clean sweep
Inspired by vintage camping posters, this cleaning company website offers users the convenience of instant quotes and the flexibility to order a la carte cleaning services.
Role: UI/UX designer
Duration: 2 months
Tools: Figma/Figjam
Platform: Mobile First Web Design
New Business, new website
Goals for the project included creating a clean and simple design that communicated competence and services offered. Because my client had not started her business yet and had no website, branding was a crucial component as well. Most importantly, inviting someone into your home requires a deep level of trust so the site needed to convey trust and professionalism. Testimonials were also an important way to convey that message.
"I would love if someone could just come in and do the floors and change my sheets. Maybe clean bathrooms too. That’s it. That would be amazing."
— Quote from a user survey
À la carte cleaning
After completing my interviews I discovered that many users only wanted certain areas of the house cleaned and some wished they would offer more services. It became clear that they all wanted the ability to choose what areas they wanted cleaned. My client expressed interest in offering these à la carte services and allowing the customers to customize their cleaning experience to avoid paying for services they didn’t want or need.
The dreaded Quote request.
Another pain point experienced by users researching cleaning services was the ever present quote request. 100% of users did not want to provide personal information or submit a form just to get an estimate. Designing a way to provide users an instant quote would set this website apart from other cleaning service websites.
I reviewed competitor websites and they all required the submission of a form in order to receive a quote. I did find one company that offered a core cleaning (kitchen, bathrooms, and floors) and some offered add on services. The majority offered the standard 3 services: deep clean, regular house clean, and move out cleaning. In addition, websites were all either hopelessly generic and contained stock images, or were extremely outdated.
Competitors
The purpose of my client’s website is to provide an online presence so people can learn about her company, its employees, and her services and contact information so customers can reach her quickly and easily. specifucally, my primary goal for this project was to focus on customer acquisition, with retention being a long term goal for my client.
Acquisition
Present my client as a competent, trustworthy, experienced house cleaner.
Encourage Retention
Offering a discount for weekly or bi-weekly cleans, making that clear in the quote.
Create a simple, intuitive website that conveys the necessary information and most importantly, leads to conversion.
Project Goals
Building a personal brand and designing key features
After developing my user personas, I was able to start generating a solution, coming up with design concepts and creating the branding, which included developing a name and logo.
Through user interviews and affinity mapping, two distinct personas emerged: Someone who wanted a scheduled routine full house cleaning service that was efficient and quick and included at least two individuals working as a team so that cleaning was done quickly for those individuals who worked from home. This group values efficiency, expects attention to detail and independence from the team members.
The second group was also interested in scheduled cleaning but with a focus on a la carte services rather than a full house clean. They wanted someone to come in on a regular basis to do individual tasks with some flexibility with regard to scheduling. They either kept their house relatively tidy or just wanted housekeepers to focus on cleaning rather than organizing.
With this in mind, my client must decide how to proceed and whether or not she will structure her cleaning business to provide a la carte services, a traditional cleaning service, or a combination. She may even consider adding handyman services as well.
After sketching a few ideas, I started playing around with digital versions and fonts. Using the mood board for inspiration, I created a design that was inspired by vintage camping posters. The circular design scales well and is simple and fun, like my client, however also nostalgic and professional to project trust and competence.
À la carte cleaning and instant quotes: modernizing the typical cleaning service website
After completing my user interviews and affinity mapping, I developed a greater understanding of what people want and expect from a cleaning service. All of the users expressed a desire for a la carte cleaning services regardless of whether they were currently using a regularly scheduled cleaning service, so I knew that would be a key feature. In addition, I designed an instant quote feature that allowed users to quickly get an estimate for cost of services without having to submit any personal information or send an email request.
Instant quote and custom cleaning features create value and user trust.
I user tested the mid-fidelity wireframes using
Peer and client critiques for initial feedback
Live remote testing with a functional prototype.
100% of users thought the instant quote feature and custom cleaning options would lead them to contact my client and ultimately hire her for their housekeeping needs. They described the website as easy to navigate, straightforward, and trustworthy.
My client was extremely satisfied with the finished product, however, she ultimately decided to pursue a career as an electrician. She did express interest in possibly starting an organic farm in the future and plans to hire me to design that website, so it was completely worth it in the end.
Reflection:
What Went Well:
Client Collaboration : Successfully worked with my client to help her take seemingly incompatible ideas to create a fun, fresh and modern approach to a cleaning service website.
Visual Design: The clean, simple interface with clear calls-to-action and vintage graphics received positive feedback during usability testing. Users found it easy to navigate, and really loved the instant quote feature as well as custom cleaning services options.
Challenges and Lessons Learned:
Prototype complexity: Attempting to develop more complex elements in Figma definitely slowed my progress a bit . I addressed this by changing the element knowing that in a real world situation, I would be able to work with a developer to create more complex designs.
Client Pivot: Because my client ultimately decided to postpone starting her business, I wasn’t able to get real user/client feedback since the site was never published. However, it was a fantastic learning experience and I was able to improve my collaboration and technical skills.