Industry:
On-demand local service
Client:
Home X
Year:
2019
Experience:
Senior Product Designer
HomeX App
about.
HomeX is a service provider and management platform — available on both web and mobile — that connects technicians and customers through a centralized database. It streamlines service delivery: customers receive faster, more reliable support, while technicians gain access to higher-quality leads.
In 2019, HomeX launched a tele-program to address challenges brought on by COVID-19. The pandemic significantly impacted HomeX’s traditional business model, particularly onsite appointments. This disruption prompted the company to innovate, developing a solution that would not only respond to the crisis but also exceed customer expectations.
challenge.
Homeowners often struggle to get timely, reliable help for home maintenance issues, a problem heightened during COVID-19, when in-person appointments became limited and safety concerns increased. HomeX needed a solution that allowed technicians to remotely guide customers through repairs and troubleshooting while maintaining trust, clarity, and convenience.
The challenge: deliver a functional MVP Remote Assist platform in just 4 months.
How might we collect and apply user feedback to ensure Remote Assist meets user needs?
How might we create a flexible pricing model based on complexity to ensure fair costs?
How might we design a clear system that communicates call duration and scope upfront?
How might we ensure privacy and security so users feel safe during remote sessions?
How might we build trust and confidence in a service where technicians guide users remotely?
research strategy.
The project began with a survey and in-depth interviews designed to uncover user behaviors and common pain points in existing solutions. These methods helped us understand user needs, motivations, and frustrations both before the product was designed and long after it was released.
To gain a holistic understanding, we developed targeted questions for two groups: service professionals and potential customers, capturing insights from both sides of the service experience.
In parallel, we conducted competitive research, analyzing existing home service platforms and remote assistance tools. This helped identify best practices, usability patterns, and gaps in the market, informing feature prioritization and design decisions for Remote Assist.
To ensure our solution aligned with user expectations, we engaged in comprehensive user research. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 participants, representing diverse demographics and household incomes. Among the 20 recruited participants, 50% were female, and 50% were male—average income distribution ranging from 20K - 150K. Next, we analyzed interview transcripts by identifying comments related to our research interests, forming clusters of group comments and themes. User concerns included trust in maintenance services, uncertainty in RA call scope, and a strong preference for flexible pricing based on issue severity. These insights became pivotal in shaping the features and functionality of our Remote Assist platform.
Here are some questions asked: understanding current behavior, exploring pain points, testing openness to new solutions:
When you move to a new place and don’t have trusted contacts (e.g., plumbers, carpenters), how do you currently find a professional?
Are you aware of web or mobile applications that allow you to book home service professionals?
If yes, which ones have you used, and how was your experience?
If no, what has prevented you from using them?
Can you describe one of your worst experiences with a home service professional, either online or offline?
Have you ever paid for a service that did not meet your expectations? Were you able to resolve the issue or get a refund?
Would you consider using a platform that helps you book and manage professional services from home?
How would you feel about paying for this type of service? Would a subscription model or pay-per-use model feel more comfortable for you?
features.
The following core features of the Remote Assist prioritized afterwards:
Instant RA: Immediate access to remote assistance for urgent home issues.
Screen Drawing: Technicians can annotate and guide clients through troubleshooting steps directly on the screen.
Online Booking System: Flexible scheduling to accommodate the busy lifestyles of our customers.
Search: Let users easily compare, filter and order as they wish and do so while having minimal cognitive load.
Rating: Add ratings and make it available at the page where users compare taskers.
Pandemic Compliance: Stringent adherence to health and safety protocols during all RA sessions.
Flexible Pricing: Subscription model pricing.
decision making.
We conducted short, iterative design sprints to prototype and validate key user flows and functionalities. This collaborative approach kept the team aligned with project goals and allowed us to remain responsive to evolving customer needs. Throughout the process, we used dot voting to determine which design options would be tested and finalized. As a result, Prototype 1 and Prototype 2 emerged as the final designs based on team consensus. Once the key ideas were selected, we ideated additional user flows to validate them through design thinking. This work was primarily done using InVision, InVision Studio, and Figma, as these tools supported the project's fast pace and enabled rapid prototyping.deas to tackle user pain points and respond to the HMWs we identified.
prototype 1, standard interaction.
This design ensures important info stands out. The bright logo opens the actions menu, and tapping 'Remote Assistance' prompts users to select a service. All related details, like booking via chat, stay in one place for quick access. For RA, users tap a button to connect—an well-known gesture. By leveraging common interaction patterns and principles of design such as, salience, and visibility, the design enhances consistency, making it easier for users to transfer knowledge from other apps and quickly spot key elements. The familiarity of these design patterns is likely to evoke a sense of comfort.
prototype 2, speech based interaction.
This version adds voice control to touchscreen interactions, making the app even easier to use. An automated phone system answers calls and directs clients to the right department without needing a human operator. For example, if a client says "Electrical," they are connected to the first available support technician. If no technician is available, the client can schedule a session for later. From a cognitive perspective, this design supports memory by using auditory cues to reduce the load on visual processing. By presenting details and actions through sound, users can focus on one sensory input at a time, which helps with better information retention and recall. The design also supports top-down processing, enabling users to quickly understand and navigate the virtual experience through straightforward voice commands and video calling.
heurestic analysis.
This design ensures important info stands out. The bright logo opens the actions menu, and tapping 'Remote Assistance' prompts users to select a service. All related details, like booking via chat, stay in one place for quick access. For RA, users tap a button to connect—an well-known gesture. By leveraging common interaction patterns and principles of design such as, salience, and visibility, the design enhances consistency, making it easier for users to transfer knowledge from other apps and quickly spot key elements. The familiarity of these design patterns is likely to evoke a sense of comfort.
Prototype 1 is a design with intuitive gestures and easy navigation but may lack some emotional connection and clarity compared to Prototype 2.
Prototype 2 performs better overall, especially in terms of emotional impact, convenience, clarity, and authenticity. The voice control feature enhances user connection, making it feel more personal and accessible.
other scenarios.
The auto-attendant supports peak call hours by managing callers in queue and playing hold music during brief holds. Being put on hold often feels like being stuck in traffic—frustrating! I saw this as an opportunity to turn a mundane experience into something engaging and aligned with the brand.
We worked in short, rapid design sprints with key team members to iterate efficiently. To make the prototypes feel more real and enhance user empathy, I created animations following the style guide. These animations connected situations to user emotions—for example, during a 'Call on Hold,' the user scratches their head while waiting, accompanied by elevator music and a relaxed yet uncertain character. This reinforces the experience while maintaining a sense of calm. For 'Call Dropped,' a timer indicates the reconnection attempt, after which the user can retry or reschedule, making the flow clear and intuitive.
By focusing on these small but impactful details, we transformed a traditionally frustrating experience into one that felt seamless, intuitive, and even a little delightful.
final designs.
The app redesign prioritizes privacy, discretion, and streamlined user flows. Onboarding collects only essential mobile information, no email, allowing login via a verification code without passwords. Users are given flexible photo management: images can be marked public or private, and photos can optionally be blurred. Private photos or sensitive content can be shared securely using a private key. Identity verification is handled through a government-issued ID and a biometric check via a trusted third party.
Overall, navigation and information architecture have been simplified. The Discovery page offers two browsing modes: a grid view for visual exploration and a list view for a more discreet display. Matches are presented in order of compatibility score, then online status, and finally proximity, ensuring the most relevant profiles appear first. Compatibility-based matching is displayed visually through a tag system. Onboarding also captures relationship expectations and preferences, which feed into the compatibility algorithm. Reporting tools are accessible in chats and on profiles, allowing users to flag inappropriate content or interactions.
take away.
Providing a platform for verified, skilled service providers so users can quickly find help in their region. A refined, intuitive interface helps users take action easily and understand each service clearly.
