Final Design Strategy Report by namphuongthidoan

Strategic Design & Management Studio 1 — Spring 2020

INTRODUCTION What is strategic design? Design is a multi-dimensional and powerful way of thinking and making, whether it’s for creating works of art, buildings, devices, cities, technology, or businesses. But Design is not limited to the creation of products and processes, it is also a potent mechanism for understanding and realizing what lies in-between: the context, conditions, and relationships that give rise to opportunities for innovation.

Strategic Design is the application of future-oriented design principles in order to increase an organization’s innovative and competitive qualities. In the words of Joe Johnston, Co-Lead of Studio Atlanta of Y Media Labs, “strategic design is about applying some of the principles of traditional design to ‘big picture’ systemic challenges. It redefines how problems are approached, identifies opportunities for action, and helps deliver more complete and resilient solutions.”

The program MS SDM at Parsons

The MS SDM Studio

The Client: Mobley

Parsons’s Master of Science in Strategic Design and Management program brings together a diverse group of students aspiring to initiate and lead change in emerging fields. They are business professionals wishing to address business challenges through design, design practitioners seeking to acquire expertise in business and leadership, and entrepreneurs looking to develop transformative business propositions.

Studio Projects are real-life assignments from an external partner company where a multidisciplinary team of students explores the overlap between business and design.

Mobley is a NYC startup transforming home asset ownership through a rental platform. Its co-founders Daniel and Aditya started Mobley after continual frustration of throwing away, storing or selling furniture for cents on the dollar every time they moved. As our generation continues to increase mobility, Mobley strongly believes that people shouldn’t be forced to buy disposable, ‘fast’ furniture but instead be able to flexibly furnish their homes with beautiful curated pieces rented at a fraction of retail prices. Mobley is committed to reducing waste and building beautiful homes for their customers.

The program coalesces design thinking — tools borrowed from studio practice such as ideation, prototyping, design research and ethnography, and collaborative work — with service design and sustainability frameworks. Students focus on the evolving global economy and are exposed to sophisticated real-world perspectives on strategy, sustainability, management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and design innovation and research.

The tasks that students undertake to solve business challenges involve participatory design research (i.e. creating workshops, conducting observations and interviews with stakeholders); managing the design process; product, service and business development; and intra-and-entrepreneurial initiatives.

The Faculty:

THE STUDENT TEAMS: Business Team KAREN JACKSON

CAMERON SINCLAIR

Part-Time Professor, Parsons School of Design Director of Strategy & Design, Globant Mom, Young Boy

A seasoned Experience Design Strategist, Karen manages projects from concept to reality and ensures that each customer touchpoint truly adds value to their experience. In her ten years of international experience, she has worked with diverse clients including Silicon Valley’s startups and tech giants, nonprofits in emerging economies, government agencies, philanthropic foundations and more. Her primary focus is on redesigning services, systems, and industries to better support the health of humanity and the planet. Karen holds a Masters in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons New School and now serves as a proud part-time faculty member within the program. She holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard and studied systems analysis and design at UC Berkeley. Karen’s first career was as a children’s dance teaching artist and her passion for creativity, self-expression, and teaching shines through in her work.

Cameron Sinclair is a designer, writer and one of the pioneers in socially responsive architecture. He is CEO of Worldchanging Ventures and is currently serving as pro bono executive director of Armory of Harmony, a US-based organization focusing on repurposing decommissioned weapons into musical instruments. During the outbreak of COVID-19 he formed Frontline Care, partnering with Jupe Health and Amplifier to create rapidly deployable rest and recovery units for frontline workers. In 1999 he co-founded Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization that developed architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brought professional design and construction services to communities in need. In May 2013 he stepped down from its board and in October 2013 resigned as its “chief eternal optimist”(CEO) and executive director. Sinclair worked as director of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation from November 2013 to December 2015 including overseeing construction of a children’s hospital in Ethiopia. He was head of social innovation and helped to develop the humanitarian programs at Airbnb. Projects included emergency short term housing for those displaced by manmade and natural disasters; livelihoods for vulnerable communities; community-led adventure travel and rural revitalization.

OLIVIA FIERRO

SAMAYA BURDE

SHIVANI MEHTA

Olivia is a bold and feminine ready to wear designer who continuously seeks to understand the many facets of her industry. With experience in retail selling, visual merchandising, production management, and business strategy, Olivia’s cross functional knowledge allows her to communicate with colleagues and lead swift design decisions. In addition to her formal experience and learning, she also enjoys attending panel discussions and symposiums relating to industry issues such as sustainability, labor, and inclusion.

is an architect, design strategist and entrepreneur with a passion for social impact. As an architecture student, she cofounded the organization ‘Unbind’, which leverages design education to spark social impact. She has also been part of the program design and pilot implementation of both Rural Narrative Immersions and Design for Social Change fellowships in India. An avid learner with a fascination for human behaviour, biodiversity and living systems, she is on an explorative path to work at the interaction of this space utilizing a systems and service design lens.

is an entrepreneur and design strategist with a background in product design and sociology. She has worked as a design consultant in the tech industry through both an established multinational company and her own design consultancy. Shivani’s ambitious, growth-oriented mindset allows her to look at design challenges from a layered, muti-faceted perspective and her passion for lifestyle design led her to found an indie-fusion fashion brand that focuses on supporting indigeneous women.

Consumer Team

Product Team

VASUTA KALRA

MINERVA IZAGUIRRE

TARJNI JOTANIYA

TONY DANG

is a strategist with over 7 years of experience in building brands and businesses. She has led marketing for retail brands Fila, Diesel and Muji and has crafted communication strategies for global names such as Unilever, PepsiCo and Burger King. Working with traditional business models, Vasuta sought solutions to the gaps she found in underlying systems, especially sustainability concerns in the fashion industry. She is currently exploring solutions in sustainability and social innovation through human-centered design at Parsons. She holds an MBA in Marketing and a Bachelors in Fashion Tech. 8

is an architect, a strategic designer, and entrepreneur with 6 years of experience. She has co-founded two businesses, Linea Studio, an architectural studio, and Woodhud, a children’s furniture company. She no has also studied graphic design, art direction and photography. Minerva is currently exploring design thinking as a strategy for innovation in the cultural and creative industries.

is a UI/UX designer with a bachelor degree in Knitwear Fashion Design. She has worked as a lead UI/ UX Designer in an AI Fashion Tech Company and as a Fashion Buyer in one of the largest manufacturing houses in India. After experiencing the socio-environmental horrors of mass production houses and sweatshops in India, she decided to learn the business language of the industries to mend it inside out. Tarjni is an artist and advocate of sustainable textiles and slow fashion, exploring systems design, tech innovations, and creative business strategies. She is currently researching on creating better systems for Indian craft clusters and material innovations.

s a multidisciplinary designer, economic catalyst, natural born connector of dots, and professional creative wingman/ coach for entrepreneurs. Dang specializes in brand innovation, where his entrepreneurial pursuits meet his interest in the relationship between consumer behavior and how trends emerge. He uses an empathetic & curiosity-driven approach to develop revenue generating solutions and strategies in the space between creativity, community, and commerce.

NAM PHUONG CHELSEA THI DOAN COOK

CHRIS D’ANDREA

DIANA CORDOVA

is a design strategist working at the intersection of technology, business and community. Her work has spanned across impact investing (Upstart CoLab), art-tech (NEW INC), and education. Passionate about tackling business and design challenges, Nam wants to help enterprises deliver the best values to their stakeholders through dynamite products and services.In her free time, Nam brings communities together through food and art. She also enjoys writing about the changing landscapes of cities and the relationship between culture, migration and identity. Nam loves to dance, but that’s a different story for another time.

operates in the fields of 3D visualization, motion graphics, dynamic branding, as well as cross-dimensional media initiatives. With a distinctive aesthetic that blends the needs of demanding commissions with arresting, film and imagery, his unique body of work has earned commissions for Ford, AT&T, Visa, Grey Goose, KLM Airlines, American Red Cross, and Microsoft Hololens. He serves as an advisor to the Center for Data Visualization, and as visiting professor for the School of Architecture and Design at NYIT.

is a Mexican architect and interior designer passionate about creative strategies and entrepreneurship. In 2010 she founded Siete Seis, an architecture firm where she is the Creative Director and has taken the lead in over 30 interior design projects. She has six years experience collaborating with early stage start-ups to enhance their potential; her scope of intervention mainly comprises design conceptualization, visual and spatial strategies, and experiential design.

is a Brooklyn born Art Director and Strategist who graduated from SVA with a BFA in Design. Using a multi-disciplinary approach to conceptualize and create; her scope of work includes content, experiential design, branding and the list goes on. She’s lucky enough to have worked with a variety of brands/clients like Citi, Twitter, and New Balance from pitching to execution and pushes to keep their voice authentic but still adhere to the culture that surrounds them. At night, she’s currently finishing her M.S. in Strategic Design + Management at Parsons School of Design.

THE CLIENT BRIEF

DESIGN PROCESS THE STRATEGIC DESIGN PROCESS FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION

RESEARCH

At the beginning of this process, Mobley shared with us a vision to become a thought-

SENSEMAKING

IDEATION

PROTOTYPING & TESTING

DELIVERY

leader in the rental furniture space by building sustainability as a core value into their business model, their company and their brand. Some of the areas of exploration towards

e rg

e div

this vision were:

1. Addressing the Environmental Waste journey of furniture

con verg

DESIGN CHALLENGE

BETA PRODUCT

div erg

2. How can Mobley measure sustainability in product offerings? 3. What could be Mobley’s positioning as an environmentally sustainable brand?

HEURISTICS/ TOOLS

OUTCOME 10

Stakeholder Mapping In-depth Interviews Desk Research Exploratory Research Analogous Research Current Environmental Impact Analysis Current Business Model Assessment

HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM

Synthesis of research findings Personas Affinity Map SWOT Analysis Empathy Map User Journey How Might We's

INSIGHTS TO GUIDE IDEATION

Brainstorming Co-creative workshops: framing ideas with users Position Matrix Holistic Stakeholder Assessment and Engagement

IDEA CONCEPTS

erg onv

Paper Prototypes Web Tests Product/Service Development Iterative testing workshops to gain feedback from users Tweaking business model Testing with users/Iterations Projections

Build better prototypes for more user testing and iterations Pivot if necessary, restart cycle Business Model Testing Environmental Impact Analysis

FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE

Pilot development Storytelling Pitch Deck Construction Dry Run Process documentation

BETA PRODUCT

PRODUCT TEAM

Our process of understanding Mobley’s business model and its position in the market consisted of 4 phases:

PART I DESIGN RESEARCH & SENSEMAKING The Product Team began the design research journey with a central question: Is Mobley a “rental in retail space” or “retail in rental space”?

THE MARKET

THE PRODUCT JOURNEY

THE PEOPLE

THE WAREHOUSE

The Market Market research helps the Product Team define the business ecosystem that Mobley’s embedded in, and its unfair advantage among competitors. The tools that we used in this phase include:

Retail Ballard Designs • Pottery Barn • Wayfair • West Elm Ikea • Kaiyo • Campaign • Burrow

Desk Research Ecosystem Mapping Competitive Analysis Stakeholder Mapping Business Model Canvas Market trends Analysis To determine Mobley’s competitors, the Product Team looked at existing companies in the same market space as Mobley, as well as filtered through other players based on business models, market segments, aesthetics, growth rate and market share. For example, in the furniture rental space: Mobley’s mainstream competitors with the biggest market shares are Rent-ACenter (18%) and Aaron’s (10%). Given the emerging nature of the rental model, Mobley’s biggest competitors are startups such as Feather and Furnish. These companies are offering affordable products with customized design catered predominantly to Millennials and Gen Z. The Swedish furniture pioneer IKEA is also speeding up with industry trends when it piloted a rental model in Europe with a strong focus on environmental sustainability. 14

Rental Aarron’s • R.A.C. • Brook Furniture Rental • Cort • Ikea Lumen • Feather • Casaone • Fernish • Furlenco

Although 57% Americans are willing to rent trendy and well-made products, this number is over 70% for Millennials & Gen Z. In this group, 12.6% are willing to rent home furnishings.

81% Based on our exploratory research, customers also look at a Kaiyo, a new sustainable model of furniture marketplace where vendors and individuals can purchase and sell used furniture in good condition for an affordable price. In terms of aesthetics, retail start-ups like Campaign and Burrow, alongside artisan industry pillar West Elm seem to be what customers place Mobley next to.

of people do not have furniture debt

77%

say their homes are furnished as desired

57%

$5,162

of Americans are willing to rent trendy & well-made products. This number is 70% for Millenials & Gen Z

is the average spending on furnishing in NY

page 17

The Product Journey

USED FURNITURE IS SCANNED

INTERVENTION

From the initial versions, we revised the product journey based on our client’s feedback. Imagine the product journey dancing on this page. Yes, we made this journey live through animation!

CLIENT SHIPPING

FURNITURE IS SHIPPED FROM ASIA TO MAIN DISTRIBUTORS IN THE USA

FURNITURE IS DELIVERED AND ASSEMBLED

CATALOG PRE SELECTION FROM DISTRIBUTORS

END OF LEASE CLIENTS SELECT FURNITURE AND PAY

Initial Consumer Feedback

52%

QUALITY CONTROL OVERVIEW

renting furniture

renting for 6mo. to a year

OR OFFICE DESK

MAJORITY OF

47%

FURNITURE IS SHIPPED TO NJ WAREHOUSE

FURNITURE IS UNWRAPPED AND INSPECTED

NOT RENT A BED QUALITY CONTROL CLEANING (COMPRESSOR, BRUSH, STEAMER, MOHAWK PROD)

QUALITY CONTROL WRAPPING FURNITURE

INTERVENTION

FURNITURE IS PRE ASSEMBLED, WRAPPED AGAIN, AND SCANNED

INTERVENTION

FURNITURE IS SOLD TO A SECOND-HAND FURNITURE DEALER

Want their furniture

deliverty to be free

IF DAMAGE IS SEVERE OR UPHOLSTERY IS BROKEN, FURNITURE IS DISPOSED

QUALITY CONTROL FIXING AND RETOUCH (MOHAWK PRODUCTS)

RENT A DINING TABLE

Said they would consider

CONSUMERS WOULD

NEW FURNITURE IS ORDER TO THE SUPPLIER

CONSUMERS WOULD

Have not considered

FURNITURE PICK-UP SHIPPED TO NJ WAREHOUSE MOBLEY CHECKS THEIR CURRENT STOCK

80%

MAJORITY OF

71%

Of consumers

considered themselves

66%

Of consumers were based in Manhattan, New York

young professionals. FURNITURE IS STORED

USED FURNITURE IS SCANNED

Overall, how do consumers prioritize rental products criteria from scale 1-5 (5 is highest priority)? Aesthetics

The results from this quantitative research informed the design of our ethnographic interview. We invited the selected participants from the online survey to join us for an in-person interactive session. The goal of the ethnographic interview is to understand the emotion-scape of consumers on a deeper level – their needs, hopes and constraints when it comes to furniture services and products. The central exercise consists of 5 prompts; in the last prompt, we showed the consumers some products from Mobley’s current catalogue and asked them to rate the furniture based on their perception of furniture criteria.

Affordability Sustainability

2. THINK ABOUT THE LAST PIECE OF FURNITURE YOU PURCHASED. MAP OUT THE JOURNEY OF WHEN YOU PICK THE FURNITURE TO WHEN YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR ROOM. 3. THINK ABOUT THE LAST PIECE OF FURNITURE YOU LEFT BEHIND. MAP OUT THE JOURNEY FROM WHEN YOU PICK THE FURNITURE TO WHEN YOU DISCARD IT. WHY AND HOW DID YOU DISCARD IT? 4. DO YOU HAVE ANY DISSATISFACTIONS ABOUT YOUR CURRENT APARTMENT OR PAST APARTMENT? DOES YOUR CURRENT APARTMENT MATCH YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF LIVING?

Convenience

1. DRAW YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE ROOM IN YOUR APARTMENT. THINK ABOUT THE FURNITURE AND THE WAY YOU ARRANGE THE PIECES IN YOUR ROOM.

5. ON A SCALE FROM 1-5 (5 BEING THE HIGHEST SCORE), HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE FOLLOWING FURNITURE? (CRITERIA: MATERIALS SUSTAINABILITY, LIFE SPAN, QUALITY, AESTHETICS, COMFORT)

Customization 20

page 20

Trends 01

Trends 02

Positive perception

Negative perception

Rental preferences

Plastic

Velvet

Wood

Fabric

Light Colors

Vintage Colors

Tables

Desks

Drawers

- “You never know who sat there, or if they were wearing clothing”

Ordinary

Cheap

Unaesthetics

Non-lasting

Uncomfortable

Poor quality

Not Sustainable

Ordinary

Luxury

Aesthetics

Long-lasting

Comfortable

Quality

Sustainable

Products

- “Only if I knew the sanitation process I would rent it. Also I would like to know for how long it has been used”

Mixed opinions

Potential products

Couches

Rugs

Artisanal furniture

Plants

Rental type

Instagram poll What is furniture sustainability?

packages vs individual pieces

Packages VS

92% QUALITY

85%

Individual pieces

SUSTAINABILITY

78% AESTHETICS

92% DURABILITY

85% COMFORT

perception

improved

Other responses included aspects related with ethical labor practices, localization, reducing production waste, reduce/remove planned obsolescence, and community initiatives.

improved 25

What does Instagram think?

DURABILITY/ LONG LASTING

NON-TOXIC/ NATURAL MATERIALS

LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT

RECYCLABLE & REUSABLE

In 2020, engaging with consumers via social media is one of the most important strategies for a brand. The Product Team jumped on Instagram to ask people what furniture sustainability means to both English and Spanish speaking consumers. Here is what we learned:

The Warehouse We rented a car and journeyed to Mobley’s New Jersey warehouse with other members of the Business Team and Consumer Team. It was a windy day and one team member was initially lost, but in the end we learned so much from the warehouse staff and our road trip was awesome and extremely informative.

The goal of the warehouse visit is to understand Mobley’s operations in 7 categories: -

Timeline Storage Tracking and labeling Cleaning and packaging Post consumption Catalogue curation Routing

The Product Team zoomed in on Mobley’s cleaning and packaging processes as part of our strategy. We found that when the furniture is shipped from the supplier to the warehouse, it’s opened, inspected and assembled. The packaging includes styrofoam, cardboard, a blanket wrap and plastic wrap – while cardboard and fabric are recyclable, styrofoam and plastic wrap are non-biodegradable and nonrecyclable. All Mobley’s used furniture go through a standard warehouse cleaning process, with all non-toxic cleaning products provided by Mohawk group. Mohawk is currently an industry leader in sustainability and an early adopter of Living Product Challenge. We also found

1 in 10 vendors is committed to sustainability across their supply chain

Packaging Materials After life includes cardboard, plastic wrap, and blankets. Cardboard: Reusable and recyclable - Plastic wrap: non-biodegradable & non-recyclable - Blanket wrap: Reusable and recyclable

furniture parts are made of particle board and paper.

- Don’t last long: Prominent characteristic of fast furniture.

furniture is either discarded or sold to a collector. - A lever for development of post consumption processes (sell, done, recycle).

that due to the nature of fast furniture, most furniture parts are made of particle boards and paper instead of solid wood, truncating their lifespan significantly.

Based on Mobley’s current list of vendors, the Product Team discovered that 4 in 10 vendors have integrated elements of sustainability into their operations. Meanwhile, just 1 vendor in specific has been holistically committed to sustainable practices. Greenington, which offers 100% bamboo products, is a core member of Sustainable Furnishings Council; who is a leader in the global sustainable furniture movement.

4 in 10 vendors have integrated some elements of sustainability

Cleaning all cleaning products are produced by Mohawk group. - Mohawk is currently an industry leader in sustainability.

ADESSO

line of eco-friendly lamp shades

ALPINE FURNITURE

committed to ethical sourcing & fair wages

MOE’S

committed to ethical sourcing & fair wages

GREENINGTON 100% green & ethically sourced furniture

PART II IDEATION

1. Transparency Launching our initial ideation we looked to find ways to naturally improve Mobley’s product ecosystem, both on the back-end and customer facing. We narrowed down our “How Might We” statements into three strategic pillars

After ethnographic interviews, surveys and visiting Mobley’s

1. Transparency 2. Sustainability 3. Measurability

Our various conversations with Mobley and potential customers proved that these 3 pillars are important for the brand and for the customers. . Our overarching idea to explore each value then became: Create tools that can be implemented immediately into Mobley’s operations, and create ideas focused on sustainability and cleanliness so Mobley can position themselves as an industry thought leader.

a. To accomplish our first goal of transparency we started contemplating, what if we let the customers see inside Mobley’s operations? Our research showed that people mostly hesitated to rent furniture because they questioned the cleanliness of it. This means that presenting a virtual cleaning tour with clear information about cleaning products will boost Mobley’s trustworthiness and competitiveness.

b. Initially, our virtual cleaning tour idea included a motion graphic video of the cleaning process that could be published on the website as well as be sent to customers after placing orders.

warehouse, information started bubbling up and we ended up with two ‘How Might We’ questions to explore:

- How might we integrate our product insights into the catalogue curation process?

- How might we integrate sustainability into the packaging & post-consumption processes?

TRANSPARENCY Virtual cleaning tour on website. Updates sent to customer

2. Sustainability

3. Measurability

When tackling sustainability and knowing this was an important subject to address for Mobley’s own personal values, our thinking landed us on a Sustainability Scale, so that customers can understand how sustainable a furniture product is. Developing a sustainability scale based on industry standards will also help position Mobley as a thought leader, and increase the brand’s commitment to saving the Earth through a rental model.

To complement two pillars of Transparency and Sustainability, Measurability is an important pillar to help Mobley keep track of their sustainability goals and communicate the brand’s credibility to consumers. Our initial idea was to identify existing products on Mobley’s catalogue that qualify for Industry Certifications so the brands can pursue these certifications through their vendors.

SUSTAINABILITY SCALE Mobley to develop a scale based on industry standards

Develop options for after life cycle

Learn more

DONATE

Learn more

RECYCLE

Learn more

After having a co-creation workshop with our client, Mobley’s CEO agreed with excitement towards the sustainability scale, virtual cleaning journey and product certifications. Amid the global pandemic, the CEO mentioned the need and want for cleaning certification which would affect consumer’s purchasing decisions greatly. The team then set on to developing prototypes for these three areas.

Our second idea of Sustainability circled around expanding the post-consumption life cycle of Mobley products. At that moment, there was no circularity in how their products can be reused, recycled and/or given back to the community. Based on the three options of selling, donating and recycling, the team came up with a few organizations that Mobley could partner with including Kaiyo, Housing Works, and Habitat for Humanity.

POSTCONSUMPTION Develop options for after life cycle

POSTCONSUMPTION

SELL

Learn more

DONATE

Learn more

RECYCLE

Learn more

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

Help identify existing Mobley products that pass industry certifications

page 29, 30, 31

PART III PROTOTYPING, USER TESTING AND STORYTELLING

Prototyping

After ethnographic interviews, surveys and visiting Mobley’s

1. Virtual Cleaning Journey:

warehouse, information started bubbling up and we ended

The Product Team began prototyping deliverables with three goals in mind: - Implement transparency into Mobley’s product journey - Bring sustainability to the forefront of Mobley’s products and user experience - Increase brand’s credibility through sustainability certifications

Feedback: The studio and the client responded well to this prototype, especially the simple and fun visualization of supply chain processes. However, due to the limited project duration, the team decided to focus on the next 2 prototypes for the final delivery, and would include the virtual journey in the final handoff to our client.

up with two ‘How Might We’ questions to explore:

- How might we integrate our product insights into the catalogue curation process?

- How might we integrate sustainability into the packaging & post-consumption processes?

For this prototype, we simplified and mocked up the cleaning journey on digital mobile based on the product journey we presented at the Design Research phase. The virtual product journey and cleaning journey give customers real-time updates on their order via email. Starting from receiving online orders to delivering to the customers’ doors, our team wants to help Mobley become more transparent, trustworthy and enticing to customers, especially during the cleaning process. Amidst a global pandemic, this transparency will empower new customers to interact with the brand while retaining existing customers. If Mobley wants to develop a mobile application in the future, they can utilize this feature for customer updates as well. 33

2. Sustainability Scale:

Sustainability Certifications: At the beginning, the team researched some of the most prestigious certifications in the furniture industry such as Level, Cradle to Cradle, BIFMA and ISO. We wanted to deliver this research through a one-sheet infographics including recommended certifications; criteria, cost and processes; and recommended certified vendors. On top of that, we decided to prototype these certifications next to product listings on Mobley’s website and on the product tags when orders are delivered. The product listing pages will also showcase the products from different angles so the consumers can consider renting in terms of aesthetics and sustainability together.

The Sustainability Scale is a way to introduce Mobley’s sustainability value and commitment into their product line. Consisting of four categories with number 1 icon being the most sustainable and number 4 icon being the least sustainable, the Product Team want to incorporate a brand personality through a cheeky and friendly language with a simple system of rating. Feedback: Initial feedback from the studio is people enjoyed the fun and easy to understand language. However, the criteria for each icon need revision since they are not mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. The scale from 1 to 4 together with the criteria caused some fusion because they were not telling which icons are the highest and lowest. Another feedback is to revise the color scheme to be more consistent left to right. Recognizing that Mobley’s current catalogues are mostly in the 3 and 4 categories, the team decided to shorten the scale and revise the criteria to help Mobley position their products more strategically and competitively

The scale will appear on Mobley’s website, a stamp on each featured product/package, and a tag when the furniture is delivered.

Feedback: Since the Consumer team is focusing on the web user experience, the Product Team agreed on eliminating the differentangled product listing page from our prototypes and focusing mainly on the sustainability tier of our product placement. To achieve this goal, we came up with an idea for Mobley’s sustainability page, which can feature all information about the brand’s commitment to sustainability and their metrics. The client agreed with this decision, while also asking that instead of infographics for the certifications, we deliver a spreadsheet for internal usage. 35

User testing, Reiteration and Delivery:

The customer insights from this quick survey allowed the team to quickly reiterated and agreed on seven prototypes for our user-testing phase. These prototypes will be organized according to the web user experience that we mocked up through InVision, which allowed customers to freely investigate the webpage and site navigation.

Before beginning our in-depth user testing phase, we sent out a 3-minute survey to potential customers, exploring their reaction to the sustainability scale in terms of language, information, and order. Here is what we found:

After meeting with Mobley, we have agreed with our client to test and finalize three deliverables:

1. Product sustainability scale -Build out ranking and score rubric that’s easy to understand and easy to measure -Develop and test prototypes of scale placement on products -Recommendations of next steps

2. Sustainability webpage -Design and test a sustainability webpage with mission statement and sustainability scale -Include furniture waste fact and Mobley’s sustainability goal to tackle the issue -Recommendations of next steps

50%

said a sustainability scale would help them decide on a product

72%

said an item with a rating of 1 seem like the best rating

Version 2: Sustainability Scale Hover Page

67%

would click to learn more if they saw the scale icon near a product

“Love the language, easy to understand for people who are less savvy about sustainability”

3. Certification recommendations -Selected shortlist of certifications -Selected shortlist of vendors with certifications -Timeline & cost to pursue certifications -Guide to using the spreadsheet

“Need more work on scale descriptions” “Scale metrics need clearer information & concrete criteria for each category” 37

Highest: 39-30 Medium: 29-19 Lowest: 18-12

Version 1: Sustainability Website (including brand’s mission statement for sustainability, information of sustainability scale, and rubric criteria for scale assessment)

Version 2: Sustainability Scale - icons explanation for the Sustainability Page

Version 2: Sustainability Scale - rubric criteria for scale assessment (internal use)

Version 2: Product tag on order delivery showing scale icon, and an add-on gift for customers who purchased the highest tiered products on the sustainability scale

The testing phase was extremely helpful for the team to understand what customers need, how they communicate and what they want to see in their chosen brand. Some of the highlights from our customer testing interviews are:

SUSTAINABILITY SCALE

After 10 Zoom interviews, 3 pivots, 8 iterations, and 3 all-studio crit sessions: 90% clicked on icon to learn more about metrics 50% wanted clearer differentiation between the lowest & highest rating 40% were confused about the percentages on the hover view due to lack of context

SUSTAINABILITY WEBPAGE

60% improved their perception of the brand for sustainability commitment and metrics 20% wanted to know more about how renting is more sustainable than buying 50% thought rubric descriptions were clear but would prefer more graphics over texts

FURNITURE

40% preferred having a purpose for the tags so they can be kept and used

TAG

40% would like to see care instructions on the back of the tag

ADD-ON

80% love the tote bag and associate it with sustainable brands

GIFT

50% would like to customize the add-on gift or have the option of opting out

the Product Team has incorporated all valuable feedback and finalized our 3 deliverables according to the preset project goals for our client.

1. Product sustainability scale including: Scale icons on product listings and sustainability information in product description. On the hover page, we eliminated the metrics breakdown window since it caused confusion to customers, and replaced it with a brief description of the icon’s meaning. We also include a link to the sustainability page where savvy customers can learn more about Mobley’s sustainability commitment and metrics. For the scale taglines, we revised number 3 from “Ok...maybe the planet has a chance” to “Ok...but the planet needs more” to make it clear that 3 is the lowest tier.

Customer incentive: add-on gifts for purchasers of the highest tier of product sustainability. We decided to give customers the option of choosing an addon gift at check out since we don’t want to create more waste and lose customers who don’t want to have unwanted items in their basket.

Customer incentive: option to upgrade products for higher sustainability criteria. This strategy is our attempt to help customers become the multipliers in Mobley’s sustainability journey. With customers’ help, the brand can gradually swap out their unsustainable products with those that are made to last and are ecocentric.

Score rubric with detailed criteria that’s easy to understand and easy to measure. We revised the criteria to be more equally comprehensive between 3 categories: Raw Materials/Resources, Climate Impact and Sustainable Design.

Product tag made of seed paper on delivered orders for customers to help Mobley give back to the Earth. The seed paper idea is also a way for us to educate customers through daily actions of repurposing waste.

Final version: sustainability scale on product listings (hover page) with link to learn more about our metrics in the sustainability page

Final version: sustainability information in product description, and the full scale explanations 44

Final version: sustainability rubric and detailed criteria

Final version: Check out page with options for add-on gifts

Final version: Product tag made of seed paper with thank you note to help customers give back to the Earth

Final version: Customer upgrade to help customers grow with Mobley and integrate more sustainable products into their catalogue

2. Sustainability Webpage -Mission statement for sustainability that includes quick fact of furniture waste. We added the inclusive language of human and planet thriving together to increase brand’s ecoconsciousness. -Summary of sustainability scale and rubric, with revised colors for consistency across the page. The rubric is presented with pictures at the background to help users fathom the information more easily and quickly. -Mobley’s virtual cleaning journey to help users understand how their furniture is cleaned with industry’s greenest products, especially amid the pandemic -Furniture waste facts and Mobley’s sustainability goal to tackle the issue

3. Certification recommendations We delivered this research to Mobley via an Excel sheet that include all of the following information: -Selected shortlist of certifications -Selected shortlist of vendors with certifications -Timeline & cost to pursue certifications Guide to using the spreadsheet Finally, to wrap up th e project, the Product Team summarized a strategic timeline for Mobley to further develop and implement our prototypes. Our hope is that the brand will feel empowered to embark on the sustainable furniture journey, and achieve its goal of becoming a thought leadership in the sector.

CONSUMER TEAM

DESK RESEARCH External

We started with desk research to scan the environment and map the stakeholders involved:

While the Client came to us with certain objectives in mind, our team’s focus was on the Consumer’s side of the story. Were they aware of furniture rental? How would this offering fit in with their existing relationships around the category? How could Mobley add value to their lives?

Political Landscape

Economy

Internal Cultural Trends

PART I DESIGN RESEARCH & SENSEMAKING

Technology Product

Furniture Retailers Furniture Renters

Marketing

Competitors

LEGAL

Software

RESEARCH

Customers

Operations

Resellers

Our Process

DESK RESEARCH

Home Owners

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & PLAN

SYNTHESIS ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPLORATION

IDEATION INITIAL CONCEPTS IDEATED

Communities/ Institutions

Finance

PROTOTYPE USER TESTINGS

REVISED FINAL PROTOTYPE

Investor

Partners

Manufacturers/ Suppliers 3PL

After engaging with the client, we combined our own research with their point of view to conduct a SWOT analysis.

Mobley x Business Model

Sustainability POV

- First-Mover Advantage - Trendy Fur niture Items - Competitive pricing - Convenience - Customer service - Curated collections - Lucrative service of ferings

- Potentially r educes waste in Fur Industry

- No maketing strategy - Lack of SC T ranspar ency - Outsour ced T ech - V olatile staf f structur e - Single-language representation - High pick-up fee - No strategic partnerships - Lack customization

- No sustainability initiatives - Cleaning / r efurbishing pr ocess

- B2B - Supply chain ef ficiency - Branding - Explor e co-ownership - Secondary market of most-used fur niture (sub-brand for students) - Use of AI for customization - Market expansion (Fur niture Stor es)

- Sustainable material innovation/ pr ocess innovations (r ecycling channels, energ y, HQ emissions) - Explor e ways to become mor e transpar ent and sustainable - Slow fur niture ÒThought LeaderÓ in th e industry - Corporate Social Responsibility

- Data Br each (Lack of web security) - Staf f outsour cing / part-time - Poor online r eviews (Bed Bugs?!) - Social r elevancy - Insurance liabilities - Dependency on suppliers - Competition with second hand market - Sharing economy becoming norm (P2P) - Maintaining customer service at scale

- Gr een washing - Lack of sustainability infrastructur - Material quality transpar ency

niture

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & PLAN:

METHODOLOGIES: STUDENTS: -Create and launch surveys to capture furniture spending habits and current furniture acquisition methods

Students were positioned as a key potential segment for Mobley since they tend to move often in this phase of life.

Having accumulated some background on the industry, client and the problem at hand, we set our strategy for our research plan.

-Ethnographic research at retail stores to observe furniture purchase behavior

We conducted primary research on the New School campus

OBJECTIVES

-In-depth interviews to understand consumer mindsets, motivations and pain points

-To gain an understanding of the relationship with furniture from the potential and existing consumers’ perspectives. Identify their mental models and the pain-points that arise during the relocation and furnishing process.

e to tap into

-Gather insights regarding consumer behavior, the factors and decisions that shape those behaviors, as well as their sentiment towards various channels of furniture procurement -Identify key consumer pain-points and areas of opportunity that could further enhance or evolve Mobley’s furniture rental experience

Interactive posters and questionnaires were placed across The New School Campus

Students participated in the research

Initial key findings: -A majority of the students (55%) spent less than $500 on furnishing their current apartment -They are highly price sensitive and aim to express their personal style through creative, budget-friendly means

TARGET AUDIENCE Based on client discussions, the Businessto-Consumer market was the immediate focus for the business. Two potential segments mentioned within that market were: -Students -Young working professionals 57

Student Personas Biography Camilla is studying her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. She loves going to museums, art shows and galleries. She lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. She has been living there for a year, with 3 roommates. She paints and draws. She likes to spend time with her girlfriend.

Camilla The Dreamer “Most of the stuff that I have in my house, I found on the streets or on online marketplaces. I don’t want to spend money on furniture.” Age: 21 Work/Study: Attending school part-time for a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at The New School Family: Single Location: New York, NY

Personality Creative, Passionate, Outgoing, Curious. Goals Have a full time paid job, graduate, then achieve her dream to be an artist and overall well human-being. Frustrations Expensive food and housing in NYC. Managing time with too much going on and then commuting. Budget $50-$250 Brands Marketplace, Ikea

Varun The Creative “I’ve been living here for two years and I have been furnishing my place little by little. A lot of the stuff is hand-me-downs and the rest is from Ikea.”

Age: 27 Work: Attending school part-time for a Masters in Strategic Design & Management at Parsons Family: Single Location: New York, NY

Biography Varun is an international student at Parsons. He has a passion for design thinking and wants to implement what he learns to his business. He lives in Hell’s Kitchen. Enjoys going out with his friends and exploring the city. Some weekends he prefers to stay at home and chill with his girlfriend. Personality Creative, Organized, Methodical, Proactive.

Biography Melissa is a MBA student at Columbia. She is very methodical and very career oriented. She is graduating this year and currently looking for a job in NYC. She loves travelling and trying new food. Recently she went to Asia for about a month with her friends.

Melissa The Realist

Goals Look for an internship to gain experience in the field (for this summer), apply what he learns to his business, explore the city and get to know new museums, bars and restaurants.

“When I move, this May, I want to rent a place that is mostly furnished. Furniture is not my priority right now so I don’t want to think about it.”

Frustrations Expensive cost of living in NYC, managing career/ study time and personal time.

Age: 30 Work/Study: Attending school at Columbia for her MBA Family: Single Location: New York, NY

Budget $300- $850

Goals Get a well paid job in the city. Network and get to know more people. Travel. . Frustrations Stressed about finding a place once she graduates (she wants an apartment that is mostly furnished.) Currently having job offerings but they are very demanding positions (she wants to have time for herself). Budget $700-$1250

Brands Amazon, Ikea, Bed Bath & Beyond

Personality Effective, Organized, Methodical, Responsible

Brands Amazon, Ikea, CB2

Journey Map for Students:

for EmpathyMap Map for Empathy Students Students

WHO are we empathizing with?

What do they THINK & FEEL?

Students in universities like The New School

GAINS

PAINS

Functional

Get a job that makes them financially secure they can be connected with for many years to come

NYC a very expensive city to manage (accomodation and food)

Emotional

Finding their own voice, passions and discovering their future path, one that inspires them

Anxiety- doing well in school, finding the right job Questions of ‘what is the right path for me?’, how to decide on a career

Social

Make friends and meet like-minded people whom they can be connected with for many years to come

Impressions are driven by how resourceful they are and also through strong reflection of personality / values.

Stay in university accommodation or find flatmates to share apartments with On-campus or other part-time jobs along with pursuing education

What do they SAY NYC is super expensive and commuting here is a pain I can use furniture even if it has some wear and tear as long as it’s comfortable I need to accomodate my friends so I thought of that while picking out furniture

What they DO NOW Focus on their education and the ‘hustle’ of finding a job after college Find the cheapest option in furniture that is comfortable and fulfils the functionality

What they NEED TO DO Look for cheapest furniture options like hand-me-downs, borrow from friends and family Purchase what needs to be based on price point, some are for the sake of convenience of logistics Personalization on low-budget 60

WORKING PROFESSIONALS: Recruiting Working Professionals: to find out factors that go into the decisionmaking process, we recruited working professionals from the top cities in the US.

Working professionals is a core segment. We did in-depth interviews with 12 people who live in top cities, mostly from New York. All of these people rent apartments and have moved a lot in the past or are likely to move in the future.

Working Professional Personas Biography Tara is originally from Chicago and has been living in NYC for about two years after he moved for a job. She has moved twice in the last two years in search of better value apartments.

Respondent profiles: 25-34; balanced between both male and female. Many had master’s degrees since Mobley mentioned this as their core market.

Tara, The Utilitarian “In 3 months’ time I might have to change cities, it just is the way of life. As long as I have a friend circle around, I can make any big city in the US home.” Age: 28 Work: Global Procurement Associate Manager, Pepsico Family: Single Location: New York City, NY.

Personality Career oriented, Bold, Energized, Proactive Goals Work and travel. Exploring new restaurants with her friends. Do more outdoor activities, travel to the trendiest destinations and explore bold adventures. Frustrations Job very demanding - long work hours. Commuting in NYC. Price point and convenience are the key motivations Budget $1000 - $2000 Brands IKEA, West Elm, Wayfair and Amazon

Biography Clark is from Taiwan and moved to the US as an undergrad student. He worked his way up in the tech industry and frequently moved cities when he found a better opportunity. He is in his 3rd apartment in 5 years in NYC. He moved to a better accomodation each time.

Clark, The Sophisticated

Personality Ambitious, Image conscious, Practical, Considered

“You can’t have the same furniture in a suburban house as in a high rise apartment downtown, it has to go with the atmosphere.”

Goals Find new and unique experiences. Seeks to balance work and pleasure. He wants to do well at work but also would like time to relax, have friends over and watch the latest Netflix series.

Age: 34 Work: Software Engineer Team Leader, E-Commerce company Family: Single Location: New York City, NY.

Frustrations Affording the kind of lifestyle he desires and climbing up the career ladder. More evolved consumer, with higher income and budget Budget $2000 - $3500 Brands wants to move on from IKEA and start experimenting with better brands like Crate & Barrel or ike invest more on comfortable mattresses. We see IKEA starting to become filler for the home space. 63

Biography Kristy is from New Jersey but has lived in many cities for education or work. Since getting married and settling down in NYC 4 years ago, she was forced to move twice due to amenity issues and rodent infestations.

Kristy, The Social Seeker

Personality Extroverted, Organized, Balanced, Thoughtful

“When you’re married and hosting people you want to have a put together place. I didn’t care about that when I was single.”

Goals Career as well as building a social circle. Have a stable job and home, hosting friends and family get togethers.

Age: 32 Work: Management Consulting Senior Consultant, Big 4 Family: Married Location: New York City, NY.

Frustrations Frustrations: Leaving her community behind every time they move. Logistics of moving in NYC.

Biography Sam and Nesha met in the US, they moved here during their respective undergrads. They have been living in NY for 6 years and have moved once. Most life decisions revolve around their child’s care and education.

Nesha and Sam, The Family “With a kid around you can’t buy a leather couch for example, it would just get dirty and damaged. It also has to be safe and usable for her.”

Ages: 34 & 36 Work: Advertising & Retail Operations with Corporations Family: Married with 1 Kid, 4 years old Location: New York City, NY.

Journey Map for Working Professionals:

Key difference from Student segment: When students acquire furniture they don’t seem invested in the process, as much as working professionals. While living with their furniture, working professionals may not necessarily be satisfied with it because there is always a scope to upgrade down the line.

Personality Resourceful, Outgoing, Enterprising, Classic tastes Goals Balance work and life, personal goals with aspirations for their child. Comfort and convenience are very important in purchase decisions around home. Frustrations Unable to be as ‘matched’, organized or able to express their taste completely due to practicalities of cost and child’s needs. Expensive lifestyle in NYC.

Budget $1000 - $2500

Budget $1500 - $2500

Brands IKEA, West Elm (for low-budget items), but spends on unique accessories from Pottery Barn

Brands Ikea, West Elm, Wayfair

Empathy Map for Working Professionals

From our research, we found these key attitudes operating in the category context:

What do they THINK & FEEL?

Working professionals in big cities

GAINS

They move homes / cities often in search of better opportunities Typically college educated or postgraduates

Functional Move apartments of

cities in order to reach their larger life goals

What do they SAY Moving apartments is a stressful job There’s always a better deal available somewhere NYC housing is unpredictable and conditions force one to move often, yet regulations and cost make it hard

Emotional What they DO NOW Look for pre-furnished apartments Or purchase based on value and convenience Find better pieces or add style down the line

What they NEED TO DO Find a quick and easy solution to get furnishing out of their way so that they can deal with the important issues: a path of least resistance Get furniture that is comfortable and communi cates their self expression

Emotional context of moving: Furniture is not the top priority in user’s minds while moving, especially from one city to another. Many other anxieties and hopes are playing in the background.

Social

PAINS Logistics: finding the means to move, scheduling, cost, regulations, missing pieces Planning: how much and what furniture to take or discard based on size, style, options

Find a support system in Rebuilding life, a community, each time they their new home, move building, workplace or school while striving for success Build a home in their new place Be able to socialize and make the right impression when people come over

Adulting and impressions: Moving frequently makes it hard to consistently keep ‘matched’ pieces; this adds to the cost and effort of having a ‘put together’ place

CAREER, FAMILY CITY & ADJUSTMENTS LADDER OF PRIORITIES

RIGHT APARTMENT

Parameters for choosing furniture: For the two sets of consumers that we dived into, Students give prime importance to the price and their budget while Working Professionals consider the value of the trade and are also happy to invest in convenience.

Based on the repeatedly emerging theme of price-sensitivity among the Student’s segment, our recommendation to Mobley was to focus on Working Professionals rather than Students as their core target audience.

RIGHT LOCATION

in decreasing order of importance

FURNITURE

STUDENTS PRICE

WORKING PROFESSIONALS CONVENIENCE/ HANDS-OFF

PERSONAL STYLE

COMFORT

STYLE

VALUE

in decreasing order of importance

WHO are we empathizing with?

SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH FINDINGS:

CONVENIENCE

Key Insights from the research:

What we heard consumers say (quotes):

Some high-level themes that emerged from research: 1. The inconvenience and pain of moving frequently 2. Renting Furniture is a new idea 3. Hygiene is a big concern 4. No one knows who’s responsible for discarded furniture 5. Different people assume different meanings of sustainability

On moving and furniture purchase decisions:

Would you consider renting furniture?

On sustainability in general and with regards to furniture:

“These aren’t my final places. I want them to be comfortable and presentable for visitors but I don’t want to go all out”

“I would consider renting, it would be less stuff for me to deal with from place to place. I didn’t really know it was an option”

“I don’t know what happens to furniture after it’s thrown away, maybe the trash trucks take them?”

“Since I move often, I have two categories of things, things that I definitely carry with me which are more high quality, or the other is pure utility which I’m ok if I have to discard even if I don’t get any resale out of them.” “I want to be utilitarian about furniture but I get emotionally involved in the process. There are so many options and beautiful living rooms on Pinterest” “I invested in a mattress which I have been taking with me wherever I go” “I’ve always looked for pre-furnished places to avoid the hassle”

“Maybe, I might consider renting if I knew it was for a really short term” “I don’t want to sleep in something that I know where it’s been!” “It’s probably cheaper to buy it out rather than renting you know”

“I would have to know what’s actually happening with the furniture at the end to say whether it is more sustainable or not. If It’s going to go in the trash then what’s the point.” “I would be willing to pay ~15% more for a truly more sustainable option” “For instance I’m a big supporter of Allbirds. I like their mission. I could buy cheaper shoes but I like their mission and how they go about it. I’m ok paying a little bit more if I know what’s being done with it.”

CONSUMER INSIGHT

IMPLICATIONS FOR MOBLEY

Rental as an option is not in consumers’ consideration or even awareness set:

The present battle is in the rental space:

- Even potential candidates for rental do not know that it’s an option. - Purchase is the default. - Behavior change will be needed for customer acquisition.

- Multiple mental barriers exist to renting furniture. - Awareness and category creation are the first task.

Relationship to furniture:

Not all furniture is created equal:

- Different types of furniture have different ‘rentability’: soft furniture is considered less ‘rentable’ due to perceptions around cleanliness. - In transient stages of life, two categories of furniture appear: -Investment - Priority pieces e.g. Mattresses, convertible sofas- go everywhere with me. -Disposable- Space based e.g. side tables, drawers will probably get damaged in shifting so why invest.

- Different types of furniture have different ‘rentability’: soft furniture is considered less ‘rentable’ due to perceptions around cleanliness. - Since rental furniture is such a new opportunity, create sub-segments / packages to test of different needs like variety, style, comfort etc.

Sustainability with regards to furniture is complicated:

Sustainability needs to be pursued as a company conviction, not a marketing lever:

- People have different definitions of what sustainable furniture means. They want more information on what happens after use. - Most people want to do the right thing as long as it doesn’t cause them much extra inconvenience or expense.

- Sustainability is not a priority in consumers’ furniture choices. - In itself, the rental model being a more sustainable alternative to purchasing is not obvious. Consumers want more details before they will believe this.

68 69

PART II IDEATION

From our research, we identified the key mental barriers preventing potential consumers from trying furniture rental:

Brainstorming sessions Once we had our How Might We questions structured, we wanted to expand our horizons and seek creative ideas on the role that Mobley could play in a postCOVID world, and what sustainability could mean for the brand. We started with a brainstorm of ideas that paved the way for the Mobley’s strategic positioning.

a. unfamiliarity with the furniture rental model b. hygiene concerns about the cleanliness of reused furniture

In a post-COVID world, we realized that consumer priorities were rapidly changing. Concerns around renting used furniture would only exacerbate in the immediate to medium term. Hence we decided to reframe our problem statements in order to ideate solutions directly aimed at addressing these concerns. We were now looking to ideate on

How Might We:

- Build trust in brand Mobley

- Enhance the engagement experience with the brand

- Build trust in the rental model, in a post-COVID world?

Strategic Positioning With these overarching goals and keeping in mind all of the pain points young professionals faced while relocating, we focused our ideas on helping to ease the stress around the moving process. Strategically positioning Mobley’s brand as a “Partner in life transitions” would most effectively help in addressing both Mobely’s credibility as a brand, as well as building trust in the rental model itself.

Proposed Brand Pillars

Further refinement of the concept of “Partner in life transitions” led us to the overarching idea of Mobely as the customers’ “Moving Companion”, which would ease the burden of relocating with helpful and friendly advice and solutions at every step of the way along a customers’ moving process.

Solutions After refining our ideas from the initial round of

Taking into account the Brand’s desired values and the consumers’ needs, we proposed the following pillars:

ideation, we came up with three solutions: 1. Branded line of eco-friendly cleaning products

MOBLEY’S ROLE

CUSTOMER EMPOWERMENT

PARTNER IN LIFE TRANSITIONS

FLEXIBILITY (CONVENIENCE)

SAFETY (HYGIENE)

2. A mobile app that would serve as a consumer engagement

THE JOURNEY

BEFORE MOVING

DURING THE MOVE

AFTER MOVING

hub 3. A physical experiential space

BRAND GOALS

INFORMATION ACCESS

EXPOSE TO BENEFITS

ENGAGEMENT

BUILT CREDIBILITY

EASE STRESS

CONTINUE CREATING VALUE

#1 Cleaning Solutions: Branded Product Line

#2 Your Moving Companion App: A Customer Engagement Hub

-A range of eco-friendly cleaning products made from food waste -Delivered with a booklet with directions & info about the products with the welcome kit -Can be created in partnership with a sustainable cleaning products brand or “white labeled” as a Mobley product line

-Interactive space with Blog/Tips/Videos on Moving, Cleaning and furniture maintenance -A Moving Planner to help guide the entire moving journey -AR 3D-widget to visualize product set-up in your home -Upcycling and re-design sections for inspiration and information -Recommendations of local moving service providers

#3 Experiential Space: Product Experience + Redesign Center - A space wherecustomers can come to physically experience the products, create a look for their homes - The Upcycling and redesign space where Mobley and also consumers can co-create to recycle older products into something new

-It would help bring alive the voice, values and potential spaces where Mobley could be a part of consumers’ life -As a tech-based aggregator, an app is an expectation rather than option from a consumer’s point of view -Based on the feasibility of delivering a meaningful solution in 4 weeks Objectives: -To build relationships with existing customers -To start a conversation with potential customers and drive traffic to the website -Database building and referrals Features recommended based on the positioning of “The Moving Companion”: -Furniture Conversations: interactive tips with blog/ tips/ videos on moving, cleaning and furniture maintenance -Moving planner: A planner with reminders and service features to ease the process of moving homes -Home Visualization: AR 3-D Visualization for product set-up in your home Upcycling and Re-design: upcycling and re-design sections as a gateway into the sustainability mindset -Moving Hub: Recommendations of local moving service providers. In the future, this could be monetized through local partnership

Assessing the Impact and Feasibility of the range of ideas

The Moving Companion App Considering the impact and feasibility, our initial idea was to develop the Moving Companion App for the following reasons:

HIGH EXPERIENTIAL SPACE

MOVING COMPANION APP

IMPACT

CLEANING SOLUTIONS

LOW LOW

HIGH FEASIBILITY 77

PART III PROTOTYPING, USER TESTING & STORYTELLING

Narrowing down to a prototype

Pivoting to Web plug-ins

Sizing and Visualization:

By this point, the country was in an indefinite lockdown and our client challenged us to develop implementable solutions that did not require external inputs. This meant that we had to adapt our insights and solutions to improving the user experience for Mobley’s existing website.

- Better furniture dimension and material visualization like Size guide & zoom in tool, which helps overcome the first barrier - will it fit inside the apartment of the consumer. - Potential tie-up with existing spatial sizing tech companies like PLNAR, Magicplan, for a better visualization concept for their end-users.

Research on website engagement and furniture e-commerce revealed that it’s hard for customers to relate to furniture online when compared to some other categories like fashion or electronics. We also looked at the best-performing furniture websites to benchmark product experience.

From our desk research and analysis of the current website, we came up with three potential area of solutions:

Our recommended strategic positioning and idea of the ‘Moving Companion App’ received favorable feedback from experts in branding and design. However, when the same was

Moving Planner widget:

Considering the backdrop of COVID, the client, while appreciative of the value of the idea,

An automatic Scheduler for moving-related tasks for people renting furniture from Mobley, which can be email reminders on task list

explained that they would not be able to invest in an app in a 1-2 year time frame.

IICRC Certification:

Starting from the larger questions we had, we defined our immediate goals as:

Since cleanliness will remain a huge barrier and mental block in the short-to-mid term, Mobley can get their cleaning process certified by the IICRC (facility and process related). This could differentiate Mobley from other furniture players in the market.

presented to the client, a new constraint was added to our design process: expenses.

- Addressing lack of credibility through an enhanced user experience

- Creating a smoother path-to-purchase to remove any process barriers

From these concepts we proposed two areas of improvement: 1. To bring alive the product experience online in lieu of the physical experience through parameters such as sizing visualization, texture & comfort/ feel, product storytelling and fabric assessment. 2. To optimize the product page by refining the existing page, proposing new elements as discovered from testing, and a product page template guide for navigation and design.

Our prototypes were tested through 36 Online Survey Responses and 12 In-depth UX tests Prototypes and testing 1:

Option 1

Option 2

We began by testing Mobley’s existing website and product page layout. Based on this initial feedback we created and tested: - Two styles of dimension visualization - Product window styles (vertical versus horizontal carousel) - Preferred positions of the dimension visualization

Results: Mobley’s existing webpage: had a 8.9/10 navigation score, 7.3/10 score on service quality perception and 6.7/10 score on brand trust.

Current Product Page: had a score of 6.5/10 on ease of finding relevant information. We uncovered several areas of information missing: on the rental process, rental terms, delivery terms, insurance and assemblance. Respondents also thought that some product information was hard to find such as the reviews, the furniture’s actual condition, the texture, the comfort, the sizing, etc.

Dimension Visualization: option #2 was prefered. Respondents score 8.3/10 rating on ease and clarity of understanding the sizing and dimensions

Prototypes and testing 2: Armed with the findings of the first round of testing, we refined our prototypes and introduced new elements into the product page. We used two methods here to help gain unbiased answers (in context and outside of the context of the Mobley website) and also to gauge both quantitative and qualitative insights.

Testing A - Online survey with the new images, texts and elements created for quantitative ratings - Testing two, refined styles of dimension visualization - Testing new iconographic elements proposed to visualize product attributes such as comfort and feel, and material type - Testing the new features suggested for the page

Wireframes: #1 was the prefered layout as respondents said it was easier to find the sizing visualization and it looked more organized.

Testing B UserTesting.com reviews on the layout, navigation and overall experience of the current Mobley product page and two layout wireframes created in Invision. We tested two new layouts: version A and version B (where we added the new features, iconography, dimension visualization). The two versions had the same information but it was placed in a different way.

Results Testing A

Testing B

- Dimension Visualization: 81% of the respondents prefered style 1 against the style 2 - they liked the color over the grayscale and they preferred the 3D visualization as it adds a sense of depth.

-Current Page layout - Respondents didn’t like the pop-up box and did not like being directed to the FAQ’s by the subscription box. They said that the page needed reviews and that they didn’t like the design, although the big pictures were helpful.

- New Iconography: product feel & confort scored 7.6/10 in ease and clarity of understanding, and material type scored 7.7/10 in ease and clarity of understanding. - Information blocks (Sections): Ratings and Reviews scored 9.6/10 for importance on the page, user photographs scored 9/10 for importance on the page, styling and looks had a relatively low score with 6.8/10 for importance on the page

-Version A- Respondents said that they liked the iconography and the placement of the FAQ sections. They liked the furniture dimension visualization and the whole layout of the page. -Version B- Respondents said that some sections (Why we chose this and Product Features) were too big. They liked the furniture dimension visualization and the filters at the top of the page.

Version A was the prefered version for 64% of the interviewees. Respondents thought that it is easy to navigate, has more information than the original layout, and it is more organized that version B. Version A had a score of 8.7/10 for ease of navigation and 9.4/10 for effectiveness.

Final Wireframe:

Final Prototype:

Taking into consideration all these responses, we proposed this final wireframe and layout for Mobley’s furniture page:

Based on revised wireframe, we created this our final prototype for Mobley’s product display page:

KEY INSIGHTS FOR FUTURE PRODUCT PAGE DESIGN

Top Recommendations

users prefer product images to be as big as possible and providing visual significantly improves product experience Ease of information location a clean layout was preferred with all product information located on one side of the page Filters adding filters to a page provided users the opportunity to look for relevant products rather than having to scroll through an entire range

Iconography

Sizing Visualization Assessment Scale

Related Products & Relevant Recommendations

Product Storytelling

CAD details for product

5. Other Related Products From here on we are in the “desirable” zone rather than the “must-have” zone. Other products that go with what I’m looking at are nice to have

Visual language comes through

FAQs

Continued testing to further refine UX

4. CAD Detail These help to plan layouts and in choosing products that fit in your home

is a critical add on in the absence of 3D visualization capabilities. Providing a human scale helps contextualize how a piece of furniture will fit into a space

The colored, intersecting sections of the diagram show how integration of each feature into the company’s product visualization strategy would address the various goals of building confidence among consumers for the company’s brand, build trust for the rental model, as well as enhance the overall UX experience for the user by providing thoughtfully curated, carefully designed, and easily accessible information needed for a user to arrive at a decision to confidently make a rental purchase.

E N GA

3. FAQs Renting is not a straightforward process and respondents sought answers to fundamental queries easily

Dimension Visualization

2. From Customers’ Homes This section featured images uploaded by users on actual products received and how they used or styled these Mobley products. Since the items are rented as opposed to new and purchased, this feature is critical to build trust and transparency

6. Styling Looks A nice to have feature but not a must

REN

1. Ratings are reviews Most requested and top rated feature. It adds credibility and trust

Visual & Navigation

Feature Hierarchy

Fabric & Material Assessment through Swatches Product Page Navigation

We uncovered a clear hierarchy of features as desired by consumers as well as certain preferences to be kept in mind:

Upon analyzing the feedback from testing of our prototype iterations and research findings, we found that integration of the recommended features would effectively address more than one areas of concern framed by our revised How Might We statements

Ratings & Reviews Texture / Comfort / Feel

Build trust in Mobley

User Images

Enhance engagement & experience Build trust in the rental model

What Value do these recommendations bring to Mobley?

To distill the tangible and intangible values that our design and testing insights bring to the table, we used a Value Canvas adapted from the Platform Design Toolkit’s Entity Portrait (accessed from https:// platformdesigntoolkit.com/toolkit/):

Quantitatively, our results provide the improvement opportunities of:

STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS TIMELINE CONSUMER LENS

ACCESS GAINS á

Performance Pressures

Sizing visualization assessment scale

In context user images

Relevant related product suggestions

Product storytelling

Iconography system

Material assessment info

High quality product images

Product page layout navigation

Fabric swatch info / samples

Product image zoom in feature

3D Visualization of products

CAD details

AR Room Planner

ASSETS Potential that can be leveraged CAPABILITIES

Frequently Asked Questions Ratings & Reviews

Product Webpage Optimization addressing: navigation, ease of use and credibility

S AI N G E Customers not needing to look for critical information

Gains Sought Least amount of a potential customer to make a rental decision

Bringing alive the furniture experience digitally by adding context through product attributes such as sizing, texture, comfort and reliability.

Current Goals

TASK

Developers team Product & styling know-how

IE EN NV CO

Mobley website Product images Consumer preferences data

Online experience of rental furniture lags behind in trust. This creates a gap between consumer intent and actual purchase.

Expanding the potential of renting to a wider segment through delightful experience

VALUE GAINS Increases conversion rates Reduces return rates

Improved Website UX Addressing concerns around hygiene, product quality and service by introducing transparency and consumer voices

Increase in website engagement

Trust, Credibility, Transparency

Creates a direct feedback loop with customers - data generation for product selection & service enhancement

Brand recognition & positive word-of-mouth Initiates cycle of improved consumer feedback

44% increase in Product Page Effectiveness 34% improvement in Brand Trust Perception based on exposure to the protype page vs. the company’s current page

Our Prototyping Journey

BUSINESS TEAM

OVERVIEW

RESEARCH FOCUS What are the founders’ journeys and how do their values align? How do the founders’ values influence organizational culture? How is sustainability currently viewed within the organization?

Research Focus & Design Process As a team we chose to focus our research on Mobley’s internal processes and culture. We utilized interview and workshop research techniques to gather insight into our primary questions. After synthesis of our research we used our ‘How might we questions’ to guide us in developing our solution which enables Mobley to practice and communicate a core value of the company along with sustainability. This solution was in the form of a dashboard that was prototyped and tested with users.

RESEARCH

SYNTHESIS

IDEATION

PROTOTYPING

Ecosystem Map Value Proposition Workshop Mobley Team Interviews Value Alignment Survey

Distilling Values & Insights

Brainstorming Value Health Metric

Prototype v00-v04 Usertests & Results

95 94

PART I DESIGN RESEARCH & SYNTHESIS

Ecosystem Mapping Prior to our Integrative Studio I class our team members were unaware of Mobley as a company and have never personally rented furniture. To better familiarize ourself with Mobley’s model and the furniture rental market we conducted desk research about the company’s process and competitors. This information was mapped into a visual ecosystem by key activity, sub activity, assumed sub-activity, cause/ 96

Integrative Studio 1 Class reviewing Ecosystem Maps effect, stakeholder and function. We then asked the Mobley Team to cross check our understanding of their process .

Mobley Team Interviews Beginning with Mobley’s co-founders, Aditya and Daniel, we led independent guided discussions to identify each co-founder’s personal journey and values. These interviews provided deep insight into their decision making processes and the type of culture they were trying to cultivate within Mobley. Their ideals were then tested through employee interviews which informed our understanding of the current culture and daily operations of the company. 98

Otter Transcriptions from Founder and Team Interviews

Value Proposition Workshop In the midst of the interview process, the business team also designed and led a Value Proposition Workshop to better understand the perceived customer pains and gains. The workshop utilized the Value Proposition Canvas, which encouraged both students and employees to add their thoughts to a life sized canvas. From this exercise we learned more about the roles and responsibilities of the employees within the company, as well as the

perceived gain creators and pain relievers of Mobley’s services.

Mobley team and Parsons students participating in the Value Proposition Workshop

Research Synthesis

PRODUCT DANIEL Co-Founder Branding Digital Experience

“work well with others and lead teams and be collaborative but also not getting into group think” “People tend to overpay a lot, which I didn't like because I don't like overpaying for stuff: lack of transparency - price gouging”

GAINS CREATORS

Furniture Rental White Glove Delivery Curated Packages Assembly

PRODUCTS ADITYA Co-Founder Partnerships Product Cu-ration

“I love the concept of sharing. Sharing food sharing memories. I love sharing, and I think it's purely for average cost me I just find it wasteful not have something maximized.”

PAIN RELIVERS

“experienced living in good homes and terrible homes...you are a product of your environment”

KIM Logistics Experience Interface

“your personal values in business- having transparency amongst your specific team”

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To further narrow the guiding principles of the company and its culture we created a Value Alignment Survey and distributed it to the entire Mobley Team.

ZACH Experience Service Delivery

Boldness, Style, Relief Empowerment, Assembly Design at Affordable Price Flexibility

“Mobley followed through, with the growth of the company, growth of my position”

JOBS “you have to learn to work with the customer and understand their needs” “very transparent. It’s one of those things you can tell when somebody is speaking”

Efficient Checkout Varied Lease Terms Customer Service Trust, Pick Up

CUSTOMER

GAINS After conducting both the Client Team Interviews and the Value Proposition Workshop, we then began synthesizing our information to find gaps in our understanding. By reviewing the interview recordings we noticed repeated words and phrases amongst interviewees. When we cross referenced with the Value Proposition Canvas, these phrases distilled into potential core values of Transparency, Accessibility, Flexibility, Growth, Design, Diversity, and Sustainability.

Easy Logistics Proud of Home Clear &Policy Digital Experience Flexibility

PAINS

Ownership Investment, Logistics Limited Delivery Delivery Costs Limited Choice

Living Ethically Self-Expression Stress Relief Making House into Home

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Value Alignment Survey

The results from the Value Alignment Survey are presented in the graphs below. The values that personally resonate with the majority of the team are transparency, accessibility and sustainability. Operations Manager, Kim, also added appreciation to the personal value field. The same majority selected core business values of transparency, accessibility, design and growth. Notice that transparency and accessibility overlap in both areas. For both questions, co-founder Daniel wrote in his own values of ethics, velocity, collaboration and resilience. When asked about situational importance, the team indicated the importance of transparency and growth for all parts of the business, while sustainability is only perceived as important in product offerings. The values the majority of the team would most like to improve are design and sustainability. Operations Manager, Kim, also added structure/agenda to this field.

Core values chosen by mobley team members

Value Alignment Survey

CORE BUSINESS VALUES

Please complete this form independently. * Required

I am *

CORE PERSONAL VALUES

TRANSPARENCY ACCESSIBILITY FLEXIBILITY

Please select the FOUR values that are most important to you, personally. *

DESIGN

Check all that apply.

SUSTAINABILITY

Transparency Accessibility Flexibility Design Sustainability

GROWTH DIVERSITY + APPRECIATION

Growth Diversity Other:

The Value Alignment Survey helped identify our list of potential company and culture values from Mobley Team Interviews and the Value Proposition Workshop. The survey below was distributed to the entire Mobley team who were asked to complete it independently. Questions were created to further understand general alignment, situational value importance and value improvement areas.

Please select the FOUR values most important to Mobley * Check all that apply.

Value Alignment Survey form and 4 core values chosen by mobley team members

Transparency Accessibility Flexibility Design Sustainability Growth Diversity Other:

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Survey Result Synthesis

Key Insights

After the Mobley team completed the survey we began another round of synthesis to analyze the responses and Customer Interactions Partner Relationships compare the results to our previous research. Based on the Value Alignment Product Offerings Survey it would appear that the coCustomer Interactions founders, Aditya and Daniel, were not Team Interactions aligned on the company’s core values. Business Decisions Product Offerings However when re-reviewing their personal interviews, we noticed that their individual values were complementary rather than Team Interactions conflicting. Together they seem to show characteristics of a design mindset empathy, resilience, customer needs, Graph shows the result as chosen by holistic approach, design Business Decisionsexperience, the accessibility and sustainability. Based on 20team for situations where each value would be important role to play out all of our research we concluded:

Partner Relationships

Transparency Growth

Transparency

Design

Growth

Flexibility Diversity

Design

Accessibility

Flexibility

Sustainability 0

Diversity

• Mobley is trying to build an organization culture with a possible design mindset. • The Founders complement each other in thoughts and values, but there is a need for clarity in meaning and defined core values. • Sustainability is seen as an improvement point but did not surface as part of important values. A link between Sustainability and Transparency could play out in Mobley’s business and narrative.

Accessibility Sustainability 0 104

20 105

PART II IDEATION

• How might we clarify the core values of Mobley? • How might we use the values to build Mobley’s narrative? • How might we use the values to scale the organizational culture of Mobley? • How might we crystallize a sustainability strategy in the organization?

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Overview Our research provided a clearer understanding of the internal business processes and culture of Mobley. With our synthesized results we developed four “How Might We” questions to guide our next phase, ideation. To answer these questions, we first took time to brainstorm individually before sharing our thoughts as a team. Using Mural.ly, and a virtual whiteboard tool, we rearranged these ideas into buckets to identify common themes and see where ideas could merge. We found that many of our ideas fell into the categories of Internal Matrix/Audit and Narratives of Furniture/ Service. These ideas were presented to the Mobley Team during a Co-Creation Workshop. Co-founder, Aditya, was very excited by the potential to share Mobley’s decision making process with customers so we narrowed our potential prototypes to a Value Health Dashboard and a user connection narrative to help Mobley communicate their values and current goals.

Why

What

How

Clarifying Core Values

•

Sustainability Mission Statement

• •

Founders Questionnaires Dialogue Creators

Organizational Values Audit

• • • • •

Decision Making Tools Sustainability Audit Matrix Hiring Rubric Partnership Rubric Internal Sustainability Practices

• • • •

Value Cards Flow Charts Hands On Virtual Tool Organizational Best Practices

•

Transparency - share decision making process with customers Template to make story of each furniture piece visible Social Media/ direct communication with audience

•

Cleaning Process Pictures/Videos on Website Environment Healing Narrative + Furniture Wastage Framework/Process to find/create each furniture piece story

External Narratives of Furniture and Services

• •

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PICK UP/FEEDBACK FORM FROM CUSTOMER 1 By doing so you have reduced the use of resources to make a fresh piece of furniture. You have reduced xx% of energy

THANK YOU FOR

made your mark on being environmentally friendly. You PICK UP/FEEDBACKCHOOSING FORM FROM CUSTOMER 1and THIS PIECE have inherited a piece of memory by a member of our

THANK YOU FOR USING THIS PIECE FROM THE MOBLEY

community in the city.

Soon this piece will ﬁnd its home with another member in our circle. What do would you want them to know about your time with this piece?

THANK YOU F CHOOSING THIS

YOU FOR USING THIS Story of this piece by its THANK maker PIECE FROM THE MOBLEY

Soon this piece will ﬁnd its home with another member in our circle. What do would you want them to know about your time with this piece?

CUSTOMER 1

RATE My satisfaction with the overall experience

My satisfaction with the overall experience

Scale 1 Scale 2 Scale 3 Scale 4

My likelihood to use mobley in the future

Follow the journey

A value health dashboard would contain several metrics under the distilled values which can help Mobley keep track of their performance. Some segments of the dashboard can be made visible to customers to inform them of Mobley’s practices.

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Follow the journey

This piece which was made by an artist in brooklyn will now move another user who falls in love with like you did. We will clean it up and help them set it up in their new home. This might go happen a few more times before we send it to our design centre where it will turned into a another product. You might be able to have that product in your home in the future

2. Welcome Kit -Connecting Users/Speaking Transparently

MARKET TRENDS COMPANY TRENDS

STAKEHOLDER INTERACTION DASHBOARD

PRODUCT DATA

MOBLEY DASHBOARD

MARKET TRENDS COMPANY TRENDS

STAKEHOLDER INTERACTION DASHBOARD

PRODUCT DATA

CUSTOMER INTERACTION

MOBLEY DASHBOARD

CUSTOMER 2

CUSTOMER 1

CUSTOMER

CUSTOMER 2

CUSTOMER 1

CUSTOM

Here’s a message from a membe

What happens to this piece next? Follow the journey

What happens to this piece next?

The welcome kit for users would contain information about the product they are renting such as it’s previous rental cycles, material details, photos and messages from previous users, cleaning information and its sustainability impact. This would help Mobley build a community around their rental service while bringing transparency, in turn trust, into their process.

Scale 1 Scale 2 Scale 3 Scale 4

My experience with the product was worth the price. I knew details about the make and use of the peice when I rented it.

I knew details about the make and use of the peice when I rented it.

1. Value Dashboard/ Metric

View how we care for our furniture after each rental cycle using sustainable cleaning products by *cleaning product partners* Sustainability Certiﬁcation

Here’sMya likelihood message to usefrom mobleyainmember the future of the mobley community

My experience with the product was worth the price.

Follow the journey

CUSTOMER 2

RATE

Sustainability Certiﬁcation

Story of this piece by its make

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PART III PROTOTYPING, USER TESTING & IMPLEMENTATION

open access to information, clear goals and expectations

GROUP

At the beginning of the prototyping process, the Business Team listed all the values of Mobley and identified several metrics that can be measured under each value. Having realized that transparency is an important aspect of the company’s vision, we narrowed down to develop a value health dashboard that can both highlight and communicate the role of transparency and sustainability to Mobley’s customers. The transparency dashboard contains data that informs customers about Mobley’s performance metrics in terms of customer experience and product sustainability. We started the process by identifying key metrics under these segments and creating a low-fi wireframe to visualize this information. User tests helped us refine and redesign our final prototypes.

Amount of #2 Scale

Average Re-Rental Amount of Responsible Disposal Product How well did the phsyical product meet your online expectations?

Our goal was to make the metrics measurable and communicative. The metrics were segmented into business, customer and product. We compiled the internal use version of the metrics into a question-based rubric which could be filled out with the input from either Mobley employees or their customers.

Transparency - Metric table

DATA SOURCE

Service

Delivery

Setup

DATA

TIMEFRAME MEASUREMENT Sustainability Certifications

VISUAL OUTPUT

Manual Input

Number of Pieces

Yearly

Pie Chart

Manual Input

Number of Pieces

Yearly

Pie Chart

Number of Pieces

Yearly

Amount of #3 Scale

Overall Rating

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METRICS Amount of #1 Scale

PRODUCT SUSTAINABILITY

Prototype v00 Low-fi Wireframe

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Overview

VALUE HEALTH DASHBOARD: TRANSPARENCY

Manual Input Manual Input

Product Lifespan Mode in the data set Responsible disposal/total disposal

Whole Number Yearly

Pie Chart

Survey Input

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

Rate mobley's sustainability practices

Survey Input

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

How was the condition of our furniture when you recieved it?

Survey Input

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

How well coordinated and timely was our product delivery?

Survey Input

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

1-5 Rating Scale

Continuous

Ratings Chart

How professional was our white glove Survey Input service provider? How was your overall experience with Mobley?

Survey Input

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GROWTH product transparency, business transparency, customer transparency

DEF : o peness to ideas, seek ing o utside per spectiv es, wo r k ing r elatio nships

DEF : gr o wi ng em plo yee s k i lls , fi nanci al gr o wth, netwo r k gr o wth

How often are you encouraged to take on new responsibilites?

How well do you support your colleagues?

How often are you encouraged to engage in new learning?

How often do you work with cross functional teams? How often are stakeholders engaged in business deicisons? Are the partners being openly discussed with the customer?

PRODUCT Are the customers incentivised to share their interaction/experience with their Mobley furniture on social platforms?

CUSTOMER

PRODUCT

QUESTIONS How often do you feel challenged in your role?

How often are stakeholders engaged in business decisions?

Are the customers aware of the sustainability rubric/ selection criteria? # of custom orders # of artisan stories % of artisan product # of active vendors Social Engagement

TYPE Employee Growth

How well do you collegues support you? Stakeholder Engagement Partnerships

CUSTOMER

GROUP

QUESTIONS How often is there open discussion around business decisions?

BUSINESS

TYPE Employee Collaboration

BUSINESS

GROUP

COLLABORATION product transparency, business transparency, customer transparency

Social Engagement Rate # of Reposts # of Hashtags

Did you have enough time to engage in new learning? # of employees # of succesful deliveries # of rentals Average lease length # of product offerings # of product categories % of rented inventory # of product price points # of product partners

GROUP

Customer Retention Ratio

How well are vacation days respected? How well is personal time respected?

PRODUCT

How well are special needs being meet in the workplace?

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t ?

Ideal ratio must be as close as possible to 1

[No. of active customer: no. of customers served] # referrals

Are customers willing to refer friends/family to this platform?

TYPE

Collaboration and Accessibility

QUESTIONS How often are you inspired by your work space?

BUSINESS

How often are you able to work remotely? How often are you able to have a flexible work schedule?

# of products in low price # of product in medium price # of product in high price % of product donated

product transparency, business transparency, customer transparency

QUESTIONS

PRODUCT

BUSINESS

# of delivery zip codes

DESIGN

product transparency, business transparency, customer transparency

TYPE

No. of Active Customers

ACCES IBILITY GROUP

How efficent are internal processes? how oftern are innovative ideas adopted in your processes? how would you rate your customer empathy in your work? Do the customers know what goes behind mobley's design/curation Curation Process

process? Do the customers have an impact (through recommendations) on Mobley's curation process?

Growth and Design 113

Transparency Dashboard

Prototype v01 & User testing 1 Survey Results (16 responses)

Prototyping and User-test Method Using the details of the transparency metric, the dashboard was designed to be placed above the foot-holder of every page on the Mobley website. The dashboard had 3 panels - customer rating, service impact and product sustainability. Google forms were sent out to potential customers to view the prototype link and share their experience. The survey collected 16 responses and the results informed the re-design of the prototype.

Method

Criteria

Survey - Experience Prototype Link

Digital navigation experience and design of dashboard

Survey - Information Architecture and communication

Clear communication of information, Importance/influence of information on decision making and additional/unnecessary information

77%

88%

How easily were you able to locate the new information?

Informed about Previous Customer’s Experience

80%

75%

Influence of Information on Decision

Informed about Company Sustainability Practices

>3 out of 4

100% >3 out of 6

Dashboard Experience

Prototype v01 Hi-fi Dashboard Experience

“Very clean and simple design. Looks inviting & informational” 115

Good to know

Helps in Decision making

Wouldn't decide without this

Prototype v02

Does not matter to me

4 3 2 1 0

Customer Experience Rating

Service Impact

Product Sustainability

“The new information fits in comfortably with the 6 theme of the site. Information is very relevant to a 5 user and helps in the decision making process.” 4

Good to know Helps in Decision making Wouldn't decide without this Does not matter to me

3 2 “Would be nice to know what those numbers actually mean to me. I don’t know if I should care 1 about it or not as long as I don’t know how it 0 Customer Experience Rating Product Sustainability would affect me.”

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Taking into consideration the results from the user testing we reworked a few changes with the information architecture and the descriptions of the data to communicate to users about how the data is calculated.

1 0

Prototype v03 & User Testing 2

Service Impact

Product Sustainability

Good to know

Helps in Decision making Wouldn't decide without this

Criteria, method & result (10 interviews) Prototype v03 has two panels - customer satisfaction and product sustainability. The data in the panel was reworked from previous prototypes to simplify information architecture and make it easier for users to understand. It also ensures that Mobley can implement this sooner with the data that they have presently. The example furniture in the product sustainability panel connects the users to shop for products according to the sustainability scale ratings given to them.

Customer Experience Rating

Does not matter to me

For the most valuable information in the two panels, the following were rated highly:

Customer Satisfaction Panel 1. Overall Customer Satisfaction Score 2. Individual Reviews Product Sustainability Panel 1. Average Rental Cycle 2. Responsible Product Disposal 3. Certified Product Example

Zoom interviews of 30 minutes were set up with 10 potential customers in the working professional segment. We observed their interaction with the dashboard on screen and followed it up with the interview with a set of quantitative and qualitative questions.

Method

Criteria

Zoom Interviews with Experience Prototype Link

Dashboard Experience - navigation experience, communication of data, trust and transparency, Feedback Form Experience

Interview with Survey

Importance/influence of information on decision making and brand perception, additional/unnecessary information

Customer Experience Rating

88%

Product Sustainability

60%

Easy to understand Customer Satisfaction

Hard to understand Product Sustainability

Liked Visual Design

Disliked Navigation

65%

88%

Helped Decision Making

Trust the information Provided

70%

60%

“If you’re going through all that transparency, then it would be good to know what the 65% is and the other 35%” “make it just one click or hover to open with all information presented ”

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Survey Form

Final Prototype

The final prototype reflected changes from user testing 2. The panels were redesigned to open as a single layout which provides all information with one click. With the overall ratings and average product, delivery and setup scores, customer reviews are beside it and are designed to be scrollable. To establish the fact that Mobley does not tamper with their feedback and reviews, we are proposing an integration of the customer satisfaction panel with external review platforms. Design for email Along with the dashboard we tested the feedback survey form that would inform the customer satisfaction panel. The response from users about the visual design, length of survey and the questions asked was positive. According to the test results, the email version of the form is to be kept to a minimum number of questions, with star ratings to make it easy and fast for customers to provide feedback.

For the product sustainability panel we added in descriptions about the data provided and redesigned the chart that communicates the sustainability scale data. This chart connects to the sustainability page on the website.

Customer Satisfaction Dashboard

customers like email integrations, website pop-ups etc

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The metric data updates real-time from the surveys filled by customers. To increase credibility of the reviews and survey we recommend that the dashboard be

integrated with third party reviewers like Google/Yelp/Trustpilot. Similarly, for surveys companies like delighted provide different ways to collect feedback from 123

Product Sustainability Dashboard

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Future Recommendation

Implementation Timeline

Short: 3-5 months

Mid: 8-12 months

Long: 12-18 months

• •

• • • • •

•

Partner with third party review system Build panel into website

•

A potential extension of the transparency dashboard, with deeper insights into Mobley’s carbon emissions, offered a breakdown of the numbers along with data on how these numbers were calculated. This would highlight how Mobley is bringing down carbon emissions in the long run by re-rentals that would eliminate the emissions needed in the process from manufacturing to shipping each time a new product is bought, and other such insights that they would collect over time. 126

Implement QR or RFID tracking Track average rental cycle per product Identify responsible disposal locations Track end of life for each product Implement Product Sustainability Scale Build panel into website

Google Analytics Data and Business Impact Our dashboard would help provide maximum information on the main page and increase the visit duration of each user. In addition, it will reduce the bounce rate and increase conversion rate by giving customers information that they would want to know more about.

• •

Partner with manufacturing and transportation services to track average carbon emissions Outline all inputs and outputs of service Compare emissions as rental cycles increase

“Facts and figures always help, very clearly presented, the promise of information that isn’t just from the company” Change in Mobley’s present website average

52% Bounce Rate

61s

Visit Duration

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After almost 5 months since the kick off date, the Parsons x Mobley strategy project came to fruition.

CO-CREATION WORKSHOPS

100+

PROTOTYPES & ITERATIONS

CLIENT MEETINGS

60+

CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS

4xx CUPS OF COFFEE

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

We have achieved and surpassed our project goals at the beginning by delivering these strategies to our client: 1. Improve Mobley’s transparency and credibility through a value health dashboard 2. Engage and enhance user experience through a multi-dimensional and comprehensive product page 3. Position Mobley as a brand committed to sustainability and on its way to become an industry thought leader through sustainability scale, webpage, and customer incentives. We are so grateful for the guidance of faculty members Karen and Cameron, who have been challenging and supporting all 3 teams throughout this process. We would also like to thank Mobley for their input and co-creation in this learning journey. We have learned so much about the furniture rental industry, as well as experienced the nuances of strategic design in helping businesses deliver value to the customers they serve. And most importantly, as Cameron always says, we learned how to design like we give a damn. 128

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