INTERNET BOOKING ENGINE FOR m-COMMERCE APP | 2017

 

Goodbox App, the flagship product of Tsepak Technologies, help users connect and chat with businesses directly for various services .

Businesses can create their own mini app within minutes, through which consumers can directly avail services. Businesses can then edit and manage their mini app with Goodbox Partner App.

‘ enabling commerce over chat ‘

 

PROJECT BRIEF

Identify potential businesses/services that require a booking provision for the users to avail the respective services.   ( The services would be partnered with Goodbox )

My Role @ Goodbox  |  Duration – 6 months

As a UX Intern I had to understand the requirements of businesses and customers, articulating a structure for internet booking engine which seamlessly merges with the current guidelines and flow of Goodbox App, thus adding to the Goodbox App business.

You can find the Goodbox Mega App here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.goodbox&hl=en

 

Project Impact

The project on a whole was a crucial entity in the company’s efforts expand their business verticals . In the process we were able to create a channel through which the business/services would have their own platform to connect to their customers, without any maintenance or hassle.

 


My Design Process :     Research    >    Define    >    Ideate    >    Create & Deliver

 

 

> Research – Secondary

Before forming a certain path for a particular approach it was necessary to be familiar with customer booking process.

Understanding the subject :

I did an extensive literary study on booking engines to kick start the project.

The majority of the study dealt understanding the role, drawbacks and the constituents of an ideal IBE. 

( shown below is the generic task flow of an IBE )

IBE Task Model

*Task Model Courtesy: Different Types of Patterns for Online Booking Engines

Studying & understanding how each IBE is different :

The IBE structure has tweaks adapted according to the business it represents. Below are different websites with booking engines which I studied.


Below are common patterns I observed after a website having booking facilities are opened up :

 

A detail study of what each page of an booking engine has to offer till the user makes a Payment. (Below shown are Booking of hotel/rooms & Booking transport)


The insights that I got from the secondary research was used to form the hypothesis.

Hypothesis:

Booking Engine structure if adapted to suitable business segments on the Goodbox Mega App, will help the users as well as the partners to book timings/appointments/slots easily.

From a business point of view the App will have many other businesses connecting to it, helping it grow.

Based on the hypothesis the list of segments of businesses that was chalked down.

List of business

 

The choice of the segments was based upon :

  1. Span a segment covers
  2. Striking difference in segments
  3. Priority of a particular segment

The more the span of businesses in the segments, the more adaptable, flexible and credible will be the structure of the Booking Engines.

Chosen Segments/Verticals 

  1. Tutors
  2. Salons & Spa
  3. Homestay

 

Primary Research – Empathizing with the users

(Here I am elaborating only the work that went behind the booking engine of Salons)

Based on hypothesis and the segments chosen a list of questions was made for Primary research.

Personal interviews were taken studying the business, their owners & managers, their problems, reactions, expressions.

These observations were put down into a table (shown below is an excerpt)

Salons & Spas:

salon primary data

Based on the interviews I got few insights from the owners/managers:
  • They want to achieve perfection in their work which consumes a lot of time which disappoints other clients who have to wait
  • Sometimes the availability (time) of the stylist & customers do not match
  • Website doesn’t work for them
  • The online system which they are currently using to manage their salon is a bit advanced and complex
  • They feel pleased to see customers returning to them for other services

 

>  Synthesis – defining the users & their problems

Depending on the insights persona mapping was carried out:

Building the core structure :

Task Analysis :
The existing task flow of the App was laid down initially.

One should be well aware about the existing structure before building or adding anything new to it. Keeping this in mind a task flow was made of the App.

Studying the task flow of the App helped me understand the small tweaks that existed in different business verticals.

A generic task flow was laid:

(shown below is an excerpt from task flows made in Axure RP)

Based on the persona changes were made to the task flow for the 3 business verticals :

Shown below is the task flow for booking Salons :

 

Wire-frames :

Based on the task flows basic wire-frames were put down on the paper

 

Improvising from the sketchy wire-frames, High fidelity wire-frames were created.
(shown below are wire-frames made in Axure RP)

 

UI Design – Key Screens :

Consumer App:

 

Partner App:

Icons depicting major categories of the Consumer App were also designed keeping in mind the visual language.
(done using Adobe Illustrator)

other

Other Deliverables :

1) Order Tracking Dashboard was redesigned to track the status of the orders placed on Goodbox App.

 

2) Brochure made for the business partners to convey the functioning of the Partner App & its connection with the Consumer App.

( shown below are the final designs )

 

 

3) Infographic/mailers explaining how Goodbox is different from any other m-commerce Apps.

( shown below is one of them )

 

 

 

— Thanks for your time —