KeyAsk
KeyAsk is a self-serve kiosk that apartment residents can use to receive temporary access to their apartments via a near-field communication (NFC) tag. The kiosk allows users to authenticate their identity, print a temporary NFC access tag, and pay for that tag, all without the need for interaction with a property manager. KeyAsk also supports the granting of guest access without the need for the resident to be physically present.
Working with the Zentra team, we were tasked with finding additional revenue streams for their multi-family property management product. Through desk research, interviews, and surveys, our team identified lockout situations as a reoccurring trend that residents and property managers alike had to deal with. We wanted to create a solution that would save time and generate revenue for both Zentra and the apartment community.
// The Client
Industry project with Allegion’s Zentra Team.
// Project Duration
6 weeks
// Project Year
Fall 2023
// My Role
Project Lead, UX Designer, UX Researcher
Research, Ideation > Task Flow > Design > Prototyping > Usability Testing > Refinement
// The Process
Phase 01 — Research
In the initial project kickoff meeting, we had the opportunity to learn about Allegion, the Zentra design team, and the product we would be working on. Zentra is a security access system that ties all points of property access together into one system, with an emphasis on shared property access. We were provided with the current pricing plan for the product and three user groups that their team had identified during their preliminary research. Finally, we were provided with our mission for this project in the form of a ‘how might we’ statement.
// Project Kickoff
How might we unlock additional value for our personas to generate recurring revenue above and beyond our current hardware sales and paid access subscription model?
Our team’s first priority was to better understand the markets we would be working in. To do this we conducted an environmental analysis of the security and multifamily unit markets. During this analysis, we analyzed Zentra’s competitors, identified key trends, and identified market, industry, and macroeconomic forces. Findings from the environmental analysis allowed our team to grasp the current state of the market, understand important issues and trends, and better inform the creation of our interview protocol.
// Environmental Analysis
The findings from our initial market research were analyzed and used to inform the creation of our interview protocol and the conduction of our user interviews. The goal of these interviews was to gain first-hand insights from apartment residents, management, and maintenance workers, as well as discover the challenges or frustrations that they have with current access methods and their management. My team and I spoke with a total of 4 property managers, 10 residents, and 3 maintenance workers. The answers from our interviews were grouped, sorted, and analyzed via affinity mapping before being used to create three personas.
// User Interviews
The property manager persona - Michael Mitchell.
The property maintenance persona - Sophia Reynolds.
The property maintenance persona - Daniel Sanchez.
The findings from our user interviews helped us to identify REAL problems that our target audience faces on a day-to-day basis. We decided to focus on our resident user group due to them making up the largest user base in an apartment and their potential for generating additional revenue for Zentra - outside of the access management system. Focusing on the feedback that residents provided during our user interviews, we identified lockout situations as a common pain point for apartment residents and their desire for an alternative access solution that did not require assistance from property staff.
Using the preferred problem statement format of the Zentra team, we came up with the following problem statement:
// Problem Statement
As a resident,
When I lock myself out,
I want an alternative access method,
So I can gain access to the building/my unit without needing assistance from property staff,
But there is currently no self-service method in place to regain access.
Phase 02 — Design
Once we had determined the problem we would be addressing, we began brainstorming potential solutions. Using markers and various whiteboards around campus, our team conducted multiple brainstorming and ideation sessions. Once we narrowed down our potential solutions to the top three, we compiled all of our work and did further research on the feasibility of these solutions in preparation for a feedback session with the Zentra team.
With our ideas fleshed out, we presented our top three ideas to the Zentra team. They showed interest in two of our top three solutions, those being our idea of incorporating NFC tags as a primary, and easily replaceable access method, and our idea of creating a vending machine that could be used to get replacement keys for an apartment unit. The feasibility of the NFC tags was a standout, as Allegion already produces locks that can read NFC tags and the novelty of the vending machine excited the Zentra team. We decided to incorporate both of these ideas into a single solution, an NFC printing kiosk (or a vending machine for NFC tags).
// Brainstorming and Ideation
Whiteboard ideation sketches from one of our team’s early ideation sessions. The left image shows some of my initial ideas from a ‘Crazy 8’s’ activity. The right image is my storyboard for a “key vault” (this idea would form the basis of our NFC kiosk printer).
With our solution decided upon, our team discussed the design goals that we wanted to achieve with our solution. We eventually decided upon three main goals for our design:
Allow residents to generate and print temporary access tags for lockout situations and visitor access.
Create an easy-to-use and secure access kiosk.
Allow residents to request access remotely for visitors and workers who need access to their unit.
With our design goals agreed upon, we began creating low-fidelity screens for the NFC kiosk and the corresponding mobile app.
// Design Goals
To create the low-fidelity version of our application, the team utilized Figma and collaborated in person and virtually on the designs. We created low-fidelity designs for the NFC printer kiosk screens, the “requesting access” screens that would be included in Zentra’s access management application, and the “access management” screens that property managers would be able to see within their system.
// Low-Fidelity Prototyping
Once we had our low-fidelity screens created we connected everything into a working prototype. This prototype was used to validate our initial design decisions and discover areas for improvement.
To test the prototype, we utilized a variety of usability testing methods, such as think-aloud protocol, pre- and post-task questionnaires, and the usability rating of the product via a Likert scale. We also created a hierarchical task analysis (HTA) for the tasks we asked users to complete during the usability study. This HTA was used to break down and better analyze the tasks and contributed to our team’s assignment of task completion level for said tasks.
// Usability Testing
HTAs for the two main tasks we decided upon for the usability study. On the left is the HTA for guest access while the right is for lockout access.
With the tasks broken down, the protocol decided on, and a moderator guide created, the team recruited 10 apartment residents and 2 property managers to take part in the usability study. These moderated sessions provided our team with valuable feedback and insights from the participants of our study.
Phase 03 — Refinement
We used the feedback gathered from our usability testing to iterate on our designs and address the issues that appeared. We created a high-fidelity version of KeyAsk that fulfilled our initial design goals and addressed the issues that we had uncovered during user testing.
// High-Fidelity Design
Mobile app screens for the 'Guest Access' flow.
Initial screens that users encounter when using the NFC kiosk.
Kiosk screens for the 'Guest Access' flow.
The high-fidelity screens were combined into a working prototype that would represent the MVP version of KeyAsk. This version of the application included the ‘Resident Access’ and ‘Guest Access’ flows for both the KeyAsk mobile app and NFC printer kiosk.
// High-Fidelity Prototype
Walkthroughs of the ‘Resident Access’ flow for the KeyAsk application. On the left is the mobile app flow and on the right is the NFC kiosk flow.
The final version of KeyAsk, and the research that went into it, was pitched to the Zentra team for further feedback. They helped us to identify areas for further improvement and critiqued our design process. The main areas that were identified for improvement/further thought included:
Testing out other forms of identity identification that don’t require the resident to have their phone.
Further exploration into the viability of monetizing guest access and a pricing model for this.
Due to the time constraints of this project, we were unable to address this feedback, however, with more time I would have liked to do further design iteration, exploration of pricing, and more rounds of user testing to validate changes made to the application.
// Feedback
Phase 04 — Conclusion
This was the first project where I had the opportunity to work with a real-world client. This project opened my eyes to the importance of considering the business viability of design decisions. During the final feedback session, I learned just how important it is to consider the revenue generation for the products that I create. It isn’t enough to just create a new product, that product needs to satisfy the needs of the user base and create value that they are willing to pay for. Speaking with users allowed our team to identify the frustrations associated with apartment living and helped us to create a product that solved a real problem that they were facing. I learned that it’s okay to begin with grand ideas for how to improve a product or service, but the value that comes from speaking with real users lies in their ability to voice their issues and lead a design team down a viable design path. While acting as a project lead, I had to learn to adapt to the skills of my teammates and figure out the best and most efficient work split for the project. Working with a new team can be difficult, but through open communication and discussion, it can become an exciting and enriching experience. Overall, this project helped me to grow as a designer and allowed me to learn about the importance of business viability, teamwork, and designing for the needs of my target audience.