The BuildingHub platform, a web-based platform equips residents with contractor insights for informed decision-making and streamlines information in building renovation projects.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Team
4-member team
Duration
3 months (2023)
Tools
Figma, Miro
Overview
Inspired by the INPERSO EU project, ours aims to enhance stakeholder collaboration in building renovations for efficient project delivery. Addressing the need for deep renovation in existing residential buildings to improve energy efficiency, our project focuses on addressing challenges faced by residents. These include lack of early notice of renovation works, limited involvement in decision-making, inconvenience during renovation, inadequate information disclosure, lack of empathy, and insufficient energy counseling for managing energy consumption. The project goal was to design a digital "BuildingHub" tool that serves as a centralised platform for building-related information and user interaction, focusing on improving the user experience and involving users in the renovation process (before, during, and after).
Solution
Through an experience-driven approach and focus on Finland, we defined and refined 4 experience goals - safety, relief, trust, and being informed for the 5 stakeholders (residents, housing cooperative official, municipality official, construction company, and architect) involved in extensive building renovation projects. We designed an interactive wireframe infusing features (repository, work visibility, roles and responsibilities, notifications, and communication channel) to support and enhance communication and improve the flow of information for better project delivery.
Process
Research & Discovery
Define
Based on our research findings and data synthesis, I created the Resident user persona. We created the user flow for the platform from the resident's perspective focusing on the "before" and "during" renovation phases. Getting the other stakeholders wasn't quite easy.
Ideate & Prototype
We created high-fidelity wireframes for the platform UIs ensuring the key features were captured. The wireframes were converted to an interactive prototype for quick evaluation and validation of the 4 experience goals. I designed the Project Team, Messages, and Document pages.
Deliverables
Research Goal
How might we invoke certain feelings during the building renovation process?
The Experience Journey Map
We visualised the actions, thoughts, feelings, needs, and goals from the resident’s perspective.
The Resident's Experience Goals
The Resident User Persona
The Resident User Flow
Wireframes Prototype
Key pages – Project dashboard, calendar & project team
The pages aim to keep everyone involved in the project informed. I introduced emojis on the project dashboard to communicate the resident's feelings at different stages of the project.
Messages
The page aims to streamline project stakeholders’ communication channels, allowing everyone to efficiently share information.
Documents
The page aims to provide some level of security/assurance that shared files are safe, through access management.
Evaluating the BuildingHub
The interview data gathered during the evaluation was analysed using an affinity diagram.
Participants' Feedback
Achieving the 4 Experience Goals
We asked participants how the goals could be met
Impact
We envision our solution to support residents in their renovation journey and enhance their experience in ways such as:
Know Your Contractor- Insights: Equipping residents with comprehensive contractor profiles enables them to make informed decisions when selecting a contractor for their project.
Streamlined issue reporting: Residents can easily report issues observed on the renovation site, ensuring prompt resolution by notifying relevant parties as necessary.
Enhanced Communication: Providing residents with real-time updates about scheduled visits to their apartments allows for better planning. Additionally, they receive notifications regarding areas needing their attention and gain insight into the progress of the renovation, even during delays.
