Welcome to "Product Labs", our content series dedicated to exploring hypothetical product case studies. In each edition, we'll tackle potential product scenarios, considering the needs, challenges, and solutions related to them. For our first case study, we're looking into an automobile service app, complete with wireframes, to give a clearer picture of our thought process and design approach.
Steps Involved:
- Put down the vision for the app
- Define User Types: Segment our main users for targeted experiences.
- Define Challenges: Pinpoint the main challenges users might encounter.
- User Research: Collect and analyze feedback from potential users.
- User Journey Mapping: Map out the user's potential interactions within the app.
- Feature List for Customers: List out key functionalities for vehicle owners.
- Feature List for Service Providers: Detail tools and features beneficial for service providers.
- Prioritize Features as Must-Haves: Identify essential features crucial for the app's effectiveness.
- Wireframes: Provide a visual layout of the app's structure.
- KPIs to Track: Set measurable metrics for evaluating app performance.
Through "Product Labs", we aim to present structured and thoughtful product insights, offering readers a chance to understand, critique, and learn from our approach.
Vision:
In an age where convenience is paramount, our vision for the automobile service app is to redefine the vehicle maintenance experience by providing both vehicle owners and service providers with an intuitive, transparent, and efficient platform. We aim to bridge the gap between customers seeking trustworthy service and professionals offering expertise, ensuring that each party has a seamless journey from appointment scheduling to service completion.
For the vehicle owner, we envision a hassle-free method to locate, schedule, and track their vehicle services, eliminating uncertainties and giving them more control over their vehicle's maintenance needs.
For service providers, our vision is to offer a digital platform that streamlines appointment management, enhances customer communication, and increases workshop visibility, thereby aiding in business growth and customer satisfaction.
At its core, our app is designed to cultivate trust, transparency, and timeliness in the automobile service sector, driving forward a future where vehicle maintenance becomes a smooth and stress-free endeavor for all involved.
User Types:
Customer: This user is typically a vehicle owner or someone responsible for a vehicle's upkeep. They seek trustworthy service providers, wish to schedule services quickly, and want transparency in service details and billing.
Service Provider: This user type encompasses mechanics, repair shops, and garages. They aim to attract more customers, efficiently manage their appointments, ensure timely delivery of services, and maintain clear communication with customers regarding service specifics.
Challenges:
Easy Onboarding: The initial interaction sets the tone for the user's overall experience. The challenge lies in creating an onboarding process that is intuitive, ensuring users can get started with minimal friction.
Quick Appointment Booking: To simplify the user experience, the aim is to allow customers to book appointments in just three steps. This not only saves time but also reduces the potential drop-offs during the booking process.
Clean UI Design: A cluttered interface can deter users. The challenge is to design a user interface that is visually appealing, easily navigable, and intuitive, ensuring users can find what they need without confusion.
Accessibility for All: With a diverse user base, the app needs to be accessible to everyone, irrespective of their tech-savviness or familiarity with digital platforms. This involves ensuring that all functionalities are easily understandable and usable, accommodating a wide range of users.
User Research:
User research, especially the qualitative kind, offers invaluable insights into the lived experiences of the users. By focusing on their personal perceptions and interactions with the world, qualitative research helps in understanding not just the 'what' and 'how' of user behavior, but the 'why' behind it.
Customer:
Demographics: A 23-year-old individual working in IT (let’s name him Joshua), relying on his car for daily work commutes.
Goals:
- Locate a reliable mechanic within his residential vicinity.
- Ensure timely repair of his car.
- Willing to pay extra for the convenience of pickup and drop services.
Painpoints:
- Lacks a deep understanding of the technical nuances related to car issues.
- Dislikes prolonged waits for retrieving his car post-service.
- Desires a comprehensive bill detailing the service history.
Repair Shop Owner:
Demographics: A 35-year-old professional who owns a repair shop (let’s name him John). He has 12 years of experience in the industry and holds specialization in servicing Maruti cars.
Goals:
- Increase the inflow of vehicles for servicing.
- Maintain real-time tracking of cars under service.
- Efficiently manage the workshop's workforce.
Painpoints:
- Struggles with ensuring punctual service delivery.
- Faces challenges in articulating detailed service specifics to customers.
- Sees a pressing need to digitize and optimize the appointment-to-delivery process.
By engaging with users directly through interviews and making informed assumptions, user research forms the bedrock of understanding user needs, aligning product development more closely with these requirements.
Hypothesis and User Journey Mapping:
For Joshua, the Car Owner:
Statement: If Joshua utilizes the app to identify the ideal mechanic in proximity and ensures timely delivery of his car post-service, he will experience greater contentment and less stress in his daily life.
For John, the Service Provider:
Statement: If John leverages the app to receive more service bookings and maintains a streamlined tracking system for ongoing services, it will afford him the bandwidth to focus on increasing bookings and growing his business.
User Journey Mapping:
Customers:
Sign up / Login → Discover Services → Discover Repair Shops → Check price and other details → Book Appointment → Accept / Reject by Mechanics → Pickup → Service Tracking → Deliver
- Sign up / Login: Begin by creating an account or logging in if already registered.
- Discover Services: Browse through available services that cater to their vehicle’s needs.
- Discover Repair Shops: Explore various service providers in the vicinity or preferred location.
- Check Price and Other Details: Review the pricing and specifics of the services provided.
- Book Appointment: Reserve a slot for the vehicle service.
- Accept / Reject by Mechanics: Await confirmation from the chosen repair shop.
- Pickup: Arrange for vehicle pickup if this service is available and needed.
- Service Tracking: Monitor the progress of the car’s service in real-time.
- Deliver: Receive the vehicle post-service or arrange for its drop-off.
Service Providers:
Sign up / Login → List of appointments → Accept / Reject → Upcoming Services → Pickup → Service → Deliver
- Sign up / Login: Begin by setting up a service provider profile or logging in if already registered.
- List of Appointments: View all upcoming, ongoing, and past appointments.
- Accept / Reject: Confirm or deny service appointments based on availability or feasibility.
- Upcoming Services: Prepare for services scheduled for the near future.
- Pickup: If offered, coordinate the pickup of the vehicle requiring service.
- Service: Commence and complete the necessary service or repair.
- Deliver: Ensure the vehicle is returned to the customer post-service or arrange for its drop-off.
By defining clear hypotheses and mapping out the expected user journeys, we can better align product features with user needs, optimizing for a smoother and more intuitive experience.
Features - Customer
- Sign up, Login
- Profile
- Name, Phone, Email, Address, Car & Bike details
- Your Services - Ongoing, Upcoming, Completed
- Home with a list of all services
- Services List
- Search
- Filter - service type
- Sort - Price, distance to, rating
- Services Card and Detailed
- Service Name
- Tags - Engine, Tyre, Body, Electrical
- Time Taken
- Provided By - Workshop Name, Review, Distance to
- Detailed Info on the services
- Workshop List
- Search
- Filter - Service type
- Sort - Distance to, Rating, Available services
- Workshop Card and Detailed
- Workshop Name
- Address and Location, Phone Number, Open and Close Time, Average time to fix
- Tags - Engine, Tyre, Body, Electrical
- Distance to
- Rating
- Book a Service
- For - Bike or Car
- Enter Vehicle details
- Select ? / Type in requirements or issues
- Delivery Required In time - I need my car in 2 days
- Images
- Schedule Pickup
- Book and Pay
- Pay later / Pay Advance / Pay on Delivery
- Track
- Scheduled
- Ongoing
- Booked
- Accepted?
- Schedule Pickup
- Picked up
- Service Started
- Track Checklist
- Service Ended
- Schedule Drop
- Drop and Done
- Subscription and Reminders
- Subscribe to an Annual plan (involves 12 car wash, 4 wheel alignments, 1 annual service)
- Your service is due in 10 days - Book Now to avoid cancellations
- Notifications
- SMS
- In App
- Rating and Review
- Service
- Workshop
- Support
- Cancel
- Reschedule
- Raise a Complaint
Features - Service Provider
- Sign up, Login
- Profile
- Workshop Name, Phone, Email, Address and Location, Car & Bike details
- List of Services provided as tags - Engine, Tyre, Body, Electrical
- Service Type
- Open and Close Time
- Average time to fix
- Home with a list of all appointments
- Appointments - Upcoming, Ongoing, Completed
- Search
- Filter - Service Type
- Sort - Required Time
- Requests
- List of all requests from potential customers
- Customer and Vehicle Details
- Details of the issue/service to be done
- Pickup Time Approval - Accept, Reject, Reschedule
- Required in time
- Action - Accept / Reject / Propose New Delivery Time
- Start Service
- Create Checklist
- Start work
- Mark Checklist
- Complete work
- Schedule Drop
- Pick a time slot
- Send for approval
- Get Approval - Accept, Reject, Reschedule
- Payment
- Status - Received Fully, Received Partially, Receive at the end of service
- Report
- Appointments Numbers - Upcoming, Ongoing, Completed
- Appointments Cancelled
- Average time taken to fix
- Customer Happiness Score
- Notification
- SMS
- In App
- Support
- Cancel
- Reschedule
- Raise a Complaint
Prioritizing the features as must haves
Now, we have all the possible features, here in this sheet, we have prioritized the must haves. We have used the DVF framework to do the same.
Wireframes
To provide a visual representation of our user interfaces and the flow of the app, we've created a set of wireframes. These wireframes will serve as a blueprint, ensuring every stakeholder has a clear understanding of the app's structure and design. They can be accessed and reviewed via the following link:
KPIs to track
For the app to succeed and improve continuously, it's vital to measure its performance against certain key performance indicators (KPIs). Here are the pivotal ones we propose:
- Number of Signups by Customers: Tracking new user acquisition gives insight into the app's reach and appeal.
- Service/Workshop Selection from Home Page: Monitoring the number of users who select a service or workshop directly from the home page can provide data on the effectiveness of our homepage design and listings.
- Drop-offs: Identifying where users disengage is crucial to optimizing the user experience.
- Post 'Add' Action: How many users exit after initiating an 'add' action?
- Post Detail Addition: Drop-offs after users have input their details.
- During Payment: Abandonment rates during the payment process.
- Requests for Cancellation/Rescheduling: Monitoring the number of users who need to adjust their initial appointment gives feedback on the flexibility and satisfaction of the scheduling system.
- Rejections by Service Providers: Keeping track of services not proceeding due to provider refusal can inform adjustments in the matchmaking process between users and providers.
- Monthly Active Users (MAU): A high-level metric to track app's monthly user engagement.
- Weekly Active Users (WAU): To understand weekly engagement and determine if there are patterns or trends in usage.
These KPIs provide a holistic view of user engagement, system efficiency, and potential areas for improvement. Regular monitoring and analysis will ensure that the product stays relevant, user-friendly, and meets its intended objectives.
As we wrap up this exploration of our hypothetical Bike and Car service app, it's important to remember that no product journey is complete without feedback from its potential users and stakeholders. You, our readers, bring a wealth of diverse experiences and insights. Your feedback can play an instrumental role in refining, enhancing, and even reimagining the concepts presented here.
So, we invite you to share your thoughts. What did you like? Where do you see room for improvement? Are there features you'd love to see added? Your perspective is invaluable to us. By collaborating and engaging in this dialogue, we can collectively shape a product that truly resonates with its intended audience.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We look forward to your insights and to more explorations in the future installments of the Product Labs series.
By Kalidass, Product, Cyces