Ben Weisz

Forklift

Role: Lead Researcher
Team: Ben Weisz, Tina Nguyen, Tianyu Li
Platform: Desktop
Tools: Sketch, InVision, Quicktime

Project Overview: Forklift is a repair and maintenance platform designed to help General Managers stay organized in the restaurant space.

Challenge: Forklift’s current MVP was making it harder for general managers to document new and routine services.

Solution: A re-design of Forklift’s MVP to improve functionality for general managers.

research

Competitive Comparative Analysis
Interviews

Competitive comparative analysis

I decided to do a competitive and comparative analysis in order to understand the market for repair and maintenance software. This also helped me see how Forklift compared to its competition.

Key Findings:

• Forklift’s competition was using either responsive web design or a native app

• Forklift’s competition had a channel to communicate with vendors

• Forklift was the only platform with routine or upcoming task reminders

• Forklift had the option to upload permits, licenses, and warranties
  
  
  

Interviews

I conducted 3 interviews and a usability test with current users of Forklift’s MVP model.
At the time, three general managers were using the current platform.
They remained as our target users.

synthesis

Affinity Mapping
User Persona

ideation

Feature Prioritization
Sketching

Design

Usability Testing
Style Guide
Clickable Prototype

affinity mapping

We used affinity mapping to synthesize the feedback received from the interviews and usability tests.

Key insights included:

• Flexibility: Providing optional input fields

• Efficiency: A way to auto-save progress

• Clarity: Layout of upcoming services

user persona

We created the persona, Joe to represent the interviewees.

Defining the problem:

When kitchen equipment breaks down, General Managers will need to document & fix the equipment. This process helps keep track of problematic equipment and keeps his managers aware.

How can we help Joe organize, document, and notify his team regarding repair and maintenance?

Feature prioritization

Using the Moscow method, we prioritized the most important features to be include in Forklift’s complete redesign.

sketching

Through a design studio process, we went through multiple iterations while sketching.

usability testing

Once multiple iterations were made during sketching, a med fidelity usability test was presented to the general managers currently using Forklift’s original platform.

test findings

After multiple tests, the following features proved to be most important to our users:

• Having the ability to auto-save work.

• Providing an in-line error response when a required section is blank.

• Calendar view is most useful starting on a Monday, vs Sunday for restaurants.

• Flexibility, allowing users to enter information as their repair progresses.

• Customizing the frequency of any recurring service.

• Replace drop downs with radio groups.

style guide

During our client meetings, we discussed keeping the original logo, but revamping the original colors of Forklift to emphasize trust and professionalism, by expressing more of their blue and gold colors.

clickable prototype