Permit Depot
Home projects can be cumbersome, confusing and challenging. And that's not even taking into consideration the work itself. The permitting process can be a major headache for DIYers large and small. Our app works to solve this problem.
Timeline: 5 weeks
Team: Jeremy Hamann, Mitchel Roe, and Hayley Smith
Client: The City of Denver
Roles: combined team effort in all areas with personal emphasis on sourcing users, spearheading research plans and execution
The problem 🧐
Because the current process is slow, unclear, and requires too many touch-points, homeowners that do projects around their house without help from a contractor need a new tool to:
Obtain information about the permitting process for their specific project
Access permit specific services online
Independently track the process
The solution 🥳
Create a mobile app that home DIYers can access anywhere to understand when and why they would need a permit and help them with the inspection process later down the road.
*Working through to medium-fidelity screens
Insights💡
What was the biggest problem?
Well, not actually what we thought. With the thousands of counties around with different processes, we thought submitting for the permits and waiting would be antiquated and frustrating.
What was actually frustrating or difficult?
Knowing when you need a permit
Managing the inspection process
Direction 🗺
Permitting was chosen out of relevance with COVID-19. After digging in, it was really clear to see that homeowners don’t have an easy way to find the information they need quickly regarding permitting and inspections. Understanding that led us to focus on the beginning and end, while leaving the middle piece untouched.
Personas 👥
Greg & Kim
Greg and Kim are our newbie DIYers. They lead busy lives with a couple of kids, owning a home, and running on a tight budget. With more time at home during COVID they began noticing the updates their home needs but aren’t able to take on the added expense of a contractor. With what feels like 10 minutes of free time everyday how can spend the hours researching, applying, and waiting around for inspections?
Ryan
Ryan is the typical contractor. He juggles multiple projects, pulling permits for his clients, and working on his own home. Working with the city is second nature at this point, but inspections are still a pain. He’s lost so much time and money waiting around with 12 hour windows for inspections. How can his business thrive with these inefficiencies that are out of his control?
MVP 🤝
The team’s final iteration walkthrough. These screens were brought to medium fidelity. Flows for Learn, Projects, and Inspections are shown.
Validation ✨
“I like it. I think it’s great and fills a need.”
— Katie, homeowner
“Super navigable and I never felt lost. Good job!”
— Dylan, homeowner
Next Steps ➡️
Future Iterations
Iterations beyond the MVP will be necessary. A few of the top features include:
A robust Communication Portal
Inspector Tracker Map
Advanced and expanded education section within “Learn”
More Research
Research is the core of UX and one of the aspects I enjoy the most. This project was born out of need during COVID, so curiosity would lead me to wonder how other municipalities and counties are handling virtual procedures.
Wizard Feature
Time and budget permitting,I would conduct usability testing, contextual inquiry, and A/B testing for the “Browse” and “Guide Me” options within “Learn.” Are they both necessary? Which options is utilized more? Why?