days when there is water scarcity.

Ropes are on a height in the balcony. A person with a small height would face problems to dry clothes.

User 2 - Astha Dadhich

The user doesn’t usually wash her clothes and utensils as she has a househelp.

There is a separate area to wash clothes and utensils.

The user doesn’t like to wash her clothes because she can simply put them into the washing machine.

The delicate utensils don’t get washed in the washing area because they can be broken in traveling back and forth. They get washed in the kitchen itself.

There is a separate storage room to keep winter-season clothes and clothes which are not used frequently.

The user used to live alone for 4 years in an apartment so she used to dry her clothes on the balcony but during the rainy season, she faced difficulty because the balcony was not covered and she had to dry the clothes in the hall.

The user doesn’t prefer using ironing tables because they are too fragile and the surface area is very less.

The cook used to wash utensils in the kitchen and sometimes there were problems due to insects and cockroaches in the sink area.

User 3 - Shalaka Nilesh

The user has a dry balcony in her bathroom where clothes get washed and dried using pull-down ropes. The user really likes the pull-down ropes as they are convenient to use.

Utensils get washed in the dishwasher on the Kitchen’s Dry Balcony.

The user faces the problem of water splashing on the washing machine during the rainy season. So, to protect it she uses a plastic cover.

Only 2 people can be accommodated in the washing area. It is not a big area.

Ironing of clothes takes place in the passage between the dining area and the common bathroom. The ironing table is attached to one of the walls and it is collapsible. There is no fan in this area but it is not required because the area is in shadow and the user generally irons in the morning or late evening or during nighttime. The ironing table is sturdy and it has a good surface area so the user doesn’t face any issues with it.

There is a separate cupboard to keep winter-season clothes in the 2nd bedroom.

There are no drainage issues or water supply issues in the washing area.

The user faces issues due to rodents (rats) in the washing area.

Also, there are no issues with the water supply for the dishwasher and there are no electricity cut issues as well.

Only 1 person can be accommodated in Kitchen’s dry balcony so there is a space constraint to wash utensils.

The user faces issues to dry clothes in the rooms during rainy seasons-

Clothes don’t get dried in 1 day
Sometimes the user has to put clothes on chairs and sofas to dry clothes as the stand is completely full.
The user has to keep the fan on for the whole day when she is not even at home. (electricity wastage)

User 4 - Nikita Shadija

There is a small area before the entry of the flat where there is a tap and the user has kept her washing machine. Problems:

During the rainy season, the washing machine got covered with water because it is an open area (kind of a gallery). She had to shift it inside and the user had to wash the clothes using her hand.
Because the washing machine is in the gallery there is a risk of theft.
Outsiders can also use the washing machine because it’s outside the flat.

Washing of utensils takes place in the sink of the kitchen.

The user uses a stand to dry clothes on the balcony. Problem - But during the rainy season she faced issues to dry clothes as she has to place the stand in the bedroom and dry the clothes there.

Some other Problems -

During the electricity cut the user has to wash her clothes with her hands.
The user keeps all the washing liquids under the sink area in the kitchen as there is no place to keep the liquids in the washing area.
The washing area is small, it can accommodate only 2 people.

The user’s hometown is Indore. There is a separate space to wash clothes outside the kitchen. Problems -

The rope used to dry clothes touches the user’s head due to deflection and the ropes need to be at a certain height such that clothes can be hung on them.
The user faces problems in drying clothes during the rainy season due to slant rain.
The user has to use a ladder to get the winter season clothes as the cupboard is at a height.
The user has to wait for the electricity to come to wash and iron clothes because there is no inverter.

User 5 - Swatantra Singh

The user livesin a 1 Bhk apartment which comprises of-

Hall
2nd room is divided into two parts- Kitchen and Bathroom+washing area
Bedroom

Each room has its attached balcony. There is no separate utility area.

The washing machine is on the balcony of the kitchen and the user washes his clothes there.

The user uses all the 3 balconies attached to the 3 rooms to dry clothes on the ropes.

During the rainy season, the user uses a stand to dry clothes and places it in the hall or bedroom below the fan.

The user irons his clothes on a table in the hall.

The utensils get washed in the kitchen sink.

Winter season clothes are kept inside the bed.

Problems-

The water supply is not sufficient for the washing machine. The water supply is not continuous, so the user washes the clothes on alternate days.
As the washing machine is placed on the balcony. There is a drainage issue if the user forgets to put the drainage pipe in the area where the water gets drained.
There is only one socket where the user irons his clothes, so while ironing, TV and other appliances can’t be used at the same time.
Washing machine get splashes of water during the rainy season. So, the user needs to cover the washing machine.
As there is no tap on the balcony, the user has to use the tap of the sink area which is in the kitchen, so he connects the pipe from the kitchen area to the washing machine and the tap is loose so sometimes, it gets detached. So, one person is required to keep a check on this while washing clothes.
There is a problem with water pressure, the washing machine requires a certain water pressure to work, so for that user uses a pressure booster motor which sometimes doesn’t work so again one person is required to keep a check on this.
It takes around 90–100 minutes to wash clothes and it is time-consuming because a person is always required to keep a check on certain things while washing clothes.
The kitchen’s platform where the utensils get washed is at a lower height. So, for a tall person, it is difficult to wash the utensils and it causes back pain problems.
It takes around 2 days to dry clothes during the rainy season.
The user faces problems removing and keeping winter-season clothes as the mattress over the bed is heavy and huge. The mattress is around 25–30 Kg. So, at least 2–3 persons are required to keep or remove the winter season clothes.
There are issues due to mice and insects in the washing area and sink area in the kitchen.

Before the current house, the user used to live in a single-room house.

The house was a single room and there was a separate area that was used for multipurpose things like bathing, washing utensils, and washing clothes. Problems in that house-

There was a space constraint because everything was getting done in a single room.
Only one person could be accommodated in the washing area.
There were issues due to rodents and insects.

Define Stage

In this stage, I had to form problem statements based on the observations from the empathize stage and the reasons why the problems are important for the users.

Problem 1: Balcony has limited space because extra stuff like an inverter and plants are also kept along with 2 washing machines. (The user doesn’t have a separate utility area, the clothes get washed in the washing machine which is placed on the balcony) ie. Space constraints to wash and dry clothes.

Reason: Due to space constraints, the user faces problems walking there and washing clothes at the same time, also Stand to dry clothes can’t be placed on the balcony as it has limited space.

Problem 2: There is no fixed place for ironing or fewer sockets/no separate sockets for ironing.

Reason: So the user finds it difficult to iron clothes sometimes due to disturbances and because there is no fixed place there are chances that all the places where clothes can be ironed are not free. Because of fewer sockets or no separate socket for ironing other appliances can’t be used while ironing clothes.

Problem 3: Drainage is an issue in the balcony as the user has to drain the water by himself.

Reason: The drainage issue is an important problem as the water accumulates on the balcony and the people walking on the balcony might slip due to this.

Problem 4: Water supply is also an issue to wash clothes.

Reason: Clothes can’t get washed for some days when there is water scarcity.

Problem 5: Ropes are on a height on the balcony where the user dries clothes.

Reason: A person with a small height would face problems to dry clothes.

Problem 6: The delicate utensils can’t be washed in the washing area.

Reason: Because they can be broken while traveling back and forth from the kitchen.

Problem 7: Difficulty in drying clothes during the rainy season.

Reason: Because the balcony is not covered and it takes a lot of time to dry clothes inside the house and other problems to dry clothes inside the house-

Clothes don’t get dried in 1 day
Sometimes the user has to put clothes on chairs and sofas to dry clothes as the stand is completely full.
The user has to keep the fan on for the whole day when she is not even at home. (electricity wastage)

Problem 8: Ironing table is fragile and the surface area is less.

Reason: Because the ironing table is fragile during ironing it shakes and less surface area means large clothes can’t be ironed.

Problem 9: Cockroaches and mice are a problem in the kitchen sink and washing area.

Reason: Due to cockroaches in the sink area might lead to various diseases and mice in the washing area can tear the clothes.

Problem 10: The problem of water splashing on the washing machine as the machine is kept on the balcony.

Reason: Water splashing on the washing machine can damage the washing machine and it would stop working.

Problem 11: Risk of theft of washing machine as it is kept outside the Flat and outsiders can also access it.

Reason: Due to this user will face monetary losses and then also face issues in washing clothes as she would have to wash clothes with her hands only.

Problem 12: No place to keep the washing liquids in the washing area.

Reason: Due to this the user has to travel back and forth from the kitchen to the washing area to get the washing liquids.

Problem 13: During the electricity cut the user has to wash her clothes with her hands.

Reason: It is time-consuming and also energy-consuming to wash clothes by hand.

Problem 14: The rope used to dry clothes touches the user’s head due to deflection.

Reason: Due to this user faces problems while walking.

Problem 15: The cupboard to keep winter season clothes is at a height.

Reason: Due to this the cupboard is not easily accessible and the winter season clothes can’t be removed or kept frequently.

Problem 16: The tap of the washing machine is far from it and the issue of getting detached because of more distance.

Reason: Because of this the user has to connect a pipe from the kitchen and the pipe also gets detached which also leads to water wastage.

Problem 17: The kitchen’s platform where the utensils get washed is at a lower height.

Reason: So, for a tall person it is difficult to wash the utensils and it causes back pain problems.

Problem 18: The user faces problems removing and keeping winter-season clothes.

Reason: The mattress over the bed is heavy and huge. The mattress is around 25–30 Kg. So, at least 2–3 persons are required to keep or remove the winter season clothes.

Ideate Stage

In this stage, I came up with ideas and solutions to solve the problems faced by the users.

For this I used a special technique called “Crazy 8" . Using this method, I had to think of 8 solutions for each problem within a time limit of 8 minutes.

Ideas:

Problem Statement 1: Space constraint to wash and dry clothes.

Use a dryer to dry clothes.
Use pull-down bars to dry clothes

3. Give the clothes to the washerman to wash and dry clothes.

4. Dry the clothes on the terrace of the flat.

Problem Statement 2: There is no fixed place for ironing or less/no separate sockets for ironing.

Use a foldable ironing table.
Give the clothes to the washerman for ironing.
Use a portable iron.
Use an extension board that can bear the load of iron.
Install more sockets.

Problem Statement 3: Drainage is an issue in the balcony as the user has to drain the water by himself.

Use a water drainer.
Connect the outlet pipe of the washing machine to the outside of the balcony such that water doesn’t accumulate on the balcony then there will be no drainage issue due to the washing machine.
Clean the balcony, especially the drainage area on a regular basis so that there will be fewer drainage issues.
Put naphthalene balls near the drainage area.
Use automatic squeeze wet and dry mop to dry the water.

Problem Statement 4: Water supply is an issue to wash clothes ie. water scarcity.

Use a separate tank to store water so that this water can be used by the washing machine to wash clothes and a small pump can also be fitted inside the tank to transfer water from the tank to the washing machine.
Do Rain water harvesting.
Store water in the washing machine after washing clothes so that the clothes can be washed the next day also when the water is not coming.
Store water in the buckets so that the clothes can be washed by hand or clothes can be washed using a hand washing machine in these buckets.

Problem Statement 5: Ropes are on a height in the balcony where the user dries clothes.

Use pull-down bars to dry clothes.

2. Use a separate stand to dry clothes and place it on the balcony or in another room to dry clothes.

3. Use a stool to stand, to dry clothes.

4. Use a cloth dryer to dry clothes.

Problem Statement 6: The delicate utensils can’t be washed in the washing area.

Use a dishwasher to wash them.
Use a separate stand to transfer them from the washing area to the kitchen so that they don’t get broken.
Build a separate sink area and platform for delicate items in the washing area.

Problem Statement 7: Difficulty in drying clothes during the rainy season and electricity wastage due to continuous fan run even if the user is not at home, the user has to dry the clothes on the sofa and chair sometimes when the stand is full and also it is difficult to dry clothes in the same room where you have to do other stuff.

Use a timer-controlled fan.

2. Use a timer switch.

3. Use a fan with a sensor that senses that clothes have dried.

4. Use another portable stand to dry clothes when the main stand is full.

5. Use a dryer to dry clothes.

6. Use a cover along with the stand to cover it so that it doesn’t look bad.

7. Use a fan that runs from solar energy using solar cells.

Problem Statement 8: Ironing table is fragile and the surface area is less.

Use a fixed table instead of an ironing table.
Iron the clothes on the bed.
Use a handheld steamer which doesn’t require an ironing table.

4. Provide supports at the bottom of the ironing table to make it rigid.

5. Use a foldable table fitted with the wall for ironing that will provide more surface area.

Problem Statement 9: Cockroaches and mice are a problem in the kitchen sink and washing area.

Use a rat catcher.
Put naphthalene balls in the kitchen area, it keeps insects away from the sink area.
Regularly spray Hit in the area where insects come.
If the problem is out of control, call pest control.
Put a net on the holes from where insects or mice could come i.e. cover the drainage area with a net.
Regularly clean the sink area and washing area.

Problem Statement 10: The problem of water splashing on the washing machine as the machine is kept on the balcony.

Cover the washing machine with plastic.
Cover the balcony with a sheet of plastic.
Use a movable stand (with wheels) with the washing machine so that it can be moved inside during rain.
Place the washing machine in a sliding cupboard kind of thing that can be closed.

Problem Statement 11: Risk of theft of washing machine as it is kept outside the Flat and outsiders can also access it.

Install CCTV Cameras.
Place the washing machine inside a cupboard and lock the cupboard.

3. Lock the washing machine using a chain and lock.

4. Get insurance for the washing machine.

Problem Statement 12: No place to keep the washing liquids in the washing area.

Use a wall-mounted stand for washing liquids.
Use a corner stand to keep washing liquids in the washing area.

Problem Statement 13: During the electricity cut the user has to wash her clothes with her hands as the washing machine can’t be used.

Install an inverter for the washing machine to run even during an electricity cut.
Connect solar panels to the washing machine so that it can help run the washing machine through solar energy during electricity cut.
Use a manual cloth washing machine.

Problem Statement 14: The rope used to dry clothes touches the user’s head due to deflection.

Use rods instead of ropes.
Use pull-down bars to dry clothes.

3. Use clothes stand instead of ropes.

4. Use ropes that have hooks at the end which will prevent them from deflection.

5. Use a dryer to dry clothes instead of ropes.

Problem Statement 15: The cupboard to keep winter season clothes is at a height.

Use a ladder to get clothes.
Use a stool to get clothes.

Problem Statement 16: The tap of the washing machine is far from it and the issue of getting detached because of more distance.

Use a tap and pipe connector.
Use a rope to tie the pipe and tap.
Use a small pump to transfer water from the nearby tank to the washing machine.
Transfer water using a bucket.

Problem Statement 17: The kitchen’s platform where the utensils get washed is at a lower height.

Use a chair to wash utensils.
Use a portable sink whose height is perfect to wash utensils.

3. Use a faucet extension.

Problem Statement 18: The user faces problems removing and keeping winter-season clothes as the mattress over the bed is heavy and huge.

Use a bed that has a slider in front/side of the bed so the user won’t be required to lift the mattress.
Use a lightweight mattress.
Put the winter clothes somewhere else apart from the bed.
Use an electric bed fitting which will automatically lift the mattress using a remote.

After this, I had to select the top 3 ideas and give reasons for selecting them.

Top 3 Ideas

Top idea 1

Problem: Difficulty in drying clothes during the rainy season and electricity wastage due to continuous fan run even if the user is not at home.

Idea: Use a timer switch that would automatically turn off the fan after a certain time and connect the fan with a solar plate that would help save electricity.

Reason: Because there is an electricity shortage in our country and there are many places which don’t even have an electricity supply. So using a timer and solar plate with the fan would help save electricity.

Top Idea 2

Problem: The user had to place the washing machine outside her flat and there is a risk of theft and also outsiders can access it.

Idea: Place the washing machine in a sliding cupboard that can be locked.

Reason: This solution will help to prevent theft as the cupboard can’t be locked and outsiders can’t access it.

Top Idea 3

Problem: Ironing table is fragile and the surface area is less.

Idea: Use a foldable table fitted with the wall to iron that will provide more surface area.

Reasons:

This table would be stronger than the ironing table.
Its surface area is more than the ironing table’s surface area.
Since it is foldable it is space-saving also.

Prototype Stage

In this Stage, I selected one of the top 3 ideas and made a prototype for it.

Problem: Difficulty in drying clothes during the rainy season and electricity wastage due to continuous fan run even if the user is not at home.

Idea: Use a timer switch that would automatically turn off the fan after a certain time and connect the fan with a solar plate that would help save electricity.

Prototype:

Test Stage

I presented the prototype to the users whom I interviewed to get their feedback.

I received the following feedback:

The solar panel doesn’t work effectively when the weather is cloudy.

Reason- When the weather is cloudy there would be no sun so the solar panel won’t get charged and thus the fan won’t run.

Solar panels are costly.

Reason- Although it is a one-time investment, installing solar panels can be costly for some users.

Iteration after receiving Feedback

The solar panel doesn’t work effectively when the weather is cloudy.

Iteration: Connect a battery between the solar panel and the fan, which would run the fan even when there is no sun.

The solar panel is costly.

Solution: If the user has budget issues, then he/she can just use the timer switch along with the fan which would also help in saving electricity, and the timer switch is available for under 1000 rupees.

Learnings from the Project

The application of Design Thinking - empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
I learned an amazing technique in which we come up with solutions of problems in under 8 minutes which is also called as Crazy 8 technique.
I learned how to do conversations with the users and understand their problems instead of directly asking about their problems.

Future Scope of the Project

Increasing awareness and adoption of design thinking in a wide range of industries and domains, leading to a more user-centered approach to design.
Improving the ability to measure the impact of design decisions on user experience, which can lead to better decision-making and more effective design outcomes.
Enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of design processes, resulting in more user-centered designs.

Thank You :)