One-on-one video chats with experts in virtually any field.
Overview
Find Your Expert allows users to connect directly to experts in almost any field via video or audio calls and text chats.
This student project was completed under CareerFoundry’s UX Immersion program.
The Challenge
Design a mobile-first responsive web app that featured account creation, video calling, and payments.
I was responsible for end-to-end UX and UI design, including all research and testing.
My Role 👨💻
User Research
UX/UI Design
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Timeline
Approximately 6 months, part-time.
Problem
When we need advice, we often get sucked into endless Google searches or watch video after video on YouTube and frequently end up with more questions than answers.
Discovery
Competitive analysis, surveys, and interviews led to the creation of 3 personas.
JustAnswer, 6ya, and Guru were three apps selected for a SWOT analysis as they had a similar end goal with slightly different methods of getting there. Some red flags became immediately obvious: subscription pricing, app-assigned experts, and limited search features.
A brief survey was used to help provide focus for user interviews. Google and YouTube were the primary resource for most people.
Key Frustrations:
Endless searching without finding the exact answer
Conflicting opinions
Privacy concerns and ads
Subscription fees
Time for Interviews
Three users were interviewed from a wide range of backgrounds and in the targeted age range.
Key Takeaways:
Too much stuff. We don't have time to sift through endless search results and how-to videos.
Trust issues. With so many conflicting opinions it's difficult to know what to trust.
Need for a go-to person. A trusted source that we might call on again and again.
“Anyone on the internet can claim to be an expert.” — Interviewee
Rachel, Josh, and Kate
Let's focus on Rachel
Rachel is a tinkerer and a bit stubborn — she loves figuring things out herself. She has always been the DYI type, but has finally reached her limit with a current house project.
Rachel needs a better option than searching Google and YouTube.
Rachel’s Journey
Rachel is finishing a bathroom remodel, but needs advice on installing the shower fixtures. It a surprise for her partner, so she needs advice fast.
Opportunities:
"Available Now" experts
Clear and upfront pricing
Qualifications and reviews
Photo attachments
Video call
To help her achieve her goals, a clean and simple page structure was needed to keep her flow brief. Running an open card sort showed the initial IA was a bit too complicated and refinements were made before moving onto wireframes.
Design and Testing
Wireframes and a Mid-Fi Prototype for Testing
Rapid prototyping allowed for a quick progression from paper sketches to a medium fidelity prototype. A moderated usability study with six participants revealed a number of problems with the design:
Inconsistent language
Confusion due to the skipping of introductory content
Hostility towards payment that felt too quick 😳
Four Screens Down to One
Discoverability of onboarding content was greatly improved by not hiding it behind a button.
Reminder: Rachel needs a quick and obvious way to learn about the app before she invests more time into it.
Payments Removed from Account Setup
Most users skipped it and some were hostile to it — the site had not yet earned their trust.
Reminder: Building trust by asking for sensitive information only when it is required is especially important to Rachel.
Contact Flow with an Introductory Step
Users needed a way to start a conversation before committing to an expert to ensure they were picking the right one. A Messages Tab was added to accommodate the new flow.
Reminder: Rachel wants a cost estimate and needs confirmation the expert can actually help with her specific needs.
Result
Find Your Expert allows Rachel to go straight to the source.
Natural language search gets her to the right experts fast.
"Available Now" or book an appointment.
Video, audio, and text options keep interactions flexible.
Easy payment options keep it simple.
Looking Forward:
How might we address failed payment if the user backs out or and error in processing? Possible dashboard reminders to complete the payment. Users can continue to browse the site, but can't contact another expert before completing payment.
Video Demo
Final Thoughts
Looking back on this project, there was a user not addressed: the experts themselves. They were outlined in the initial discovery phase, but not explored due to time constraints. Replacing the Kate persona with one representing an expert was a missed opportunity.
Kate’s persona and journey were useful, but there was more overlap with the primary personas than was probably necessary. While I had the experts in the back of my mind during the design phase, an actual persona would’ve helped bring their needs into better focus.