HANNAH IS TRAVELING IN JAPAN and checks out of her hotel at 10 am; her flight is at 8 pm. With a few hours to explore, Hannah struggles to find somewhere to store her belongings. Hannah lugs her suitcases through the city.
Frustrated with this inconvenience, Hannah founds Boxy, a flexible short-term storage service offering hourly, daily, and monthly rentals. Currently, Boxy operates in Boston, Massachusetts, connecting city residents with extra space in their homes to college students and tourists. Our team designed a fully functional website and brand identity for Boxy.
Make a reservation
Browse through listings --> choose dates --> describe & upload images of items --> payment info --> complete reservation!
Create a listing
Address --> availability --> amenities --> storage space description --> item & size description --> images --> personal identification --> review responses --> submit listing!
Manage your reservations
Host: View upcoming, ongoing, and past reservations, approve requests, and edit listings!
Stasher: View upcoming, ongoing, past and pending reservations!
Edit your listing
Easily edit your listing with our simple interface!
My role as design lead
- Scope out project goals + timeline, plan sprints, assign tickets
- Direct design critique sessions, provide guiding resources
- Communicate progress with client + Project and Technical Leads
Competitive research
To understand the existing competitors in storage services, we conducted competitive research on Uhaul, Neighbor, Public Storage, Clutter, Storage Squad, and Cubiq. For each service, we analyzed what their website is doing well, what it isn’t doing well, and what aspects of the site could influence Boxy.
Information architecture and user flows
Map of system structure and hierarchy and traces specific user paths and decision-making processes.
Low fidelity wireframes
We created these wireframes to quickly articulate the general layout, flow, and components of the website.
Usability testing on lo-fis
We chose one task within each of the six flows to test, identified its usability heuristic, and three research goals. Sample size: 10 users
Useberry usability testing
Heatmap: click tracking
Issue 01: navigation difficulty
Users struggled to navigate between host to stasher views while accessing key features such as 'Create a Listing.'
Solution 01: two tabs + hamburger menu
The nav bar went through three iterations, resulting in the "Browse" and "Create a Listing" tabs and a hoverable drop-down menu for other features, including "Switch to Stashing/Hosting." Hover effects (grey background and bold text) indicate clickability. Usability testing validated this design in the high-fidelity stage.
Issue 02: how many steps are left?
User progresses through the ‘create a listing’ multi-step task and is uncertain how long the flow is. Users might drop the task if there is no end in sight.
Solution 02: progressing bottom bar
Add a bottom bar split up into the number of steps in the flow, progressing as each step is completed.
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High fidelity prototype
Interactive on Figma
Highlights
Brand voice
As a start-up with a small user base, I wanted to portray a warm and trustworthy brand identity to ensure users feel valued and secure while interacting with our platform. With these values in mind, we began broadly moodboarding, then narrowed in on specific elements to create two final brand concept candidates.
Design strategy
We developed three design strategies: one inspired by the warm and trustworthy mood board and two from the sleek and modern board. Each strategy included a concept, description, color palette, illustration style, UI design, typography, and a UX mockup. Building on the client’s vision, we focused on refining shades of teal, accent colors, and illustration styles to align with Boxy’s goals.
Final design strategy
Designing the logo
To design Boxy’s new logo, we started with rapid sketching on post-its, inviting the client to join in brainstorming and narrowing down the most promising concepts. After voting, we chose six initial designs, which the team then iterated on weekly, gradually refining them to higher fidelity. We reached a unanimous decision through rounds of feedback and voting with the client. However, Boxy will temporarily keep its original logo due to legal issues.
Final Logo
Boxy brand book
Next steps
The design team completed all deliverables, including reach goals. We wrapped up with a 2nd usability test of the high-fidelity prototype, allowing for potential future improvements based on direct feedback from Boxy users.
01
Messaging
- Expand to messaging platform that allows stashers to directly contact hosts and vice versa.
02
Adapting to change
- Unexpected challenges, such as legal issues, may arise. Pivot quickly and maintain frequent contact with client.
03
Advice to a new designer
- Design boldly!
- If a flow remains unsuccessful after multiple iterations, it is okay to step back, reframe the problem, and explore a new approach.
team boxy, signing off 🤟
