Homeo
Homeo
Designing a transparent mobile maintenance tracking experience
Embedded Files
Homeo is a mobile maintenance app designed for a centralized and seamless communication experience between students, housing staff, and maintenance teams to efficiently report, manage, and respond to malfunctions within the housing.
My role:
User Interviews, Surveys, Prior Artifact Research, Information Architecture, Prototyping, Wireframing, Project Management
Client:
Major University
Tools:
Figma, Miro, Google Jamboard, Google Forms
Team:
Nia Pugh (Prototype 1)
Troyan Chaney
Project Mandate
Project Mandate
Design a prototype for a digital service that handles the campus maintenance process between students, housing, and maintenance staff.
Research and Analysis
Research and Analysis
What truly stands between students and a resolved maintenance issue?
What truly stands between students and a resolved maintenance issue?
My co-designer and I surveyed 31 student residents from the ages of 18-23 to better understand the challenges they face when reporting maintenance issues in university housing.
53% of our participants have previously or currently experienced issues in university housing, indicating that experiencing malfunctions in housing is fairly common. We identified main four pain points:
Pain Point #1
Residents want building improvements overall
"I don't need a five star hotel, I just don't want to live in an apartment with stuff that doesn't work."
Pain Point #2
Students want more control over the process
"I hate not knowing when maintenance will show up. I have classes and work—I need to be able to plan around it."
Pain Point #3
Students are tired of reporting the same issues
“My window keeps falling out of the frame literally onto me. I have contacted PMI multiple times.”
Pain Point #4
Poor communication with maintenance
"I put in a maintenance request weeks ago, and I still haven't heard anything back. I don’t even know if they saw it."
Problem Statement
Problem Statement
Defining Resident Needs
Defining Resident Needs
We audited the existing maintenance request process and found major gaps: the SharePoint form lacked tracking functionality, provided no notifications, and offered no way to reassess repairs. These issues left students feeling unheard and uncertain. We reframed these gaps into resident needs. With these needs in mind, we identified the essential features that had to be present in our solution's Minimum Value Product (MVP).
By prioritizing these core features, Homeo’s MVP would immediately address the biggest student frustrations, laying the foundation for a more transparent and efficient maintenance reporting experience.
Ideation
Ideation
Designing the MVP
Designing the MVP
To create impact within the university's existing infrastructure, we initially leveraged Microsoft Bookings.
The software is predictable
Work orders became appointment-style bookings, allowing students to choose from maintenance staff's available time slots for a structured, reliable process.
We integrated accountability
A follow-up option let students flag unresolved repairs, ensuring timely feedback.
We added a supplement feature to ensure real-time tracking
Email notifications and tracking webpage provided real-time updates, keeping students informed at every stage.
The Pivot: From Client Feedback to a More Holistic System
The Pivot: From Client Feedback to a More Holistic System
This client feedback was a turning point. It confirmed that while the initial MVP made reporting easier, however, it still seemed to be a disjointed experience.
As I refined the design to address these gaps, I brought in three housing staff members to understand their perspective. These insights completely reframed my approach.
Prior Art Review: Learning from Existing Systems
Prior Art Review: Learning from Existing Systems
To determine how best to structure and visualize features in this product, I conducted a prior art review focusing on mobile resident applications. I analyzed 10 existing maintenance reporting systems and narrowed them down to three applications that closely aligned with our design criteria:
City Maintenance Websites
Apartment Management Platforms
Virtual Collaboration Tools
Key Takeaway: A Strategic Approach to Feature Prioritization
Key Takeaway: A Strategic Approach to Feature Prioritization
This review clarified how to prioritize primary, secondary, and tertiary features for the redesigned system:
Design
Design
Sketches
Sketches
I translated the prioritized features into rough pen-and-paper sketches to visualize the interface quickly. From there, I refined the sketches into a structured user flow.
User Flow
User Flow
Once I had a sense of the core functions of the app, I mapped out the user flow and developed mid-fidelity wireframes in Figma. Using grayscale allowed me to focus on usability before considering colors and branding.
Mid fidelity Mockups
Mid fidelity Mockups
Test
Test
Feedback and Iteration
Feedback and Iteration
I collected feedback on my mid-fidelity wireframes from both residents again, ensuring my design choices were solid before moving on to color. Using their critiques and suggestions, I revised my designs, as displayed below.
USABILITY TEST INSIGHTS
❌ The form is too small and not strategically placed.
User wanted easier access to the form button, with it bit being larger and in better line of sight.
❌ The current information architecture did no relay full reporting capabilities
The students where would their emergency work orders be tracked.
IMPROVEMENTS
✅ Request form is larger and more accessible
Moving the form from the navigation to the dashboard made me more intentional with the bottom nav.
✅ Various work order types and categories
The students can now request maintenance to be performed in their units, the building itself, and their emergency malfunctions.
USABILITY TEST INSIGHTS
❌ Open text field increase opportunities for failure.
Students still wanted to file reports as quick as they can, which caused them sacrifice details for brevity.
IMPROVEMENTS
✅ Dropdown menu
Users can use prewritten responses in a standardized format while including additional details. Account details like room number and building are stored and added to the form automatic for less data entry.
✅Review screen before submission
Students have the ability to review the work order before submitting and add their roommates to track as well.
Final Prototype
Final Prototype
Smart Work Order Tracking 📍
Homeo keeps users informed with real-time updates on maintenance requests. The Progress Timeline provides status updates and ETAs, while the Quick Chat feature allows direct communication with housing support for urgent issues.
Effortless Issue Reporting 🛠️
Submitting maintenance requests is seamless with Homeo’s standardized request form. Users can select an issue type, attach photos for clarity, and submit requests in the right location for quicker resolution.
Proactive Notifications 🔔
Never miss an update with push notifications and announcements for emergency alerts, scheduled maintenance, and work order status changes—ensuring residents stay informed without needing to check the app constantly.
Next Steps
Next Steps
My next step is to test, refine, and integrate the housing staff and maintenance sections. I’ll conduct targeted usability sessions to ensure these features streamline work order sorting and emergency prioritization. I’m also exploring enhancements that clearly highlight changes in maintenance requests—showing updates and revisions side-by-side for improved clarity. Once the design system is finalized, I’ll hand it off to development for to launch.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse