Donna.io
Overview
A 24/7 chatbot that helps people connect stylists based on location, schedule, price, and reviews.
Role and Team
Funding designer that wearing different hats
I was the full stack designer who collaborated with the founder and an ML Backend Engineer. My job covered IA, product strategy, interaction, wireframes, visual, and prototype. The project took around 4 months for the initial version. We achieved the top 10 finalists in the Silicon Valley Innovation Competition among 300+ participants.
Timeframe: Q3, 2019
The Problem
Disconnection between customers & salons
“I just moved to San Jose and wants to find a local salon to get a haircut. I tried to call or leave a message, but receiving no call back."
Salons are losing their potential customers.
Salons leave hundreds of new customers "on hold" every week; 52%+ of the customers won't call back. Salon receptionists are too busy to talk to the customers on the phone.
Technical Strategy
API integrations
Businesses have a CRM system to manage all of their leads and loyal customers. Donna.io is a chatbot app that sends any customers' salon service requests directly to the salon's database management system through API.
Our Users
Salon businesses and customers
"A stylist who is with good reviews are busy; could mean waiting for several days." - Lisa
“I travel for work a lot and I need to reach out to a nearby local salon and cheap." - Basti
“We’re busy and it’s hard to follow up with all the new and existing customers!” - Owner
Understanding the Problem
Customers have constraints on searching for new salons.
Based on the interviews, we aimed to learn cutomer behavior in which gaps we could fix for greater efficiency. Customers use google or yelp to search for well reviewed, nearby new salons.
Customers taking long time to make a desicion.
We discovered that people actually take more time searching online for salons to go to. Many options listed online that people get tired before reaching out salons.
Hypothesis
Using chatbot to fix the "connection" gap
Chatbot, using predictive algorithm can learn about customer behavior and address industry specific questions. It could guide and help users to make a decision faster.
Research insights
1) The benefits of using chatbot
Chatbot UX is significant provides information. The platform we are going to build should make it easier for customers to get on board as well as to get benefits on:
2) Things customers care the most when finding a new stylist
3) Insights from stylists about customers
Customers spend time checking styling magazines before the service. They care about the communication style with the stylists. Some likes causual conversation during the service. Others prefer silence.
Flow logics
Prototype Overview
Onboarding
Simple to use email and password to register; I also make sure let Donna to request users' prefered name and picture to get rid of directly asking genders or other privacy issues.
Reservation
The reservation process allows users to explore a new hairstyle if they want to. Or they make the reservation directly.
Review
Review helps future customers. Donna would ask for review after each service.
