Fire as a Service

- Case study and design development -

Overview of the project:
I originally thought of Fire as a Service because Fire is one of the most basic technologies and UX is all about people's experience with technology. Fire as a Service is being able to order Fire as an element for any special occasion and how people would go about that. These days you can't just start a fire and hope it goes well, there are experts in this field of entertainment. I wanted people to be able to order up for their special occasion or even companies that need this service regularly. i.e. campgrounds, country clubs, theme parks.

Role in the project:
My role will be in researcher and design development.

Challenge

Easy to use

I wanted this app to be easy to use and not intimidating for the first time user but also give the user the ability to tailor a solution to there needs.

Branding

The branding for this project is that the service gives warmth to any event but also "pre-nostalgia", the idea that by having this service they would have a more memorable event.

Research

Determining where to start wasn't easy for this project so I tried to narrow this down to users that would directly influence the purchase of this service or the type of company that could use the services they are offering. I worked it down to property managers or event coordinators. In this, I was able to narrow this down to profession and that would be my starting point.

I interviewed several property managers and event coordinators where they would have the ability to offer fire as a service on their properties. I also incorporated professional facets about their personality not just personal because their profession is so much a part of them and their daily life.

Persona:
Robert
Age: 45
Property Manager.
A family man that enjoys his time off working on projects around his own house. He likes photography and exploring new ideas that can be offered on the property he manages. Communication is key to help keep himself efficient in his job so he embraces new technology as long as it has been proven safe.

Persona:
Diane
Age: 32
Event coordinator.
She loves social apps and perfecting her Instagram posts. She constantly looks for new ways to market herself and make her events into something a bit more than what her clients want.

Design Development

Pulling together my research and using the two personas that were developed from the questionnaires I begin to form a user flow and layout for the website.

Creating a website for a service that is strategically geared to be marketed at a profession is somewhat counter to the ideals that in UX we focus on the user story. Sometimes there is more than the user and these days some many people that identify by what they do.

I developed a design and layout that would accent the energy of the brand and brings it into a visual space that shows the dynamic energy of their product.

The user flow was meant to lead you towards a summary of the clients' needs through an order system that would narrow down the type of service they wanted. This flow would also lead the client towards the first contact with the service provider. Here a personal consultation could be initiated and a report could be established. this gains the clients' confidence through insight and personal attention.

User Flow Chart

The user flow had to be logical and relatively simple. The website is built to lead towards a personal consultation with a service expert. It would be important that the user feel confident about the process and that it will lead to results and add value to their event.

Sign In/Create Account

When you get to the Home screen you can either log in or create an account.

Service Menu

Once you've set up an account or logged into your existing account you can go through the menu to choose what type of service you are looking for. You'll be able to detail the vessel, color of fire, stock to burn, and even the date a and time.

Order Request Review

Moving forward you'll be able to review your request and a service person will reach out to you and set up an appointment to review your request and go over the site location to make sure that no details have been overlooked.

Testing

After wireframing the website, I designed a high-fidelity prototype and tested on a property manager that previously worked as an event coordinator.

Test 1: She arrived at the website and created an account as well as completed and order request. She had some feedback regarding location but otherwise had a smooth process.

Feedback / Suggestions:

1. She wanted to be able to confirm the location of the event because it may be different than where the service it billed or even where the person is located over the phone.