əsist is a multi platform product created to solve the problem of menial tasks being easily negated when on a busy schedule. If a temporary virtual assistant was available to schedule appointments, call customer service, pick up items etc., users would have more time to relax and take care of other obligations that they would other wise be pressed to take care of.
Class project:
Digital Product Design PMCG-901
Pratt Institute
Role:
All research, graphic design and conceptualization
Who is this product for?
Due to the nature of əsist, I developed two different personas as this product would require two separate apps for the customer and “əsistənt” (the person who would be completing the tasks).
Brittany is a busy east coast regional manager for an international building supplies company that requires her to travel often while juggling multiple clients and projects while keeping in touch with her associates. With a busy schedule and frequent travel, Brittany frequently looks for temporary help to assist her when she is struggling to find the time, stuck in a meeting, or traveling.
A full time undergraduate student, Chris is usually found in class or studying while trying to find time to be with his friends. Valuing his social life while realizing he needs to generate some form of income for activities and going out with this friends, Chris is looking for a way to conveniently make some extra money in his free time.
How can we help?
Whether it be full-time hired assistants or the various virtual assistant services on the market, the availability of help to manage one’s day to day tasks is in abundance. Recognizing this, I looked to improve upon the common drawbacks of these services and create a seamless and affordable product by researching competitors and other available apps and services the average consumer was already using.
Competitive Analysis:
I found opportunities in addressing common weaknesses of competitors and researching common methods of providing services to customers. Most notably, the services provided being subscription based or by charging by the hour :(. From most, I adopted the idea of having services available 24/7 from a real time assistant :).
Outcome?:
The average consumer wants to know how much they are paying for a service provided and for that to be directly communicated. It would be best to provide this service on-demand without any underlying fees or subscriptions. Taking this into consideration, I sought to address these issues, coupled with the convenience that a 24/7 service provides, by providing independent contractors to be available on a task by task basis at the convenience of both parties.
Understanding the User:
With an understanding of competitors and the common gripes and praises associated with them, I conducted surveys and interviews to find what people are currently using to organize their schedules and where they would like assistance.
I found most users to already be using a service or app to manage their daily tasks or reminders and wanted to incorporate these products that were already being utilized instead of having them manually enter their schedule into əsist. With this, I provided the user with the ability to enter information into əsist via text, voice assistant or from pulling information from their favorite calendar apps or services.
Protoype:
I created a user flow and prototype of the path the customer and the əsistənt would take simultaneously in order to complete a task. In this case, the task is hiring an əsistənt to complete a customer service call to return merchandise. I wanted to illustrate these processes clearly in the prototype, so I put them side by side, seemingly reacting to each other as they move through the process of completing a task.
