Overview

Overview

Research

Research

Design

Design

Iterate

Iterate

Prototype

Prototype

Test

Test

Review

Review

Bawbab: Digital Addressing MVP

My Role

Product Designer

Collaborators

Joseph William Tan Garcia / UX Researcher

Rohan Kalantri / UX Program Manager

Stephen V Tucker / Product Owner

Organization

BawBab Technology : Pre-seed startup at UW's CoMotion Labs

Timeline

Oct 2022- June 2023

Project Overview

For my MSIM degree capstone project, I worked on a team of 4 for an early-stage startup called BawBab Technologies which is part of UW’s CoMotion Labs to research and design a digital addressing infrastructure (DAI) minimal viable product (MVP).

Outcomes:

A System Ready Pilot

Outcomes:

A System Ready Pilot

Outcomes:

A System Ready Pilot

Delivered a mobile-first MVP that integrates Google’s Plus Codes and progressive web app infrastructure.

Developed a robust, scalable design system with custom components to ensure brand alignment and usability.

Created detailed documentation to support future iterations and testing.

The MVP is now ready for a pilot launch in Nairobi, Kenya, with plans to expand and refine based on user feedback.

Approach:

0-1 MVP Creation

Approach:

0-1 MVP Creation

Approach:

0-1 MVP Creation

Research

Design with "just enough research" approach while more in depth research was ongoing.

Creating Definitions

Much of the iteration happened on the front end. Defining problems and flows based on new information.

Collaboration

An iterative design process that featured collaboration across disciplines and the world.

Serious Adaptablity

Cusstomizing and designing with Material Design 3 design system to meet the need for MVP and start-up speed while also offering consistency.

Problem:

Navigating Without Standardized Addresses

Problem:

Navigating Without Standardized Addresses

Problem:

Navigating Without Standardized Addresses

In Kenya, the lack of a standardized addressing system creates major barriers for delivery services, navigation, and participation in the digital economy. This results in delayed deliveries, miscommunication, and a degraded customer experience, ultimately limiting socio-economic growth.

Our challenge was to create a solution that enables users to assign digital addresses to their residences, improving the efficiency of last-mile delivery and enhancing trust in the system.

Solution:

Building a Scalable, Human-Centered System

Solution:

Building a Scalable, Human-Centered System

Solution:

Building a Scalable, Human-Centered System

We developed a user-centric digital addressing system utilizing Google's Plus Codes and a progressive web app infrastructure. This system enhances the accuracy and reliability of deliveries by allowing users to assign digital addresses to their residences, supplemented with contextual information for better navigation.

How might we???

Use technology to improve the last-mile delivery and navigation experience for Kenyan residents?

Research:

Ongoing and simultaneous

Research:

Ongoing and simultaneous

Research:

Ongoing and simultaneous

Our research process combined quantitative market analysis with qualitative user insights, enabling a deep understanding of the challenges faced by Kenyan users and the delivery ecosystem.
Using Jobs-to-Be-Done for a More Effective MVP

As the Product Designer, I directly recommended using the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework instead of personas for our research strategy. Since our team wasn’t embedded in Kenyan culture, JTBD allowed us to focus on real user needs rather than assumptions based on demographics.

Personas, while useful in some contexts, define who users are, which can introduce bias. Instead, JTBD focuses on what users need to accomplish and why, making it the better framework for designing BawBab’s digital addressing MVP. This approach was critical for:


Avoiding cultural assumptions: We centered our design on navigation challenges rather than predefined behaviors.

Prioritizing impactful MVP features: Insights from JTBD led to key additions, like allowing users to attach images and audio to Plus Codes for better navigation.


Identifying business opportunities: JTBD uncovered trust issues in delivery logistics, leading us to integrate real-time tracking—a crucial feature for both users and market success.


Ensuring scalability: By focusing on jobs rather than personas, we designed a solution that could adapt beyond Nairobi and into other markets facing similar challenges.

My decision to use JTBD over personas ensured our MVP was deeply rooted in user goals, free from cultural bias, and strategically positioned for growth.

As the Product Designer, I directly recommended using the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework instead of personas for our research strategy. Since our team wasn’t embedded in Kenyan culture, JTBD allowed us to focus on real user needs rather than assumptions based on demographics.

Personas, while useful in some contexts, define who users are, which can introduce bias. Instead, JTBD focuses on what users need to accomplish and why, making it the better framework for designing BawBab’s digital addressing MVP. This approach was critical for:


Avoiding cultural assumptions: We centered our design on navigation challenges rather than predefined behaviors.

Prioritizing impactful MVP features: Insights from JTBD led to key additions, like allowing users to attach images and audio to Plus Codes for better navigation.


Identifying business opportunities: JTBD uncovered trust issues in delivery logistics, leading us to integrate real-time tracking—a crucial feature for both users and market success.


Ensuring scalability: By focusing on jobs rather than personas, we designed a solution that could adapt beyond Nairobi and into other markets facing similar challenges.

My decision to use JTBD over personas ensured our MVP was deeply rooted in user goals, free from cultural bias, and strategically positioned for growth.

As the Product Designer, I directly recommended using the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework instead of personas for our research strategy. Since our team wasn’t embedded in Kenyan culture, JTBD allowed us to focus on real user needs rather than assumptions based on demographics.

Personas, while useful in some contexts, define who users are, which can introduce bias. Instead, JTBD focuses on what users need to accomplish and why, making it the better framework for designing BawBab’s digital addressing MVP. This approach was critical for:


Avoiding cultural assumptions: We centered our design on navigation challenges rather than predefined behaviors.

Prioritizing impactful MVP features: Insights from JTBD led to key additions, like allowing users to attach images and audio to Plus Codes for better navigation.


Identifying business opportunities: JTBD uncovered trust issues in delivery logistics, leading us to integrate real-time tracking—a crucial feature for both users and market success.


Ensuring scalability: By focusing on jobs rather than personas, we designed a solution that could adapt beyond Nairobi and into other markets facing similar challenges.

My decision to use JTBD over personas ensured our MVP was deeply rooted in user goals, free from cultural bias, and strategically positioned for growth.

Market and Competitor Analysis

I conducted a deep competitive analysis, examining interfaces and user reviews of similar products in the Kenyan market. This research helped us identify gaps in existing solutions and refine our approach to ensure BawBab’s MVP was both user-centered and market-ready.

Collaboration with Local Researchers

My Teammate Joseph William Tan Garcia led and conducted much of the research in collaboration with another MSIM UX researcher and local on-the-ground qualitative researchers who carried out my team's research script and protocol. As a product designer, I devised questions about the product to further investigate and integrated research findings into every stage of my design process.

Bridged geographic gaps, enabling on-the-ground understanding of user pain points and delivery system inefficiencies..

Research Insights

Addressing Challenges

A lack of standardized addresses forces users to rely on ad-hoc instructions, such as phone calls or physical navigation, significantly delaying deliveries and increasing stress for both users and drivers.

Behavioral Patterns

Drivers and customers often use landmarks as informal navigation tools, highlighting the need for a feature to add additional contextual information like images or audio to Plus Codes.

Tech Accessibility

With Android being the dominant mobile platform in Kenya, designing for Android compatibility was critical for adoption.

Trust Gaps

Real-time delivery tracking emerged as a critical need, as users expressed distrust in the current system due to frequent miscommunications and lost deliveries.

Challenges:

Connecting Across Borders

Challenges:

Connecting Across Borders

Challenges:

Connecting Across Borders

Geographic Constraints

Our team lacked direct access to the Kenyan user base, requiring collaboration with local researchers for on-the-ground insights.

Design for Scalability

Balancing localized needs with a scalable design that could be implemented in other regions.

Limited Testing Opportunities

Due to project timelines and resources, usability testing was deferred but planned for the client’s next phases.

All projects have challenges, many have to do with connecting to your audience and market and testing for the right things and asking the right questions. A product that is truly human centered has to see these challenges not as bottlenecks or slow downs, but as investments in your long term success by truly knowing your users.

Design:

Incorporating insights and standardizing components

Design:

Incorporating insights and standardizing components

Design:

Incorporating insights and standardizing components

My design process for BawBab's MVP followed an iterative approach based on key insights derived from both quantitative and market research, as well as the Jobs-to-be-Done framework.

Key Features:

Digital Addressing Features

Users can save a digital address using Google’s Plus Code system, supplemented with contextual details like text, audio, or images for enhanced navigation accuracy.

Real-Time Delivery Tracking

This feature allows users to monitor their deliveries, improving transparency and trust in the delivery system.

Material Design Customization

Material Design 3 was adapted to enable quick scalability and compatibility with Android devices while maintaining BawBab’s branding. Bespoke components were created to address unique functional and visual requirements.


Prototypes and Documentation

High-fidelity screens, interaction models, and a working prototype ensured a smooth handoff to developers and stakeholders.


Interaction Models

The bulk of the iteration was done through understanding how the users may use the product then mapping it out within interaction models. Many iterations were a push and pull between user needs and what information may be needed to provide the addressing and delivery service. A mix between geographic location and pertinant contextual information to assist in delivery and address identification was needed.

1st Iteration
2nd Iteration
3rd Iteration

Wireframes

Account Information Wireframe
Home page/ Real Time Tracking Wireframes
Desktop Real Time Tracking Wireframe

Information Architecture

Design System

Higher Fidelity

Sign Up Prototype

Reflection:

Desiging Across Distances and continuous learning

Reflection:

Desiging Across Distances and continuous learning

Reflection:

Desiging Across Distances and continuous learning

Working on BawBab’s digital addressing MVP reinforced the importance of collaboration and adaptability. While geographic and timeline constraints limited direct user testing, partnering with local researchers and academics allowed us to understand the challenges and needs of Kenyan users.

Designing for scalability while addressing specific local needs required balancing creativity with practicality, leveraging Material Design for speed, and customizing components for brand cohesion.

Next Steps for BawBab:

Meet the opportunity

Next Steps for BawBab:

Meet the opportunity

Next Steps for BawBab:

Meet the opportunity

Incorporate user feedback through future usability testing and iterations.

Explore opportunities to expand the MVP across sectors and regions.

Continue enhancing the product to empower individuals, businesses, and communities with better digital connectivity.

This project was a testament to the power of design to address complex, real-world problems, even in challenging circumstances.