Redesigning a mobile app for a Scandinavian household company

In contrast to Hemfrid's outstanding reputation, the legacy customer application frequently received negative feedback from users. Among the issues mentioned were unintuitive navigation and a complicated booking process. Requesting add-ons was also a hassle – users had to call or email because the app lacked the necessary functionality. Additionally, it was missing booking history and key details for scheduled occasions, such as service inclusions and staff information (with name and photo).

In other words, instead of simplifying the flow for both parties, the application ended up creating more work for Hemfrid's support team and resulted in a low usage rate among customers. All the issues mentioned earlier prompted the company to commission a full redesign, addressing everything: from changes in information architecture and a better user experience to a fresh new look inspired by clean Scandinavian aesthetics, aligned with the recent visual updates on the corporate website.

Based on the information gathered, InUse defined key personas and prepared an Impact Map that included user stories and product goals. Additionally, they identified user pain points, shared valuable insights from the conversations with real customers, and proposed ideas that our team could implement (but doesn’t have to!) on the Hemfrid project.

Stakeholders from Hemfrid visited Cracow for two days, which gave both of our teams the opportunity to meet in person and plan next steps. During the workshop, we applied the Impact-Effort Matrix method (a typical Agile approach) to prioritize the user stories and decide which of them would be included in MVP.

Moreover, I led the team in using the Abstraction Laddering method (commonly used in Design Thinking) to try to solve user pain points and discover the motivations behind customer behavior.

Honestly, this part took us some time, as my design mate and I wanted to create precise user flows for both guest and authenticated users. It paid off – this not only helped us identify potential confusion points early on but also gave our developers (both frontend and backend) a solid foundation for shaping the app’s information architecture on their end.

Once we mapped the user flows and had them approved by the client, our team created mid- and high-fidelity wireframes, which soon evolved into detailed wireflows. That left us just one step away from bringing it all together in an interactive prototype (also built in Figma) to test the proposed mobile app’s layout, navigation, and ease of use.

With the help of another designer, I prepared a clickable prototype that was quite extensive, as we aimed to validate a lot of our initial assumptions. Our team understood the responsibility; it was a very little room for error, as we were redesigning an app customers had previously complained about – and we saw this as a chance to regain their trust.

At that point, I realized we needed to split the prototype into smaller parts to reduce cognitive load for participants. Our team wrote a script outlining the tasks and clear success criteria for each. Then we divided the prototype into two parts (up to 5-7 tasks each) and uploaded them to the Useberry platform for unmoderated testing.

After running two separate tests with around 12-14 participants each, our design team started analyzing behavioral data from the sessions. An additional source of feedback came from the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, which we included at the end of each test. The second prototype, however, performed worse, both in terms of in-platform analytics and SUS scores.

These findings made us rethink the information architecture and adjust some screens. We then prepared an updated version of the prototype and ran a follow-up usability test. This time, the results were more than just satisfying – they were strong enough to give me confidence that our team is ready to move on to the next phase!

With this new feature, potential customers can check the app's functionality and learn about Hemfrid's home services before signing any contract, purchasing a subscription, or creating an account. This not only allows users to make an informed decision, but also reduces application drop-off rates and builds trust in the company early in the customer journey.

Moreover, I suggested to the Product Owners creating a dedicated tab that would act as a “home” section. We called it “Discover”, as the name better reflects its purpose: helping users explore services and access useful articles on organization or valuable tips for home cleaning. For authenticated users, it also displays cards with upcoming and recent bookings.

To address communication challenges, we also introduced a dedicated Support tab, where users can find all available contact options (including an email address, a phone number, and information about their area manager) as well as a section with frequently asked questions (FAQ).

In the following iteration, we planned to enhance this section with a chatbot, which would be also connected to each booking, letting users start a conversation about a specific visit directly. I was involved in crafting the concept and wireframes, though the feature was released some time after I left.

In the new version of the app, the team decided to move away from using the traditional calendar as the default view. Instead, we implemented a continuous timeline that shows all bookings in a single scrollable list. This decision was based on the ongoing nature of the service: over 90% of users have a weekly cleaning subscription and rarely book additional services.

We also discovered an interesting cultural difference between us and the Swedish: they tend to plan in weeks rather than months. To support this, we added a dynamic week slider to the timeline. In parallel, we designed a booking screen where users can view details, see who’s coming, leave notes, and manage occasions. This was later implemented on the web platform as well.

I initiated the creation of a shared Design System for our team of mobile app designers and developers, as well as for the team working on the website. Also, I started writing detailed documentation in Figma covering how and when different components should be used, along with their specifications.

Later on, we began having regular calls with frontend developers to align naming conventions and properties of components across design files, Storybook, and developer documentation.

In July 2023, I proposed to submit the Hemfrid project to the WaysConf Awards competition in the “Mobile applications” category. Together with my fellow designer, we prepared a detailed case study that clearly showcased our design process and emphasized key lessons learned.

The product itself and the work behind it were highly praised by the jury, and we were nominated as one of the top 5 mobile apps. This recognition was incredibly meaningful – not only as a personal milestone in my career as a Product Designer, but also for our entire team, the company I worked for, and Hemfrid.