Homely • Oct 2021
Designflows
This was a competition brief that had to be completed in a weekend.
I got access to the brief at 7pm on Friday and had to submit high-fidelity mocks by Monday at 9am.
Role: Sole UX designer
Skills: UX/UI, User Research, App icon design
Overview
The brief requested a new mobile app to be designed to allow a user to hire a toolkit from a location nearby for a specific DIY task.
For example: I need to put some shelves up, so I open the app and find a nearby location to pick up the right tools.
The brief specified 3 screens that required designing:
• Toolkit rental — including a search bar
• My rentals — manage and track bookings
• How it works — instructions on how to collect a toolkit
As well as an app icon and a presentation poster.
Plan of action
There was a lot to do and not much time to do it. I spent Friday evening reading the brief multiple times, printed it off and highlighted the key points.
Once I had a clear picture of what was needed, I made a to-do list. Having it written down helped me work through the weekend methodically and make sure nothing got missed.
Competitor research
With no time for traditional user research, I focused on competitor analysis. It's not my usual approach, but given the deadline it made the most sense.
I started with large DIY retailers like IKEA and B&Q, then looked at hire services like Uber, and then collection and delivery apps like Deliveroo. Looking at their apps helped me understand common UI patterns, what worked well, and where there was room to do something better.
Brand identity
I spent some time establishing a brand identity for the project. Having that in place meant I could build a simple pattern library and move much faster once I got into the actual design.
I focused mainly on colour palette and typography — simple, but with a bit of character.
Initial ideas
With a basic pattern library in place, I started sketching.
I ended up mapping out a full user flow even though I only needed to design a couple of screens. It cost me some time, but it surfaced details I wouldn't have caught otherwise.
I began with very rough sketches — quick enough to try lots of ideas, easy to throw away if they weren't working.
By Saturday evening I had a sketch I was happy to work from. I took a break and picked it back up the next morning.
Mockups
Sunday morning I got an early start and spent most of the day on the hi-fidelity mocks. Even though I wasn't building the full app, I wanted to design it in a way that could be extended later without things falling apart.
App icon
The app icon was the last big piece, and honestly the one I found hardest. I hadn't designed one before, so there was a learning curve just getting the basics right — correct dimensions, what actually makes an icon readable at small sizes.
I went through a lot of iterations. Eventually I settled on a simple icon using the app's colour palette to keep things consistent.
Icon decision
After running through many iterations I settled on this. The reasons:
• Unique — some earlier ideas felt too close to existing brands. I wanted something that belonged to this project.
• Negative space — the house shape in the negative space hints at what the app does. It could also read as an upward arrow, suggesting 'upgrading' your home.
• Simplicity — minimal colour and iconography. Clean and easy to read at any size.
Outcome
Overall, happy with how it came out — though I wish I'd had more time.
I would have spent more time on research if I could. A better look at the competitor landscape and some user interviews would have improved the end result. The colour palette and framework could also have been more refined, though that might have been a stretch given the timeline.
Final thoughts
The competition was fun. I'll be keeping an eye out for it again. In the meantime, I'll take the judges' feedback on board and maybe come back to this one to see if I can push the result further.
