HOMILY
Designing A Marketplace Platform
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Homily is a B2C platform designed to connect users with professional home service providers in Paris, France. The platform enables customers to book a wide range of services, such as haircuts, makeup, electric repairs, carpentry, moving & packaging, and pest control, with vetted professionals who come directly to their homes. As a Product Designer, my role was to shape the user experience, ensuring a seamless and trustworthy interaction between customers and service providers.
Homily operates as a marketplace rather than a SaaS product, focusing on direct consumer engagement and service facilitation. The project involved extensive research, competitive analysis, UX/UI design, and testing to create a functional MVP.
COMPANY
Homily
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
Jan 2024 - Aug 2024
TECH-STACK
Figma, Material UI, Adobe CC, MidJourney, Jira, Confluence, Miro, Figjam, Slack, Microsoft 365
STEP 1
DEFINE
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
Finding reliable home service professionals is often a challenging and fragmented experience for customers. Existing solutions in France offer limited service categories, lack transparency in professional selection, and do not provide an integrated platform for seamless booking and secure payments. This leads to frustration, mistrust, and inconvenience for users who seek quality home services.
STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
The CEO emphasized creating an AI that embodies curiosity, imagination, and adventure.
Developers highlighted technical constraints that needed to be considered.
AI-ML engineers provided insights into AI capabilities and data requirements.
Project managers stressed the importance of timelines and deliverables.
STEP 2
DISCOVER
UNCOVERING USER NEEDS AND PAIN POINTS
Understanding user needs and market gaps was essential for building a product that truly solves real problems. We conducted surveys and competitive analysis to gather insights and validate our idea before proceeding with design and development.
COMPETITVE LANDSCAPE
We analyzed competitors:
WeCasa
Simone
Urban Company
Airtasker
Key Gaps Identified:
Limited service categories in France-based competitors
Lack of user control in choosing professionals
No comprehensive all-in-one home service platform
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TARGET AUDIENCE
Homily catered to business professionals, expats, and stay-at-home individuals who needed convenient, high-quality home services. These users valued trust, flexibility, and efficiency in booking service professionals online.
USER INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
Survey Insights
78% of respondents expressed difficulty finding reliable home service providers.
65% mentioned a lack of trust in the quality of services offered.
85% preferred the convenience of booking services online rather than visiting service locations.
From this data, we synthesized key user pain points:
Fragmented market with no integrated solution
Trust issues due to inconsistent service quality
Lack of a convenient digital platform for booking home services
KEY CHALLENGES
Challenges included fragmented markets, lack of trust, and limited digital solutions for home services. Additional constraints involved language barriers, legal requirements, budget limitations, and time zone coordination in development.
STEP 3
IDEATE
SOLVING THE PROBLEM
Homily aims to bridge these gaps by providing a user-friendly web platform that offers a wide range of home services with vetted professionals. The platform allows users to choose professionals based on ratings and experience, ensuring transparency and trust. Secure payment processing, customer support, and an intuitive booking system further enhance convenience, making Homily the go-to solution for home service needs.
PRODUCT STRATEGY
Homily's product strategy was built around user trust, convenience, and market differentiation. Our goal was to create an intuitive and reliable home service booking experience while ensuring strong professional onboarding.
User Empowerment & Trust
Users select professionals based on ratings & reviews; vetted providers ensure quality; secure payments & refund policies build confidence
Seamless Booking Experience
Intuitive UI with filters, search, and a smooth checkout process with multiple payment options.
Service Provider Growth & Retention
Easy onboarding, business exposure, and performance tracking for service quality.
Scalability & Expansion
MVP launched with hair & beauty services; built on React.js for future expansion and mobile integration.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
A strong business strategy was crucial to ensure market entry and long-term sustainability. We developed a structured plan to build, launch, and scale Homily.
Go-To-Market Approach
Develop an MVP focusing on haircut & makeup.
Onboard 100+ service professionals via partnerships with barber schools, Pôle Emploi, and local salons.
Market to key user groups and secure funding post-traction.
Business Model
10% commission on each service booked
Planned subscription & lead-based revenue models
Marketing & Social Media Strategy
SEO-driven content marketing for organic reach
Instagram & Facebook ads for targeted promotions
Referral programs to drive user engagement
Influencer partnerships in lifestyle and beauty sectors
FEATURES ADDED
Wide range of services (initial focus on hair & beauty)
User-friendly interface for seamless booking
Secure payment system for safe transactions
Vetted professionals to ensure quality
Customer support for reliability
User choice feature, allowing customers to select professionals based on ratings, experience, and profiles
COGNITIVE MAPPING
To ideate features, we used cognitive mapping, visually connecting user pain points with possible solutions. This helped define key functionalities, such as service provider selection, booking management, secure payments, and customer support.
SITE MAP
A structured site map was developed to ensure a smooth user flow, covering key pages like home, service categories, provider profiles, booking process, payment gateway, and user dashboard.
CRAZY EIGHT
I employed the Crazy 8s brainstorming method to quickly sketch different interface ideas. This rapid ideation technique helped me explore multiple UI layouts before finalizing the design direction.
STEP 4
DESIGN
CREATING THE SOLUTION
The UX process involved defining user flows, creating wireframes, designing UI elements, and collaborating closely with developers to ensure feasibility and smooth implementation.
LOGO DESIGN
Write brief text
Considerations while creating design system or maybe skip writing and just add images. Keep in mind that we used Material UI component library. You can use the style guide michelle shared.
WEBSITE DESIGN
High-fidelity visual designs were created, focusing on a clean, intuitive interface with an aesthetically pleasing color palette and typography. The goal was to ensure an engaging and user-friendly experience.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
To build brand awareness, we designed social media content highlighting Homily’s services, provider onboarding, and customer benefits. Posts included engaging visuals, testimonials, and promotional offers.
STEP 5
TEST
VALIDATING THE SOLUTION
Usability testing was essential to refine the product and ensure an optimal user experience. We tested the MVP with real users and incorporated feedback to make necessary improvements.
USABILITY TESTING
Test Insights
90% of test users found the platform easy to navigate.
70% appreciated the ability to choose their service provider.
30% suggested adding more filtering options for service selection.
Key Iterations:
Improved service filters for better discoverability.
Enhanced onboarding flow to reduce drop-off rates.
Streamlined booking process for faster transactions.
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CONCLUSION
Homily successfully addressed major pain points in the home services industry by creating a seamless digital experience. The MVP launch provided valuable insights, validating our design decisions. The project demonstrated the importance of user research, iterative design, and strategic business planning in building a scalable product. The next steps include expanding service offerings, optimizing user retention strategies, and securing funding for future growth.
