ICF Habitat
December 2022
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CosaVostra project
The brief
ICH habitat app is a service provide by the social landlord SNCF to help tenants with their administrative issues. The first part of the application was created by CosaVostra before I joined the UX team. Here, I was in charge of design additional features to improve the product.
Until then, tenants needed to contact a call centre to report problems related to their housing or administrative concerns. For example, they could call to report a water leak or a neighbourhood concern. This process requires a lot of real-time availability from call center members. In addition, this did not allow tenants to have visibility on the follow-up of their reports and on the progress of their resolution.
I was in charge of creating new userfows to allow tenants to report their problems directly from the application they already use.
The goal is to enable tenants to prevent and submit their requests independently, so they no longer have to call an assistance service.
Discovery phase
The first phase of the project was devoted to research, we had to understand the functioning of this rental query system. We therefore had discussions with ICF Habitat stakeholders, but also with custodians of buildings belonging to the group.
In addition, we also had the opportunity to visit the ICF premises for a "double listening" with the employees of the call center. Between two calls from tenants, they explained to us the current functioning of the process we were looking to digitize.
Confronting the daily reality by listening to tenants submit applications was very complementary to the testimony of the custodians of buildings. All these interviews allowed us to have a more precise vision of the issues of the different profiles related to the service.
Crafting phase
By collaborating with a product manager, I designed the new features according to its userstories. Users should primarily be able to:
Reporting different types of issues and detail these
Follow the progress of their treatment or consult them after resolution
In addition, the new features also allow users to cancel their requests if they resolve themselves, but also to provide new information in the opposite case they worsen. Finally, when their requests are resolved, users can note the processing thereof.
User tests
We had the opportunity to conduct a dozen user tests with ICF tenants. This allowed us to test the main features and thanks to their feedback, we were able to iterate and improve the application. During the interviews, their feedback allowed us to understand which aspects of the process were most important to them.
The implementation of the new features in the ICH Habitat app significantly improved the overall user experience for tenants. By enabling them to report issues directly through the app, we achieved the following outcomes:
Increased Efficiency: The elimination of the need for tenants to call the assistance service reduced the workload on call center staff and allowed them to focus on more complex inquiries.
Enhanced Visibility: Tenants gained real-time visibility into the status of their reports, leading to increased satisfaction and trust in the service.
User Empowerment: By allowing tenants to manage their requests independently, we empowered them to take control of their housing concerns, resulting in a more proactive approach to issue resolution.
Positive Feedback: User testing revealed that tenants appreciated the new functionalities, with many expressing a preference for the app over traditional communication methods.
Iterative Improvements: The insights gathered from user tests informed further refinements, ensuring that the app continues to meet the evolving needs of its users.
This phase emphasized the importance of user-centered design in creating effective digital solutions that enhance service delivery in the housing sector.
