Jesus Chaparro | PniMeet Case Study

Overview

A successful grassroots project in need of order.

Problem Statement

How can we design a project-management system that makes it easy for volunteers to create, track, and check the status of projects?

Background

PniMeet provides the space and tools for visitors to repair and maintain their bikes with the help of volunteers. Members have a 1-month limit to work on their project before it can be claimed by anyone else.

One stakeholder came across the concept of a bike kitchen in while traveling in France, and realized it could work in Tel-Aviv. Another launched and operated their first workshop from his parents' home. Eventually, they united both locations under the same organization.

Why now?

Inspiration came from an unlikely source... Covid-19 regulations! Israeli businesses were required to register all visitors for contact tracing purposes.

This put the gears of inspiration into motion: A similar system could be used to track projects ~ it could be the change to bring order to PniMeet! This is where I came in.

PniMeet’s Growing Pains

Pain Point

No easy way for volunteers to contact members.

Solution

Create an infrastructure that facilitates contact.

Result

Less phone tag and more time for volunteers to help around the workshop.

Pain Point

Abandoned projects taking up workshop space.

Solution

Result

A workshop flow that ensures everyone starts on the same page.

Pain Point

Few volunteers know how much time a project has left.

Solution

Automatically countdown a project’s remaining time.

Result

Eliminate the uncertainty and burden placed on a small number of volunteers.

Pain Point

Junior volunteers lack confidence to reclaim projects.

Solution

Notify members about the status of their project.

Result

Volunteers can confidently make choices when project owners fail to take action.

The Outcome

A project management system that integrates into PniMeet’s entire process to improve workshop efficiency, maintain member engagement, empower volunteers, and facilitate communication at critical junctions.

Research & Insights

Two locations, two cultures, one system.

To not assume the proposed design was the automatically-correct-solution, I approached research with a focus on:

Needs & Pains

of stakeholders, volunteers, and members.

What information

is available to volunteers and members?

Competition

How are other bike kitchens solving similar issues?

Interviews and hands-on immersion

They may share the same name, but the Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem workshops function quite differently.

I needed to understand the needs and goals at an organization and workshop level. I interviewed stakeholders to learn about their history with PniMeet and to set alignment for the project. I also interviewed and shadowed five volunteers, spoke with as many members as possible, and even took the opportunity to work on my bike to get a sense of the PniMeet experience!

I learned that:

Stakeholders

Want to bring order to the shop

Automatically tracking projects and making owner details accessible would free up valuable space and time.

Need to attribute projects to people

Always having contact info easily available will help all volunteers manage the workshop.

Opportunity for retention & growth

TLV wants to foster greater member involvement as they aim to expand to new locations.

Want to be a well-organized resource

JLM is a bit more focused on getting their operation running as seamlessly as possible.

Volunteers

Feel the burden is not even

The responsibility of making decisions to reclaim projects falls to a few senior volunteers.

Are outnumbered

With so many visitors in the shop, there’s hardly any time to stay on top of inactive projects.

Find it awkward to check membership

Some visitors never register, start working and never return. But it’s awkward to ask if they're an active member.

Feel the basics take the most time

A disproportionate amount of time is spent helping with basic maintenance and repairs.

Members

Choosing the right bike is key

Unexpected difficulties = more visits, this made members want to switch or abandon their project altogether.

Help! What’s the right tool?!

The most-cited frustration from new members is not knowing how to progress and what tool to use for the job.

Members help other members

Volunteers are always busy, so members frequently step in to help each other with common problems.

Word of mouth brings people in

Every single member said they heard of PniMeet through a friend or network. No one found them through their website.

Heuristic and competitive analysis

PniMeet’s website is good starting point, but it lacked detailed info about the project process, choosing the right bike, and time limits.

I wanted to challenge the assumption that a tracking system was the way to go, and to further empathize with a first-time visitor. I analyzed PniMeet’s website and socials presence to see what info is available outside of the shop, and to explored how other bike kitchens might be solving similar issues.

Here’s how PniMeet stacked up:

Membership Cost

It was clear that there’s a cost to join the workshop.

Offers scheduling

No other kitchen offered scheduling options.

Tutorial videos

covering a range of basic-advanced bike maintenance.

Low incentive

to re-visit website. Members use WIX app to book visits.

Limited info

on how to choose the right bike or about time limits.

Call for volunteers

but only a short blurb, no details about volunteering.

Takeaways:

PniMeet was doing as good, or better relative to other kitchens. Though they could definitely improve by adding some key project and volunteer info, the fact that most visitors came by word of mouth reinforced that the problem wouldn’t be solved with a website revamp.

Key insights

With research complete and key takeaways in hand, I defined success metrics for the project.

I compiled all my research findings into a document which I shared with the stakeholders before proceeding to synthesis & design.

The system must:

Streamline the process

Allow volunteers to create new project sand associate it with an active member’s account.

Save volunteers time

Project status is automatically tracked and alerts volunteers and project-owners when action is needed.

Empower all volunteers

Use a unique ID to quickly check a project’s status, and provide contact info and history at-a-glance.

To succeed, it should:

Be easy to learn

All volunteers can access full project information and easily create, track, and manage projects with clear actions and exit/undo options.

Be integral and useful

An over/under-designed tool will not be helpful enough to bother using, or too complex and involved to use in a busy environment.

Be accessible

A design that is accessible across devices. Access to critical information will empower confident and informed decisions.

Synthesis & Strategy

Crafting a shared vision

Before putting pen to paper, or mouse to Figma, we all needed to be united under a shared north-star vision.

Task flows

I used task flows of key steps to secure stakeholder buy-in to great success!

The task flows represented key steps throughout the entire project process.

After drafting the initial versions, I organized a Zoom session to review and refine the flows with the stakeholders. There was a lot of positive buy-in and the JLM team started to see the value in how the system could do much more than link a member’s details to a project!

Volunteer Journey Map

Defining the volunteer journey clarified how the system would integrate into the project process.

I chose not to create separate personas because a successful project depends on a well defined process, rather than the needs of a specific individual.

Putting together a journey map using interviews and day-in-the-life study insights painted a clearer picture of how the system could be integrated throughout the entire process. It helped determine features at different touchpoints throughout the system.

Key Insights

What are the key areas to address in design to drive PniMeet’s success?

Flows helped nail-down the nitty-gritty, the volunteer journey tied it all together. To successfully tie together the digital and physical sides of the PniMeet process I needed to keep these points in mind as I designed.

A well-established flow

will ensure all projects are managed at all stages. Regardless if you’re a first-timer or longtime member.

Notification and tracking

Volunteers are busy, people are forgetful. Automation will ease the burden and share the responsibility.

Include sign-up & payment

as part of the new project process. No more ghost members, no untracked projects = success!

Choosing the right bike

can make or break a project. How can the system create space to discuss a project and its potential challenges?

Concept & Design

Designing a shared system

Touchpoints

Where and how will the system be used?

The design would have to be responsive across all devices to be accessible and flexible for future development. A physical touchpoint would be the bikes tagged after they are in the system.

Ideation & Wireframes

Mapping the physical and digital flows.

The volunteer journey helped me ideate by breaking down the process into manageable moments. I began with a mobile-first approach to ensure all relevant information could fit on the smallest of screens.

Hi-Fidelity Design

These are some of the key moments a volunteer would encounter:

From initial sketches to Hi-Fi, I put a lot of effort into displaying the most relevant info in across all screens while making the deep-details easily accessible. By working in moments in the volunteer journey, I could easily define what info was relevant at any given stage.

Dashboard & Project Listings

What has top priority?

Volunteers will save time by having projects that need the most attention at the forefront, with cards that feature project status info at-a-glance.

Starting a New Project

Unaccounted-for projects are a thing of the past.

In order to start a new project, the owner must have an active membership. From there, they can add a picture and description of the bike. Once connected it to their account their contact info is always within reach!

Reclaiming an Expired Project

Projects will expire, but the inner conflict is gone.

A volunteer can rest easy knowing that there have been multiple attempts to reach the owner with no response. They no longer have to feel doubtful or guilty to reclaim a project.

Completing a Project

What it’s all about!

Volunteers can easily find a project using its ID or the member’s info. From there, it’s easy to mark a project as complete. Only thing left to do is to celebrate!

Visual System

A system that can continue to grow with PniMeet.

PniMeet did not require a branding overhaul as they already had an existing logo, font, and color palette. I worked within that and added a few colors to denote project states and hierarchy within the design.

The result is a straight-forward design system that gives them a foundation to build on as their organizational needs and aspirations grow.

Usability & Iteration

Rubber meets the road.

I conducted moderated usability testing with 5 PniMeet volunteers. Since I constructed my design around their journey, it was important to put the key moments to the test.

The test covered:

Starting and registering a new project
Checking the status of a project
Reclaiming an expired project
Completing a project

Successes

The system was well mapped and increased volunteer confidence.

The positive response and palpable excitement from volunteers told me that I was achieving the success-metrics of being easy to learn and useful!

5/5

Volunteers felt confident

when asked if they would be OK to reclaim a project if the situation called for it or reach out to a member if necessary.

80%

First-try task success rate

The system was well mapped to the real-world tasks. A majority of volunteers intuitively knew where to look for the information they needed.

4/5

Volunteers felt well informed

They felt they information presented gave them a good overview on a project. If they needed specifics they could easily dive-in.

" It's easy to assume what I'm seeing because it wasn’t complicated and [makes sense to my job] as a volunteer. "

" If I’m nice, then I’ll call this guy. If I’m not, then I’ll take [the bike] back to the showroom! "

" [It's] barebones in a good way.
I feel like there are no extra features that I need to ignore or are bothersome. It feels very intuitive "

Improvements

Account and project information needed slight revamps to be utilized to the max.

I used an impact/doability matrix to get an idea of what revisions were out of scope, and which would need discussion with the stakeholders. It was clear that the main areas for improvement in the system were related to how volunteers search for, add, and access information about projects.

We met up once again to discuss the results and to be on the same page on the road to the final version.

Accounts

Accounts should be more than just a name attached to a project.

My first iteration was not taking advantage of the connection between member accounts and projects in some helpful ways.
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Here's what changed:

Volunteers can now use member details instead of a confirmation number to connect an account to a project.
Designed a member-activity card with detailed interaction history to aid volunteers in their decision making.
Added a master-pause feature to pause all projects during holidays, observances, and special circumstances.

Project Status & Details

Project info is helpful, but its current potential is limited.

User testing helped me realized that there were some limitations and inconsistencies in project details, status icons, and project tracking that could lead to mix-ups and frustration.
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Here's what changed:

Added frame, brand, and color dropdown options to the project description to improve project cataloging and searching.
Added status icons for all project states and kept them in a consistent location.
Added icons for other relevant info to results cards. (Examples shown: member message, current number of extensions given.)
Created a progress checklist that is filled out in the new project flow and updated as a member progresses on their project.

Filter & Sort

What will it look like to sort through hundreds of projects?!

Multiple volunteers wanted to interact with the filter button. They wanted to know how they'd be able to sort through hundreds of projects. The first iteration only provided results in numerical order, so it felt important to iron that out before handoff.

Here's what changed:

Filter button was moved to a more prominent location.
Added sort results capability.
Designed and added a filter-drawer screen.
Sort dropdown design.

Completing a Project

A cause for celebration!

Volunteers are passionate and dedicated, progress and celebration are important markers of their hard work. I felt that the design should reflect and celebrate this wherever possible.

Here's what changed:

Added project completion stats to the home-screen card, this will become especially relevant as PniMeet expands and opens more workshops!
Volunteers often share completed projects on the PniMeet WhatsApp. An animation and prompt were added to encourage this as part of the flow.

Outcome & future Roadmap

Order has been brought to the shop. What’s next?

I designed a system to help PniMeet bring order to their current and future workshops. By mapping it closely to the experience of volunteers, it can be learned quickly, intuitively, and save them valuable time while helping to maintain order in the workshop.

Impact

What business opportunities does the project bring to PniMeet?

Management & Integration

By being a part of the flow from the start, the amount of unknown and unclaimed projects will drop and volunteers will stop using valuable time to play phone-tag.

Confidence

Stakeholders and Volunteers can make decisions about projects with confidence now that all of the necessary details are within access.

Expansion and Growth

PniMeet is expanding - with regular pop-ups and a third location coming soon! As they grow the management system will be there to support their future projects.

Handoff & Future Roadmap

After finalizing revisions and cleaning up my design files, it was time to hand off the project!

I meet with a stakeholder and the developer to hand off final screens, answer any questions the developer may have, and to establish contact for the future.
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Here's where I see the project going post-MVP:

Member-facing interfaces

Volunteers were top-priority, but stakeholders and volunteers envisioned a way for members to check themselves in and manage their project. Designing this could round-out the full experience.

Build out and integrate analytics

PniMeet could use data to plan workshops, learn what members have difficulty with, or even what workshops are most popular. As an NGO this data could also prove invaluable in securing additional grants.

My Learnings & Challenges

It was important to challenge assumptions throughout, but what would I change?

From the start, I wanted to be sure that designing this system was the best design direction. From there I had to navigate differing stakeholder ideas and distill it all into the most effective design within our limited time-frame. When designing, the big challenges were designing effective ways to denote time, and determining how to display key project info.

Here’s what I’d add or do different if the project were to continue:

Beware of feature creep

I took on quite a bit for a short-term project. I need to practice distilling to key MVP features not just for my sanity, but to also so development can happen fast.

Don’t break expected patterns

User testing reinforced how much (intentional or intuitive) attention users pay to the small details, especially when they stand out for the wrong reasons.

Improve Figma management

Component variant properties are a godsend, but after a certain point my Figma became a hellscape of screens, variants, and components... gotta keep it clean!