Co-Grid is a virtual co-working space where employees can stay connected, get support, and stay motivated while working from home.
Individual Case Study
3 months | April 2020 - July 2020
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, 5 million people have transitioned to working remotely. Three in five people have stated they would like to continue to work from home even after the pandemic is over. After transitioning to working from home, 13% more workers mention they struggle with mental health issues. Currently, 18% of the total United States workforce are dealing with mental health issues, which include depression and anxiety.
How might we help remote workers stay connected, supported, and motivated so that they can enjoy the work-from-home experience?
Co-grid helps remote workers stay connected, supported, and motivated through virtual work sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities.
In order to fully understand the work from home experience, I conducted interviews with people who worked from home before the pandemic. The target age group was 22 to 35 years old with occupations and positions ranging from freelancers, associates, and directors. More importantly, the survey sought to understand each individual’s biggest struggles, daily wellness practices, productivity levels, and personal preferences when working from home.
Remote workers struggle most with productivity, time management, and work-life balance. Due to these challenges, 40% of the US workforce are currently experiencing burnout, which may manifest itself into rapid mental health decline. Implementing initiatives focused on virtual interactions and growth opportunities can help develop a healthy work-life balance.
After transitioning to working from home, 13% more workers mention they struggle with mental health issues. Currently, 18% of the total United States workforce are dealing with mental health issues, which include depression and anxiety. 40% of the US workforce are experiencing burnout due to longer working hours when working from home. This could be caused by the lack of work-life balance and the inability to connect with co-workers during breaks.
Remote workers struggle most with productivity, time management, and lack of motivation. Virtual hangouts and work sessions could increase employee motivation and productivity levels. To address burnout, implementing a virtual work session could help with the separation of work and home life.
75% of remote workers have taken virtual educational, wellness, fitness, or therapy sessions. This indicates that work-from-home employees are looking to implement virtual learning into their daily wellness practices.
I developed a scenario for Nicole to understand her experience and perspective while working from home. Nicole feels a variety of mixed emotions while working remotely. She becomes anxious when she is not as productive as she wants to be. At 25, she is upset that she has not networked in 6 months and made any career advancements.
During my ideation process, I uncovered the four most important categories that play a big role in users' needs. By identifying the key features of Co-Grid ahead of time, I was able to create the user flow, wireframes, and prototype efficiently.
I created a user flow with the intention of building a network to allow for easy communication with other users. This could be in the form of interactions in the community feed or through virtual work sessions & classes. I decided to map out the user flow before creating the wireframe to help me easily prioritize design tasks, understand the importance of each feature, and to more effectively communicate my ideas.
I created two onboarding screens to inform users of the app’s primary features and functions. My main goal was to create an interface design that is simple, user-friendly, and easily accessible for users through a seamless account creation process.
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The community feature was designed to connect, network, and create content by sharing daily thoughts. The event feature helps remote workers accumulate a wealth of wellness, networking, and professional development opportunities. The illustrated virtual co-working space initiates networking opportunities and allows users to be part of a lifelike co-working space.
Users are encouraged to join video calls or chat rooms to connect with one another. The chat room initiative was designed to be simple and easily accessible to lets users easily network.
This project helped me step out of my comfort zone and take on a variety of roles. At first, it was difficult to organize and plan out the various intricacies associated with the project but it became clearer once I conducted additional research. By sketching out my thoughts and creating a framework around my research findings, I came to understand the importance of identifying and mapping out a user’s journey. I plan to continue working on the design, specifically creating a cleaner, more streamlined user interface.
