Vivamus elementum

hubee-intro

Intro

Usually, the sites of institutions that provide financial services are full of information. Our goal was to provide the maximum of information to potential customers of Webflow, but to do it in a stylish and modern way.

Minimalism combined with elements of french typography and brutalism helped us to realize the site exactly as we imagined with the client at the beginning: visually restrained, but stylish. Informative and pleasant to use, with an elegant aftertaste of a serious financial institution.

Year

2017

Duration

Webflow

ROLE

Strategy, Concept, Web Design, Marketing

deliverables

The Problem

Imagine being a woman homeowner faced with home improvement or repair projects. You're often confronted with unclear pricing, unreliable contractors, dismissive attitudes, and a lack of knowledge about fair prices. Plus, there's a lack of accountability in a male-dominated industry.

Male Driven

Male Driven

The home improvement industry remains predominantly male-dominated, perpetuating imbalances in power dynamics.

Unclear Communications

Unclear Communications

Ambiguity in contractor-homeowner interactions leads to misunderstandings and frustration.

Dismissive Behaviors

Dismissive Behaviours

Women homeowners often encounter contractors who dismiss their concerns and suggestions.

Lack of Accountability

Lack of Leverages

Homeowners have few mechanisms to ensure contractor accountability.

Lack of Knowledge

Lack of Knowledge

Many women homeowners may not have the necessary resources to make informed decisions in the home improvement process.

Hypothesis

I believe that improving communication, expanding access to education, fostering community, and ensuring a secure professional network will transform women's home improvement experiences. I will know I'm on the right track when I see market increases in women's confidence in tackling home projects, satisfaction with professional interactions in home improvement communities.

Secondary Research

To better understand the distinct challenges faced by women homeowners, I conducted targeted secondary research.

In a survey of around 360 women by Lombardo Homes, 65% felt contractors treated them differently than men. 30% don't want to be home alone, and 63% preferred hiring women-owned businesses when possible.

Hubee-ScondaryResearch-01

Felt treated differently than men

Hubee-ScondaryResearch-02

Don't want to be alone at home

Hubee-ScondaryResearch-03

Prefer hiring women-owned businesses

Subject A

Subject A

Married women homeowner in her 40s.

Subject B

Subject B

Woman homeowner in her 50s.

Subject C

Subject C

Single women homeowner in her 30s.

Subject D

Subject D

Woman homeowner in her 40s.

Subject E

Subject E

Handy woman homeowner is her 40s.

Interviews

Methodology

The study involved video, phone and in-person interviews with five participants to gather insights on home improvement experiences.

Participant Critiria

As the issue primarily concerns women homeowners, participants should own a home and have experience with improvement projects or repairs.

Affinity Mapping

After interviews, I sorted notes into pain points, motivations and behaviours. This helped on identifying patterns, for example, homeowner often find unclear quotes leading to unexpected costs.

HMW

How might we provide women homeowners with effective tools and resources to hold professionals accountable and ensure transparency, fairness, and quality in the home improvement process in order to empower them and enhance their experience when working with contractors?

Organize Ideas into Direction

At first, my assumptions are focused on gender-specific challenges encountered by women homeowners in the problem space. Nevertheless, after conducting several rounds of interviews, a common and broader issue became evident: the necessity for fair pricing and transparent payments.

Core Epic

  • Access a Supportive Community of Homeowners
  • Ensuring Fair Pricing & Payment Transparency
  • Find and Hire Skilled & Trustworthy Contractors
  • Empowering Decision-Making & Knowledge
  • Convenient & Safe Home Improvement Experience

Focused User Story

  • As a woman homeowner, I want to easily access verified reviews and ratings of contractors, so that I can make informed decisions about hiring reliable professionals.
  • As a woman homeowner, I want to have a platform that promotes transparency in contractor pricing, so that I can avoid unexpected costs and feel confident in the payment process.

Sketching & Wireframing

After setting up the information architecture, I sketched my ideas and created the initial wireframes, focusing on essential app features: project management, professional search, and quote comparison. The design is created based on the model iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Hubee-sketchesHubee-Wireframes

*Sketches

*Wireframing

User Testing

Two rounds of usability tests were conducted remotely with 10 participants total. The primary objectives were to assess challenges navigating the app and uncover any usability issues after iterations.

User testing revealed two issues: unclear labeling of the attachment icon in the message panel, potentially causing confusion, and a suggestion to include room shape in project specifications.

hubee-user-testing-changes

Message section | BEFORE

Message section | AFTER

Project detail | BEFORE

Project detail | AFTER

BRAND DEVELOPMENT
BRAND
DEVELOPMENT
BRAND 
DEVELOPMENT
MOOD 
BOARD
MOOD 
BOARD
MOOD 
BOARD
LOGO
LOGO
LOGO
WORD MARK
WORD MARK
WORD MARK
COLORS
TYPOGRAPHY
TYPOGRAPHY
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS
COMPONENTS

High Fidelity Mockups

Prototype

Marketing Website

The marketing website aims to promote the hubee app and increase its exposure. I structured the website using a 12-column layout, and all the images were generated with Cinema 4D using Octane Render. Please scroll down to explore the full page.

The phone version was taken into consideration for a responsive layout.

Final Thoughts

Next Step

As homeowners, it's often challenging to estimate the costs of home improvement projects and repairs. Hubee bridges this gap, offering peace of mind and comprehensive support throughout homeowner's journey. It provides transparent, itemized quotes, connect homeowners with certified professionals, foster a vibrant community, and offer a supportive resolution center.

In future development, I plan to introduce a project management system that further streamlines the homeowner's journey. Additionally, exploring partnerships with financial institutions to provide loans and financing options, enhancing homeowners' ability to achieve their home improvement goals while ensuring secure payment transactions between homeowners and professionals.

related work