project constraints

The client requested a quick delivery of an alpha version of Kleanstay within a two-month timeframe, as the upcoming summer season was rapidly approaching. A cross-functional team consisting of a project manager, developers, and myself as the sole UX designer was established to facilitate the execution of the project. The primary objective of the alpha version of the application was to evaluate Kleanstay’s functionality and overall efficiency. We chose to use an existing UI kit due to timing restrictions.

where we started

We started off with a detailed project plan that described the business’ needs, the project scope, and functionality while also providing the research data acquired by the client's team. This plan served as the fundamental basis for the development of the app, as the information architecture relied heavily on the user flows described in the plan.

design process

1. Ideating

2. Wireframing

3. Hi-fi designs

4. Usability testing

ideation phase

The primary directions specified in the project plan guided the ideation phase. Here are some examples:

• Core functionality: The app will provide real-time updates and notifications to cleaning companies, allowing them to select apartments to clean on a first-come, first-served basis. The app will also help monitor and track the cleaning process in order to ensure that apartments are ready for check-in in a timely manner.

• Behind the scenes: The app will gather information on apartments with scheduled check-outs and check-ins on a daily basis and will prioritize flats with scheduled check-ins for the current day.

• Dashboards: Kleanstay will feature 5 types of dashboards on 3 levels of access:

  • admin dashboard (access level 1): designed to monitor and enable the management of all aspects of the app. The dashboard will provide an overview of the entire system, allowing the administrator to view and manage all properties, cleaning companies, user accounts, and data associated with the app. The dashboard will provide the administrator with a complete picture of the app's performance and enable quick and effective decision-making to improve the app's performance and usability

  • cleaning company manager dashboard (access level 2): a central hub for all cleaning company managers to manage their teams and cleaning jobs, providing an overview of the company's performance, access to user (granted access level 3) and team management, as well as admin-assigned property management

  • cleaning company employee dashboard (access level 3): a screen designed for viewing assigned tasks and reporting issues

  • technician dashboard (access level 3): a section designed for previewing work orders, reporting issues, and managing work schedule

  • inspector dashboard (access level 3): a place that brings together the assigned tasks and an issue reporting functionality

Based on the directions provided by the project manager, I started exploring and experimenting with the information architecture of the app. The final structure of the information architecture is available here.

wireframing

During the wireframing stage, we focused on Kleastay’s functionality. Low-fidelity screens were used to allow the developers to start coding the backend of the product.
The low-fi wireframes were originally designed in Romanian (as KleanStay is currently aimed at a Romanian-speaking market) but have been translated for your convenience.

Admin flow: assigning cleaning companies to properties, choosing cleaning team members and sending out the request to the cleaning specialists

hi-fi designs

The refined designs include several adjustments to the original lo-fi flows. The changes are aimed at improving navigation and allowing for more customization, as well as providing more status feedback.

usability testing

KleanStay's usability testing has been ongoing since its closed-circuit alpha release, which means the app is only available to a small number of people who are constantly providing feedback while using the product in real-life scenarios. Some of the feedback the product has received includes the following:

• functionality bugs

• a need for improving the property cleaning prioritization system (e.g.: stacking leftover cleanups from the previous day on top of the cleanups needed for the current day)

• a need for a more customizable property cleaning prioritization system (e.g.: prioritization based on property amenities like bed linen)