Research

The project originated from a realization of a prevalent need in my surroundings. The experience of working remotely for a year highlighted how isolating it can be.

In an attempt to alleviate this, my fellow remote-working friends and I would meet at cafes to work together. However, we encountered challenges in finding suitable workspaces that didn't impose time limits. Through discussions with my friends and other remote workers, I discovered that being in the company of others can enhance productivity. This piqued my curiosity, leading me to conduct further research on the topic.

According to Canadian surveys, a significant percentage of working Canadians have shifted to remote work arrangements. Specifically, 16.8% of Canadians reported working fully remote, while 8.6% indicated that they worked remotely for some days.

Studies have demonstrated that the environment in which you work can greatly affect your productivity. Additionally, research has found that working in proximity to others can have a positive impact on your ability to be productive.

User Interviews

In order to get to the heart of the painpoints, motivation, and behaviours of my user group, I conducted interviews with a specific group of individuals who met the participant criteria outlined below.

• Millennial (aged 25-45)
• Must be working or studying remotely

In analyzing the interview finding through the affinity mapping process, I found 3 strong themes and insights.

KEY THEME: LONELINESS & ISOLATION
Working remotely can become lonely and isolating with the lack of in person human connection and camaraderie.

KEY THEME: NOT KNOWING WHERE TO GO
It takes time and energy to find out what cafes will meet my remote work needs (ie. wifi connection, noise levels, prices, busyness, overall aesthetic).

KEY THEME: WORKING WITH OTHERS
Working with others can be energizing and inspiring, and can have a positive and inspiring impact on our mood.

Design Challenge

Discovering these themes led me to my design challenge.

How might we create a space for remote workers to connect and find spaces to work together in order to decrease feelings of isolation when working remotely?

My persona was a combination of all my research findings.

Competitive Analysis

It was really helpful to do a competitive analysis so I could understand how this problem space was currently being solved and where the gaps were.

Overall, each of these sites targets a unique aspect of the remote work ecosystem. From physical coworking spaces and remote-friendly locations to virtual coworking communities with daily coworking sessions and events, these platforms offer a variety of solutions for remote workers.

However, there seems to be a gap in the market for a comprehensive solution that not only provides physical space recommendations and networking opportunities but also fosters a sense of community among remote workers.

User Flows

Based the needs of my personas and the user storied I developed, I mapped out 2 core user flows.

The user can now feel inspired and encouraged to venture out to a cafe, library, or other type of work space knowing that it will meet their needs as a remote worker.

As this stage, the user can choose to invite a friend(s) to work remotely with them at the chosen location if they would like.

Ideation

For inspiration, I focused on clean and minimal design, especially knowing that images of various workspaces would be a focus on the app.

Final Sketches

Testing

After developing my first prototype, I conducted a 3 rounds of user testing. This helped me see how users naturally would interact with the application and identify any usability issues. Below are some of the changes I made.

Final Screens

The objective of the final solution was to address the desire for a sense of community among the target user group while also serving as a reliable resource for discovering inspiring and trustworthy remote workspaces.

Prototype

Next Steps

Due to the time constraints, there was a lot we couldn’t get to. Here are some of the next steps we’d want to take:

• More usability testing - to make sure everything works as intended within the prototype.
• Incorporating a CoWork rating and ranking system - this was an idea that came up during the usability testing. Setting up a ranking system specifically for CoWork users would be a great way to establish a clearer rating system among user and could be what drives user growth.

Key Learnings

I learned a lot through this project but here are the main takeaways:

• Remote work isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It will continue to become the new normal, especially for tech companies. Creating a space to support remote workers and combat loneliness and isolation is key.
• Time Blocking - When working with tight deadlines, time blocking is vital. I used the pomodoro method for a lot of this project to help keep me focused and on track. This was a self-led project, which allowed me to also work as project manager.