Remote Mangement
Creating Tenant Inc. First Mobile Application from Start to Finish (For Now)
Design Systems
User Research
Product Thinking
User Research
Project Summary
A task-based mobile management app made for self storage facility managers who need to complete certain parts of their job outside of the office. This application was developed to cater to the rise of remote property managers who need to move from one property to another to complete tasks, often in locations like basements where cell service is unavailable.
Creating Tenant Inc.’s
first mobile application
From Research To Market.
Business & Tech
Main objectives for the project:
Create a mobile version of our desktop task center to enable property managers to complete remote tasks.
Align the visual style of this new product to that of the company’s current design language and follow the company’s goals and principles.
Develop a scalable and agile design system.
Beyond User Flows
The biggest challenge was the lack of corporate knowledge within the company for mobile design since the app was the first for Tenant Inc.
Problems such as picking a code framework, or choosing a way to distribute this product (As an enterprise app or through a marketplace like Apple or Google).
Research
Competitive Analysis
I created and shared this Figma file as a document to organize myself for research purposes, it was a clear method for me to organize my thoughts and ideas. As shown in the file, I broke it down into sections:
• Summary of the project
• Resources with links
• Questions
• Research of competing applications
I made this accessible to other designers for them to use as a template for their research and documentation.
View Research Document
Design - Main Exploration
With the basic flows outlined, I started putting ideas on the page and started iterating
Using our current design system and Google’s material design, I began with the main functions. The app has two main screens: the task center and the task completion screen, each with its own features. By the end, I added designs to make the app more cohesive, including empty states, error handling, loading animations, & splash screen.
Completing Task
information gathering in one single step/screen
Completing Task
Image emphasis and online posting experience
Task Center
Initial concept using current design system components
Task Center
Exploring navigation and new possible components
Mini Tenant Profile
This serves as quick information for
the facility managers to reference
Task Status
Managers can change the statuses of the task to complete, to-do, or archive. Managers can also view who assigned the task, created it, and who completed it.
Accordions
The accordion is where all the storage unit’s information would be inputted. Photos of the content inside, descriptions, and categories / keywords are all necessary to create an auction listing.
Desing - Final Designs
Completing A Task
I designed the task completion process to be quick and easy. When a user taps on a task, they see important details right away, like the tenant's name and unit number. Below that, I organized all the steps into dropdown menus, similar to our desktop version. To finish, the manager opens the "To Do" dropdown and marks the task as done.
Design - Final Designs
Task Center
This design works well because it's very similar to our desktop version. This means our users can quickly learn how to use it and finish tasks fast. This has to do with the fact that I kept the information hierarchy the same to what our users are familiar with.
Top Navigation
I used the same green header as we have in the desktop version to give the same experience to our users and know where to locate the current property.
Filter & Sorting
Clicking on Today’s Task will give the user the option to view today’s, past due, and tomorrows tasks. The icon on the left can sort and filter by oldest or latest task and by task category.
Task Categories
Focused view of these type of tasks.
Task Cards
These cards follow our desktop email communication pattern with a title at the top, short description, and some important information about the tenant.
All Comes Together
Lastly, we just needed to submit our build to Apple to get it into the App Store before our deadline that coincided with an important trade show.
By the end of development, we created a mobile design system and a strong foundation for future growth.
Application
Design System
The Launch
The App Store
I created some visuals to help our audience understand the problem our app is solving and to convey its overall look and feel. We worked with Apple’s guidelines and got our app into the store right on time, ready for users to explore.
Project Reflection
I gained a deeper understanding of UX as it pertains to mobile design and bringing those efforts to market. Working closely with different departments sharpened my UX and Product mentality, while tying all this back to the company’s business goals.
