Project Overview
Helping folks in Saskatoon find washrooms, heated spaces, and feminine hygiene products :) Our team won 2nd place and $500.
Role
I designed the app prototype for our project
Team
Nacim Khelifi, Kamal Zrein
Duration
36 hours. It was intense 😱
Problem
We partnered with Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership to solve :
"How might we create a barrier-free (24/7/365) public washroom system service model in Saskatoon, addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals 10: Reduced Inequalities?"
Discovery and Game-plan
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1. Exploring the problem space
We did not want to jump right in and start designing infrastructure without understanding the background and real issues people face.
2. Designing a space that serves all
Although, it is hard to design something that pleases everyone, we wanted to design something that served the most, especially people in need.
3. Setting realistic goals
We were in a time crunch. It would be unrealistic to try and build a utopian model. But we would acknowledge the constraints we build with.
Concerns
My biggest concern was we wouldn't have time/ resources to research users for our product but luckily our partner from SPRP had tons of surveys and research we could use.
Research
Stakeholder Interview
Exploring the problem space through stakeholder interview
We sat down with Colleen the evening of the first 24 hours and asked her what problems were faced by the people of Saskatoon in finding washrooms since she had tons of experience working towards this goal with people in need.
Key Findings
Key themes through user research
Using the data she provided as well as listening to her explain some problems we compiled key themes that we should prioritize
Safety
Drug use was a big problem for safety and hygiene, since people would overdose and others did not feel comfortable using the washrooms
Inclusivity
We wanted the public spaces to be inclusive of people without homes, so they have a space to warm and clean themselves
Cleanliness
We wanted others to find the washroom accessible, no one likes dirty washrooms
Winter City Design
There are hardly any heating spaces for people in a city with extreme winter temperatures
Ideate
I decided to make a Notion board (AGAIN), I just love Notion.
During this time we wrote down a LOT of Pros and Cons, feature considerations, research findings and problems so if you want to read more, you can do so Here ⇗
So, anyways we decided to split the tasks.
My teammates worked on the 3-d Model and a to-scale diagram for the washrooms while I designed the app.
Functional Requirements
Our Target Demographic was people who had access to cell-phones and the internet.
For people who did not have access, we proposed wayfinding systems/ maps for washrooms around the city, especially in the most needed areas.
We would do this according to the Public washroom survey report of 2021 by SPRP by placing these in the high-priority/ busiest areas.
We came up with user stories to decide on features.
As a user, I want to
Find washrooms around me by distance. 📍
Be able to view washrooms around me quickly. 🏃
Warm-up space near me. 🌡️
See ratings for washrooms around me. ⭐
Find menstrual products near me. 👩⚕️
Find gender-neutral/ universal washrooms. 🏳️🌈
Report an issue. 🚩
Request a new washroom in my area. 🗺️
Solution
Designed to find washrooms in a rush
Nobody wants to sign-up/ log-in when they are looking for a washroom in a rush.
The simple onboarding just has privacy policy and location settings
Quick filters to sort by availability, heating spaces and menstrual products
Request a new washroom / Report an issue
Maintaining washrooms is key after they get built, what's a better way to learn than letting the users tell us?
Take pictures in-app to pin-point the problems better
View washroom features in one glance
View ratings, distance and washroom features when you click on a location
Next steps
Now that the hackathon is over, I’d like to test the existing features and implement some more based on user research
Priority of features people want to see for a washroom
I want to research, which features are the most important when looking for a washroom and improve the existing iconography.
Information Architecture, so people can report / rate easily
I am not sure if the placement or wording of Report is intuitive enough
Overall this was a pretty rewarding project to work on! It'd be great to see our work implemented in the city some day :)
You're a star! 🌟 Thank you for reading my case study.
You can check out my other work here :)