WeWork On-demand
Accelerating the growth of a hybrid ready workforce in India through co-working
DURATION
4 months (Jan 2021 - Apr 2021)
MY ROLE
Research, Ideation, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Usability Testing
COLLABORATORS
UX designer, Design manager, Engineering lead
BACKGROUND
After the first COVID-19 wave, a growing demand for flexible work options and human interaction emerged. WeWork recognized this shift and introduced pay-per-use workspaces to meet these needs. However, we aimed for more. Driven by user feedback, we set out to improve this offering by developing a seamless digital booking experience for WeWork On-demand. Our goal was to simplify the process, enabling individuals and teams to effortlessly find co-working spaces and gather in inspiring environments, ready to collaborate on their next big idea.
The booking process is a pivotal touchpoint for converting interest into action. With WeWork introducing pay-per-use options, the booking experience needed to be adapted to meet evolving user needs.
The discovery
I interviewed 5 people to figure out their co-working needs and get their feedback on the current experience. This helped me spot what they like, what’s not working, and what they’re hoping for, so the design really works for them.”
Looking at what exists
While the day pass booking flow was pretty simple, I noticed users running into some friction when booking conference rooms. So, I dug deeper and mapped out the journey to pinpoint the pain points.
Conference room booking as an add-on
User journey mapping
It became clear that having conference rooms as an add-on service was confusing—they struggled to book them due to lack of information.
How might we simplify the process of finding and booking a workspace, ensuring users feel informed and in control?
Finding the right workspace
After a lot of brainstorming and whiteboarding, we decided to shift the booking flow to start with services as the first touchpoint to make conference rooms easier to find, keep users on track, and ensure a smooth, quick flow.
Iterating the way to succeed
I teamed up with another UX designer to brainstorm, sketch, and iterate on ideas. Some concepts clicked, others didn’t, but each step brought us closer to a design that felt natural, seamless, and truly solved user needs:
In the end, our team was split between two potential versions—one of them honoured technical constraints—so we wanted to test both with users to see what worked best.
Version A
Auto assigning conference rooms based on time slot availability and highlighting building amenities
Version B
Ability to choose a particular conference room based on time availability and highlighting conference room details like images, capacity, etc.
Version B
Ability to choose a particular conference room based on time availability and highlighting conference room details like images, capacity, etc.
Judgement day
I tested prototypes for both versions across mobile and desktop with 13 participants to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Some focus areas were - user preferences (A vs. B), required information and overall usability.
Testing with the users
The moment of truth
I synthesized the usability test observations and organised raw data like video recordings, notes, etc. in a meaningful way. Subsequently, I collaborated with my design manager to identify common themes and patterns that emerge from the insights gathered:
Affinity mapping exercise
Wins
Users appreciated the new flow, allowing separate conference room bookings for a seamless, personalised experience
Users preferred version B where they can have control over the conference room selection process by viewing details like actual images, capacity, amenities offered etc.
Improvements
Users who frequently book on-demand services felt the new flow was too lengthy
Regular day pass users who visited co-working spaces saw value in bulk booking to save time and money
From vision to reality: What can be built
As we worked closely with WeWork team, our team of designers, developers, and a project manager came together to turn insights into actionable solutions. To bring clarity to the process, we developed a prioritization matrix, carefully evaluating each insight based on its potential value and implementation effort. This helped us determine which ideas could seamlessly shape the final design, ensuring a balance between impact and feasibility.
You can view in detail here
Unfortunately, we faced strong pushback from WeWork team and engineers on implementing the Version B design due to missing conference room inventory data and high development complexity. As a result, we had to deprioritize it for a later phase.
Ready to collaborate on your next big idea?
I incorporated all other useful user feedback gathered in the testing sessions into designs which resonated with the need to make informed decisions while booking on-demand services.
1-click booking experience
An option for recently booked workspaces is a time-saver for users who frequently book day passes and tend to select the same location (work near home), helping them to skip a lengthy process and streamline their booking
Day pass bundles
Catering to the need of booking day passes in bulk, we introduced "day pass bundles" as a value for money option for users. This would allow users to purchase day passes in bulk at a discounted price and save time
Compare and book
Adding visual aid to highlight amenities would make it easier for users to compare WeWork locations more efficiently and make informed booking decisions
The impact
Besides the positive feedback received from the users and great reviews from the stakeholders, the redesign of the on-demand website was a huge success as it resulted in increased traffic, improved user engagement, higher conversion rates.
25%
sales contribution from day pass bundles within 2 months of launch
44%
increase in conference room sales after making it a standalone service
12%
increase in On-demand conversion rate
30k
active users after the launch
Reflections
Testing is king
Through this experience, I truly learnt what “Fail Fast, Fail Forward” means. The countless iterations and design directions which would go down the drain when tested out with users made me realise the value of prototyping, and not to get too attached to my designs.
Success hinges on prioritization
Prioritizing insights from user testing ensures that the most critical issues are addressed first. This approach helps companies make data-driven decisions, allocate resources effectively, and accelerate business goals.
Arushi has been amazing working on our website and has been instrumental in helping design and build all the WeWork digital products in India. From in-person customer interviews to very rapid design and flow changes to match our fast growing pace, she has been able to anticipate upcoming challenges as the products scaled and designed for them in advance which has been instrumental for us as a product in the growth phase.
Akshaan Nambiar
Senior Product Manager, WeWork India
Whether you're a potential co-worker, a fellow creative, or simply a curious soul, I'd love to hear from you!
Drop me a Hi and let's get the conversation started.
arushi.aa13@gmail.com
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