Mover
A freight broker company that connects people and businesses with local pickup trucks, minivans, and cargo vans for moving large items, with same day service and upfront pricing.
Product Experience
Problem Space
How might we provide local large vehicles to consumers to safely transport bulk items from one place to another, with same-day service and upfront pricing?
Problem Background
Currently, there are two points of sale: retailers that have delivery options (direct or third-party), and resellers such as Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji or Karrot that don’t have delivery services.
Customers can wait a few days to get large items delivered for the former or contact a friend or find movers’ quotes online for the latter. However, 60% of survey respondents preferred not having to wait for a delivery and rather, getting their items immediately.
From those surveyed, 100% tried fitting large items in their car. Of those, 80% mentioned it was difficult to fit items, and when it did “fit”, 70% reported a driving risk with either the trunk remaining open, doors not fully closing, items loaded on top of cars, or items too close to windows. This poses a serious risk to the mover and surrounding drivers.
Additionally, an interviewee expressed fear of “getting home safely without being pulled over” due to moving a 12 ft construction beam extending out of their passenger window. No red flags, as legally required, were attached and instead, a Home Depot bag was covering it.
Other drivers have tried fitting: an Ikea bed, camera cranes, a wardrobe, a dresser, a stove, and a piano. With access to larger vehicles, we can stop such dangerous transports on our roads.
Lastly, for those who were unable to fit items in their car, 40% chose U-Haul or a Home Depot truck rental as the next option. However, 30% customers also reported being “somewhat comfortable” with driving large rental vehicles with 20% being “somewhat uncomfortable”. If shipping isn’t available in some cases (i.e., Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji) what options do we have for safer transports?
Research Insights
User Pain Points
- Using Reddit and Quora forms, we identified a lack of transportation resources for moving large items. When purchasing bulk items from online resellers or friends, users look online for moving company recommendations.
- From our survey, 0% users asked stores for third-party movers or searched online for moving companies, since gathering quotes is time-consuming, and moving companies are pricey.
Supporting Data
- When large items didn’t fit in their vehicles, 40% of survey users reported considering U-Haul as an alternative. However, students or recent immigrants may not have a driver's license to qualify for such rentals.
- Other users reported finding a friend with a truck (20%) or canceling their items (20%)
Feedback
- Our preliminary user research to validate this problem found that if users require a large vehicle to move their items, the most important features to implement are: Upfront Pricing (80%) and Immediate Availability of Vehicles (80%)
Solution Space
Landing on the Solution
Allow users to book large vehicles from local drivers with trucks or minivans, and list professional movers for bigger service requirements.
Explanation of Solution
By providing access to local vehicles, it will allow drivers of large vehicles to earn a part-time income, while giving customers immediate access to bigger vehicles. For bigger moving services, customers can view a list of moving companies rather than calling multiple businesses and comparing quotes.
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User Flows/Mockups
Future Steps
Customers want a service with upfront pricing and immediate availability. Future steps involve digging further into price ranges, types of availability, and specific steps that will make bookings easy. Additionally, having insurance and liability coverage for drivers, vehicles and items is a critical step that needs to be further explored.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Anam Zaheer
- Co.Lab taught me the importance of staying in the problem space rather than running to solutions. As Theodore Levitt said: “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.”
- Conducting surveys and user interviews were practical steps in digging deeper into the problem space. The biggest lesson here was asking the right questions. You won’t get it right the first time, so drafting side questions as you explore your problem space is a helpful trick.
- The solution space is a collaborative task! PM’s don’t have to solve everything. We just ask the right questions to determine the real problem and value the designers’ and engineers’ input to work towards a viable solution.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.