The Challenge
Because the Nerdery is a large software development company with 31 conference rooms and two buildings; How might we make scheduling meetings less frustrating for employees?
The Solution
A mobile first web app which compliments Google Calendar by enabling employees to locate the nearest conference room with the appropriate amenities.
The Design Process
Competitive Analysis Reveals a Booming Market
The first step is to look at other conference room scheduling apps on the market and compare features. What I found was that they were generally responsive web applications which offered event creation, meeting reminders, room details, and they sync with G-suite and iCal. Additionally some allowed users to exchange money and provide turn-by-turn internal navigation using Bluetooth LE.
Interviews Reveal Frustration
The next step was to interview 6 employees about the room booking process. With over thirty conference rooms which vary greatly in size and amenities, employees describe the process of scheduling meetings frustrating. Too often they book rooms which are the:
The Typical Journey Includes "Back and Forth":
A team lead books a room a week in advance. Thirty minutes before the meeting starts they go to the room to prepare only to find the room isn't big enough or there is broken equipment. Then they need to run back to their desk, because they use the desktop Google Calendar system, and search for an available room. Then they need to inform everyone of the changes. Often the only available rooms might be in a separate building. Then they worry about people going to the wrong room and put up a paper sign to notify the change.
Key Takeaways From Interviews:
- incorrect size
- in the wrong building
- hard to locate
- missing necessary amenities
- in disrepair
The Typical Journey Includes "Back and Forth":
A team lead books a room a week in advance. Thirty minutes before the meeting starts they go to the room to prepare only to find the room isn't big enough or there is broken equipment. Then they need to run back to their desk, because they use the desktop Google Calendar system, and search for an available room. Then they need to inform everyone of the changes. Often the only available rooms might be in a separate building. Then they worry about people going to the wrong room and put up a paper sign to notify the change.
Key Takeaways From Interviews:
- Google Calendar doesn't tell them about the size or amenities of the 31 rooms and this information is vital when selecting a room.
- Clients and employees have trouble locating rooms.
Journey Mapping The Experience
Initial journey map of booking a room
Journey map of current (green) and ideal (yellow) path when booking a room
Survey Shows Users Need Building Data
I conducted a test with five Nerdery employees. They were shown wireframes of potential features and then asked to rate it on a scale of "I like it", "I expect it", "I'm neutral", "I'll live with it", "I dislike it". They were asked to answer two questions for each feature card, one asking about their feelings if the feature was present and then other about their feelings if the feature was absent. As a result I found out their needs and desires.
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Must Have Features
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Attractive Features
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Negative Features
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Surprise, the Budget Shrinks
When shown the ideal app, the dev team quoted it to take over 2,000 hours to produce. Because the client's budget was 400 hours some compromises had to be made.
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Ideal App - 2,000 hours
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Minimum Viable App - 400 hours
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The Prototype
Under Budget and Solves The Main Pain Points
This app would enable users to locate the nearest conference room with the appropriate amenities (number or chairs, technology, client ready). However, they won't be able to make the reservation from the app yet. They will still need to make the reservation using Google Calendar from their desktop.
