Coworkr 📱



During my final year of university, my dissertation project focused on exploring the issue of loneliness in freelancers and how it could be addressed using a coworking mobile application. While existing coworking spaces offer a great option, they can be quite expensive and you may have limited control over the people you meet there. My research indicated that networking in these spaces can be challenging due to various factors, resulting in temporary relationships based on differences in skills and occupation. Moreover, many studies have highlighted the lack of community creation in such spaces, with users often feeling socially isolated. To fill this gap in the market, my app aims to connect freelancers with like-minded professionals who they actually want to work with, making it possible to schedule a coworking session with them. With this app, you can have greater control over the individuals you work with, leading to the creation of meaningful relationships and combating the issue of loneliness among freelancers.



To kick off the project, I began with an extensive literature review and researched appropriate tools and platforms. I conducted a thorough risk assessment to identify potential obstacles that could arise and created a comprehensive Gantt chart to track progress. I also carried out initial user research to gain a better understanding of the problem and the needs of my target audience. Based on this research, I was able to define requirements, create two detailed user personas, and produce sketches that outlined each screen of the app and how they would link together.



The sketches provided a preliminary concept of the app's visual design and functionality, laying the groundwork for the wireframing stage. By creating wireframes, I was able to refine the concept further and give careful consideration to each element of the app. This resulted in a more polished and refined version of the app concept. Next, I transformed the wireframes into a low-fidelity prototype. This prototype served as a proof of concept and played a crucial role in user testing, allowing me to gather valuable feedback and identify areas for improvement.



After creating the wireframes and low-fidelity prototype, it was important to test the proof of concept with actual users. To gather feedback and identify potential issues early on in the process, I selected five freelancers to test the prototype and participate in a semi-structured interview. Based on their feedback, I identified several problems with the current concept and highlighted various areas that needed to be improved to address these issues.



Based on the new requirements gathered from the proof of concept testing, I developed a set of high-fidelity designs for the app. Since this was a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), some features such as settings and sign up/log in were still missing. However, everything else had been designed to make the application feel as close to a real, fully-functioning app as possible. For the high-fidelity designs, I chose the 'Work Sans' typeface as it conveyed a modern and approachable feel. Furthermore, sans-serif fonts are particularly effective for small screens, as they increase legibility and make the app more accessible overall.

I then transformed the high-fidelity designs into a usable prototype. This allowed me to test the application with users and determine whether it could effectively address the issue of loneliness and social isolation in the freelance community.



To evaluate the effectiveness of the final high-fidelity prototype, I conducted usability testing with a group of five freelancers. The participants were interviewed in a semi-structured format to determine whether the app had effectively addressed the issue of loneliness and social isolation in the freelance community. Overall, the results of the usability testing were very positive, with only a few minor issues or suggestions raised. These insights were used to inform my recommendations for future improvements to the application.