Modernizing word-of-mouth marketing with technology
Movingful Case Study
About the company
Movingful is a startup company founded in 2020 by a team of innovators at All My Sons. The team saw an opportunity in the $500B home services market to improve business and clientele relations.
Movingful is a referral community that was created to help customers with their home service needs. Movingful provides a network for referral parties and service providers to connect and share recommendations. For customers, it simplifies the search for home services by providing them with recommendations from people they know and trust.
Project objective
Moving into a new home can be exciting, but the moving process can be stressful. Before settling in, there are many factors to consider, making the process time-consuming and costly.
Our aim was to enhance customers' satisfaction and convenience during the moving process by offering reliable home service recommendations. We also intended to establish a platform for service providers and referral parties to connect and expand their professional networks. The Movingful product would cater to the unique needs of each user and facilitate effective communication between them.
My Role
Project Management
UX Research
UI Design
Skills Applied
User Research
Competitive Analysis
User Flow
Design Library
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Tools Used
Figma
Photoshop
Jira
Slack
Design Process
User Research
We identified our initial target audience as homeowners and professionals involved in home buying/selling. We interviewed new homeowners to learn more about their experiences.
Through our interviews with homeowners and real estate agents, we discovered that real estate agents often offer home service recommendations to their clients. By providing a list of trusted service providers, agents can provide additional support to their clients while also benefiting the service providers with valuable leads.
We used this information to establish three primary roles for Movingful; Clients, Referral Partners, and Service Providers.
Empathy Maps
We created empathy maps for each role to understand their perspective, needs, wants, and problems. This helped us identify connections between roles and how we could improve their overall experiences.
Competitive Analysis
We conducted a competitive analysis of similar products, specifically focusing on the features we wanted to incorporate into Movingful. Our focus areas included creating onboarding processes for business profiles, improving home service accessibility, and developing networking platforms.
Google: Business Profile & Ads
Features
Platform for managing business profilesWeb and app productsLead generationAnalytics and insightMessaging featureConnects with other Google products
Thumbtack
Features
Platform for home servicesSeparate products for customers and professionalsDirect messaging featureCustomer ratings and reviewsCommunity support for small businesses
Features
Professional networking platformNetwork connectionsFiltered search functionalityUser posts and activityAssist tools and guides to enhance profilesNotifications and recommendations
User Personas
Design Goals
Create a platform that enhances communication and business between clients, referral partners, and service providers.
Consider both role types and user diversity when designing personalized experiences.
Users can invite people they know to join their network on the Movingful platform.
User Flows
The flowchart displays functions for each role and at what points they interact with one another.
Wireframes
The initial wireframes primarily focused on the role of referral partners since they are likely to have a preexisting network of clients and service providers. Includes designs for onboarding, sending invitations, dashboard, and profile information.
Designs (Version 1)
I enhanced the functionality and appearance of the referral partner features, and also developed a quote form that can be used by clients. To ensure convenience, Movingful was created with mobile responsiveness in mind.
Designs (Version 2)
I have completed the user interface design for all three primary roles, with a particular emphasis on features related to the moving process. While we were transitioning towards designing a mobile application for Referral Partners and Service Providers, we decided to initially launch Movingful on web browsers for new users. This was a deliberate choice, as web content is more accessible and doesn't require the same level of commitment as downloading an app.
Pivotal Moments: Product Enhancements
More Than Moving
Our platform, Movingful, began as a simple tool to assist customers in finding additional services during a move, but has since expanded to offer limitless potential. We recognized the significance of the roles each person plays within our platform and shifted our focus accordingly.
We understand that individuals may require specialized services at any time in their lives, and a good recommendation can be invaluable. Thus, a value chain has been established between three roles, each with users who fit specific profiles. Clients benefit from trustworthy Referral Partners, who, in turn, appreciate reliable Service Providers. Finally, Service Providers value committed Clients.
Web versus App
Originally, Movingful was designed as a mobile web platform for users who wanted a hassle-free experience. However, our team soon recognized that there were limitations to relying entirely on browsers, especially when it came to stability, security, and customization.
To address these concerns, we developed a mobile app for high-engagement users like Referral Partners and Service Providers. Clients could still use the web version, but the app would provide a more valuable experience for our power users. As a result, I redesigned the user flows for Referral Partners and Service Providers to create complete mobile app experiences.
Becoming More Social
Our platform evolved from web to app, providing Referral Partners and Service Providers with a comprehensive tool to manage referrals, profiles, and networks. To enhance user engagement, we incorporated social features that encourage interaction and community building.
The addition of the Activity Feed, located on the home page, keeps users updated on their network's activity. We updated profile pages to include public displays, encouraging users to be transparent and informative. Our goal was to provide users with a product that is reusable and has growth potential.
Final Product Designs
Onboarding Process
The app's onboarding flow guides new users through profile creation, tailored to their specific role and introducing the Movingful brand.
Referral Partner Features
Referral Partners are vital to Movingful communities. They provide clients with reliable communication and recommendations, and Service Providers with consistent referrals.
Referral Partners require visibility and engagement with members, which the platform offers through a dashboard, public profile, and community section. The dashboard displays crucial information, including activity feed, earnings, notifications, and payment details.
Additionally, Referral Partners can use the custom Invite feature to send personalized invitations to individuals they want to invite to their Movingful community.
The invitations are customized based on the chosen role and information provided, and are sent through text messages.
Service Provider Features
Movingful is a helpful tool for Service Providers to efficiently manage referrals without disrupting their business operations.
The application offers a range of features including referral spending management, customer reviews, and simplified client management through the Jobs section. Service Providers can easily keep track of client statuses, scheduled appointments, and supporting Referral Partners.
Search Tool
The Search tool is a valuable feature that all app users can access. It is available almost everywhere in the app, which means users don't have to leave their current activity to use it. Users can also filter and sort the search results by different categories, making it easier to find exactly what they want.
Client Features
Movingful aims to provide reliable recommendations for home services by simplifying access and usability for a diverse range of clients. While there is no app available for Clients, they can easily sign up on a web browser and communicate with Referral Partners and Service Providers through text messages and phone calls.
By offering trustworthy referrals from reputable business communities, Movingful reduces the stress of online competitive shopping for Clients.
Prototypes
Styleguide
Components
Moment of Reflection
The development and marketing team at All My Sons created a unique project that started as a simple referral site and grew into an expansive platform. The potential of Movingful even caught the attention of AMS investors, leading to the formation of a dedicated team. However, making it all work was the real challenge, despite easy visualization of the possibilities.
As lead designer, I prioritized understanding the leadership team's values and goals to convey their vision. Though I challenged them at times, it was to think outside the box and stay aligned. Managing a team for the first time was daunting, but mentoring two junior designers provided a valuable learning opportunity and built a reliable team.
Movingful app launched in 2022 for user experience testing and design updates. Proud to have contributed to this ambitious product during my time at AMS.