.png)
Bellhop is a moving company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that operates in more than twenty states across America.
Offering different services such as local, long-distance, and labor-only moves, it has been ranked the #2 moving company of 2022 by U.S. News and has made the 2022 #Inc5000 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S.!
The company is divided into two verticals, the pros (movers) and customers. From a digital perspective, pros have access to a mobile app to keep up with all things related to job posts and job descriptions. On the other hand, customers can access a dashboard to see the status of moves, which can be accessed via a mobile or computer.
As the business grows, improving the quality of services and the digital experience is crucial, capitalizing on every step.
Our first challenge is to provide an exceptional user experience on the booking flow to improve the conversion rate. Once new customers are acquired, we ought to educate and provide proper guidance for pre and move day. Additionally, working with the marketing team to create a long-lasting relationship is crucial to nurturing the customers.
To cope with the high demand of customers, we need to invest in our labor force. Pros need to provide the availability to work, stick with it and conduct the move according to our standards. Facilitating payouts to pros, claiming jobs, and communicating with HQ are as important as acquiring new business.
Product Designer (Team of 2)
My responsibilities included conducting different types of research and creating lo and hi-fidelity designs. It was crucial to uncovering areas of opportunity within our product while keeping up to date with best design practices.
Our designs needed to be based on quantitative and qualitative data to improve the retention of our pros (movers) and the conversion rate of our customers. to do so, different research methods were used, such as Usability Test, Competitive Analysis, and A/B testing.
After completing appropriate research and aligning expectations with product managers and stakeholders, we started ideating and iterating on new or existing designs, depending on each project.
Based on different metrics, stakeholders assessed areas of improvement that needed attention, such as booking flow dropoff rates and auto-assignment to job slots.
The product team initiated projects to enhance existing designs while uncovering gaps within our assets' mobile and web versions.
Figma + Miro + Usertesting platform
.png)
I commenced by extensively reviewing the pros and cons of our booking flow.
To provide my observations, I wanted to ensure it was not biased but grounded on good UX industry practices. Therefore, I followed the ten heuristic principles to assess the website's current state.
Accessibility was a massive part of my approach to the landing page and booking flow since it is customers' first impression about our company and sale proposition.
We needed to gain valuable insights into the market, identify our company's strengths and weaknesses, develop a compelling user experience, and increase conversion rates on our booking flow. Investigating our competitors would give us a superior and more strategic advantage in the marketplace.
Different considerations were taken into account:
-Where does our design stand in comparison to others?
-What gaps our current booking flow has?
-What are the strengths and weaknesses of our competitors?
-What are the advantages and disadvantages of their products?
-How can we improve our usability?
Multiple disciplines are used across each department, E.G., marketing, sales, product
As we expanded and changed internal tools, one of the challenges we faced was to keep all informed and educated about the possible routes pros (movers) could take within our app.
To assist H.Q., market managers, and any other professional in contact with those on the move, we needed a visual representation of many routes to be taken should any challenges arise. A blueprint could save us time on the action and help communication between different parties.
Aside from looking at metrics and determining strategic moves the company should take, getting honest customer feedback through usability tests could give us the customer perspective of things and find design and any other department flaws.
I utilized the Usertesting platform to filter participants and conduct my research. A few of the questions asked were:
-Could you please explain when you decided to look for a moving company, your approach, and the process of choosing a company? Also, how did you find us/them?
-Could you please explain to me, how was your experience when booking how did the experience go?
-Could you please explain how your XP was pre-moving, during, and after the move?
-Where do you see the future of the industry going?
-How was your online experience with us/them?
-What do you think should be the purpose of digital products in the moving industry?
-How should digital products function?
.png)
Based on previous findings and issues with accessibility, it was an excellent time to suggest an update on the existing style guide with a few modifications.Those would be discussed later on when the company revisits branding.
The marketing team works closely with the design team to structure the website and landing pages.
It is essential to keep in mind conversion yet a smooth experience for users so they can find the information needed about the moving process.
One of the projects the marketing team had in the pipeline was a cost calculator page where future customers could get educated about what to expect about pricing for a move.
Since it is a work in progress (WIP), I provided a possible solution for us to group all the information that the marketing team wanted to convey to those who landed on that page. Ultimately, my goal was to organize pleasantly regarding the UI aspect of it and keep our primary goal focused.
.png)
As a result of the UI Audit, the product team decided to explore other options with the booking flow (BF) to minimize the number of steps, providing a faster quote and reservation benefiting the user and the business expectations.
1.The current BF (Option B) provides the current flow:
2.Pick a date of the month screen
3.Pick a time of the day
4.Recommended pricing
5.Flex calendar with the options available
The problem might generate frustration for the user if the initial date and time selected are unavailable.
To avoid such circumstances, I removed steps one and two. In collaboration with the engineers, to affirm the possibility that we could still provide the recommended price based on other factors given by the customer, I was able to have steps 3 and 4 simply. Thus, making the BF process faster, more accurate, and less frustrating to the user.
.png)
Estimation is one of the biggest challenges moving companies face since several pieces come into play to get an accurate price.
One project in the pipeline for future quarters was the adoption of an intelligent estimation to improve the quote of moving based on several factors such as inventory, rooms, number of boxes, etc.
Here on the left, is a glimpse of the early stages of how that would be translated into the customer dashboard or booking flow.
.png)
Another challenge the business face is making sure when submitting availability, the pros (movers) stick with the hours they have previously offered to work for the upcoming weeks.
In conjunction with product managers, I started to come up with alternatives to explain to movers what the term "shift" means and how to differentiate it from other words such as "availability" and "job." We wanted to educate them about how claiming and removing from jobs would be affected should any personal matter intervene in the upcoming days. It is also essential to keep them aware of the jobs they are supposed to attend and the appointments they may or may not be participating in.
After exploring our options internally and communicating with the pros to get their feedback, we came up with three main flows that, in the end, had a clear winner, number 3.
.png)
Our pros (movers) are the extension and face of the company on the job. Because of that, we have to ensure they are not only delivering quality service but also being the mind of the customer's time since the end, they are responsible for paying and tipping them.
To avoid confusion with a clock in times and hold our pros accountable, Delta was established as a project to reinforce clock in times and convey that information to the customer so that they can keep track of all movers on board the job.
Additional designs needed to be made to the existing customer dashboard to connect all parties appropriately.
In the end, after several iterations with project managers and finally launching the update, we could see a significant increase in the pros' attendance and customer satisfaction.
.png)
As mentioned previously, retaining the workforce is as important as acquiring new customers.
Since this is a fast-paced business, we want to ensure pro's corners are being taken care of so they can continue to provide service as needed without having personal finances be a barrier.
Partnering w/Branchapp to make cashing out easy was a massive win for us. Now, pros with a current balance can cash out before 'payday' - no more waiting for their hard-earned money. This would guarantee instant payments after each job. Ultimately, attracting more employees with the perks of getting paid on day one.
Few iterations were made before the result at the bottom. Instead, different UI approaches were taken to make it easy to use.
.png)
Start-ups are fast-paced and ever-changing. As the demand and necessities of our customers and movers change daily, we must continuously learn how to address the challenges in front of us.
Ultimately, the long-term vision is to become the industry's reference and number one. Metrics are essential to understanding attitudinal data gathered from our products. However, hearing the user/customer voice and ensuring we continually excel will set us apart from competitors.
As a product designer, my concerns are not just with the user interacting with my products but also with the company goals. Therefore, I have to keep in mind business goals so we can all follow along on the same line and attending everyone's needs.
