CARSON.LIVE
CARSON.LIVE
Carson
Carson
Mobile App Redesign
Mobile App Redesign
Seamless access and smarter building updates
Seamless access and smarter building updates
Background
Background
Carson Living offers a mobile solution designed to simplify property management for residential buildings. Following Carson’s updated branding, the mobile app required a redesign to reflect these changes and significantly enhance usability.
Carson Living offers a mobile solution designed to simplify property management for residential buildings. Following Carson’s updated branding, the mobile app required a redesign to reflect these changes and significantly enhance usability.
Impact
Impact
Our team redesigned the mobile app's landing page to align the mobile app with Carson's refreshed branding, simplify critical user interactions, and improve overall clarity and accessibility, which was shipped in Q1 of 2024.
Our team redesigned the mobile app's landing page to align the mobile app with Carson's refreshed branding, simplify critical user interactions, and improve overall clarity and accessibility, which was shipped in Q1 of 2024.
Role
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Timeline
Dec 2023 - Jan 2024
Team
Team
2 Product Designers
Graphic Designer
Type
Type
Contract
Client: Carson
@ Thirds Studio
The Challenge
The Challenge
Transforming everyday interactions for Carson residents
Transforming everyday interactions for Carson residents
After our team introduced new branding guidelines for Carson, the mobile app required a redesign to align visually and improve overall user experience. Key goals included simplifying interactions, modernizing the interface, and ensuring residents could effortlessly complete essential tasks.
After our team introduced new branding guidelines for Carson, the mobile app required a redesign to align visually and improve overall user experience. Key goals included simplifying interactions, modernizing the interface, and ensuring residents could effortlessly complete essential tasks.
Research
Research
Carson's mobile app focuses primarily on 2 user groups- property managers and residents
Carson's mobile app focuses primarily on 2 user groups- property managers and residents
In designing for Carson's mobile app, I leveraged insights from stakeholder interviews to understand our target audience. Through stakeholder interviews, I identified key pain points and needs for each group:
Property Managers & Staff - Need tools to simplify operations and management, enabling them to improve the resident experience and increase staff efficiency
Residents - Want a hassle-free living experience where day to day building management tasks are handled seamlessly
In designing for Carson's mobile app, I leveraged insights from stakeholder interviews to understand our target audience. Through stakeholder interviews, I identified key pain points and needs for each group:
Property Managers & Staff - Need tools to simplify operations and management, enabling them to improve the resident experience and increase staff efficiency
Residents - Want a hassle-free living experience where day to day building management tasks are handled seamlessly
Audit
Audit
Initial user flow of Carson's landing page
Initial user flow of Carson's landing page
The landing page presents numerous options without clear prioritization, making it harder for users to quickly access critical actions
"Choose Door" menu feels redundant if the system could prioritize commonly used doors
Inefficient Door Selection: The list of doors is long and unordered, requiring excessive scrolling. A lack of hierarchy or grouping makes navigation cumbersome
Lack of feedback: From these screens, it's unclear if the app provides immediate feedback after attempting to unlock the door
The landing page presents numerous options without clear prioritization, making it harder for users to quickly access critical actions
"Choose Door" menu feels redundant if the system could prioritize commonly used doors
Inefficient Door Selection: The list of doors is long and unordered, requiring excessive scrolling. A lack of hierarchy or grouping makes navigation cumbersome
Lack of feedback: From these screens, it's unclear if the app provides immediate feedback after attempting to unlock the door
Property Types
Property Types
Property Types
How property type affects user interactions
How property type affects user interactions
How property type affects user interactions
Carson services a variety of residential properties, each influencing how users interact with the app.
Building with Staff- Have on-site personnel, such as doormen or property managers, who assist with access control and visitor management
Building with no staff- Rely more on Carson's digital solutions for self-service access, visitor entry, and building communication
Understanding these differences helped inform design decisions, ensuring the app provides an intuitive experience tailored to each property type.
Carson services a variety of residential properties, each influencing how users interact with the app.
Building with Staff- Have on-site personnel, such as doormen or property managers, who assist with access control and visitor management
Building with no staff- Rely more on Carson's digital solutions for self-service access, visitor entry, and building communication
Understanding these differences helped inform design decisions, ensuring the app provides an intuitive experience tailored to each property type.
Carson services a variety of residential properties, each influencing how users interact with the app.
Building with Staff- Have on-site personnel, such as doormen or property managers, who assist with access control and visitor management
Building with no staff- Rely more on Carson's digital solutions for self-service access, visitor entry, and building communication
Understanding these differences helped inform design decisions, ensuring the app provides an intuitive experience tailored to each property type.
Opportunities for improvement
Opportunities for improvement
✅ Smarter Door Selection
✅ Real Time Feedback
✅ Smarter Door Selection
✅ Real Time Feedback
✅ Prioritize Key Actions
✅ Clearer Visual Hierarchy
✅ Prioritize Key Actions
✅ Clearer Visual Hierarchy
How might we simplify building access for residents and staff while seamlessly delivering critical building updates?
How might we simplify building access for residents and staff while seamlessly delivering critical building updates?
which led us to the question…
which led us to the question…
Explorations
Explorations
Redesigning the landing page
Redesigning the landing page
Exploration 1
Exploration 1
Exploration 1
One swipe interaction
One swipe interaction
One swipe interaction
✅
✅
✅
Prioritizes door unlocking by making it readily available
Prioritizes door unlocking by making it readily available
Prioritizes door unlocking by making it readily available
✅
✅
✅
Frequently used doors appear first, reducing time spent searching
Frequently used doors appear first, reducing time spent searching
Frequently used doors appear first, reducing time spent searching
✅
✅
✅
Introduces a swipe-to-unlock interaction, enabling users to unlock doors in a single gesture for improved efficiency
Introduces a swipe-to-unlock interaction, enabling users to unlock doors in a single gesture for improved efficiency
Introduces a swipe-to-unlock interaction, enabling users to unlock doors in a single gesture for improved efficiency
❌
❌
❌
Menu lacks visual hierarchy—everything feels equal, more like a settings screen
Menu lacks visual hierarchy—everything feels equal, more like a settings screen
Menu lacks visual hierarchy—everything feels equal, more like a settings screen
This version prioritizes speed. Users can unlock a door with a single swipe, which makes the interaction fast and efficient.
This version prioritizes speed. Users can unlock a door with a single swipe, which makes the interaction fast and efficient.
This version prioritizes speed. Users can unlock a door with a single swipe, which makes the interaction fast and efficient.
Exploration 2
Exploration 2
Exploration 2
Staying updated
Staying updated
Staying updated
The landing page transforms into an informational hub, integrating building updates and payments alongside the unlock feature.
The landing page transforms into an informational hub, integrating building updates and payments alongside the unlock feature.
The landing page transforms into an informational hub, integrating building updates and payments alongside the unlock feature.
✅
✅
✅
Displays important updates (i.e. rent payments, amenity reservations, upcoming events) at a glance
Displays important updates (i.e. rent payments, amenity reservations, upcoming events) at a glance
Displays important updates (i.e. rent payments, amenity reservations, upcoming events) at a glance
✅
✅
✅
Enhances visual hierarchy by organizing content in a structured manner
Enhances visual hierarchy by organizing content in a structured manner
Enhances visual hierarchy by organizing content in a structured manner
✅
✅
✅
Keeps the unlock door button prominently visible, ensuring quick access while balancing other building-related tasks
Keeps the unlock door button prominently visible, ensuring quick access while balancing other building-related tasks
Keeps the unlock door button prominently visible, ensuring quick access while balancing other building-related tasks
❌
❌
❌
Unlocking a door now requires two interactions instead of one
Unlocking a door now requires two interactions instead of one
Unlocking a door now requires two interactions instead of one
✅
✅
✅
Includes a scalable search feature, making it easier to find doors or building-related information
Includes a scalable search feature, making it easier to find doors or building-related information
Includes a scalable search feature, making it easier to find doors or building-related information
✅
✅
✅
Uses a pull up unlock feature, allowing users to swipe up for quick access to doors without overwhelming the main page
Uses a pull up unlock feature, allowing users to swipe up for quick access to doors without overwhelming the main page
Uses a pull up unlock feature, allowing users to swipe up for quick access to doors without overwhelming the main page
✅
✅
✅
Displays most recent notifications
Displays most recent notifications
Displays most recent notifications
❌
❌
❌
Management features are still accessible, but they’re tucked into the menu—so they’re less visible up front
Management features are still accessible, but they’re tucked into the menu—so they’re less visible up front
Management features are still accessible, but they’re tucked into the menu—so they’re less visible up front
A pull-up tab helps declutter the screen while still making the door unlock action prominent.
A pull-up tab helps declutter the screen while still making the door unlock action prominent.
A pull-up tab helps declutter the screen while still making the door unlock action prominent.
Exploration 3
Exploration 3
Exploration 3
Smart Unlock & Search
Smart Unlock & Search
Smart Unlock & Search
Learnings
UI
Final Designs
Final Designs
After presenting the design explorations, stakeholders opted for a combination of concepts from explorations 1 and 3. They preferred the navigation layout from exploration 1 and the streamlined door-unlock interaction from exploration 3.
