TULU.me
Shifting user behavior
A usage economy platform that promotes thoughtful consumerism and sustainability
Role
UX Research
Product Design
Methods / Tools
Double dimond
Benchmark research
Literature review
Interviews
Journey Mapping
Cliant / Framework
TULU & Reichman HCI MA Marathon
Background
Project Motivation
This project was initiated during a two-week marathon collaboration involving various companies, startups, and the Master's program in Human-Computer Interaction at Reichman University.
It featured a focused partnership with TULU, which offers on-demand access to high-quality appliances, groceries, micro-mobility, and entertainment in residential buildings, dedicated to fostering responsible consumption and reducing the costs of urban living, significantly impacting thousands of lives globally.
Together with Liesa Alker, Lital Plotkin, Roni Rahav, and Nevo Heimann Saadon, we set to create innovative solutions to enhance TULU's shared economy platform.
Overview
Problem Statement
With approximately 30% of residents in TULU-affiliated buildings using their services, we were presented with the goal of “How can Tulu support deeper user needs, including thoughtful consumerism and sustainability (rent vs. buy), belongingness, and sharing (without actually being together)?”
The challenge was to devise strategies to engage individuals traditionally hesitant to use shared resources and to enhance user adoption, engagement, and loyalty through community engagement while addressing various user needs and obstacles, including building types, cultural norms, and psychological barriers due to hygiene worries, availability issues, and societal preference for personal ownership.
Research Process
Applying the Double-Diamond Principle
Defining the user and the problem at hand, alongside the company goals and needs
01
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TULU - To encourage more social and environmental consumption
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User (motivation) - Environmentalists; Low budget; Convenience
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User (pain) - Hygiene; Availability; Ownership
Understanding the context of the service
02
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The use of communities in product development
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Exploring the emotional and social barriers
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Competitor analysis
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Design of the research and thematic analysis
Defining new approach and strategy
03
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Address users concerns
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Promote trust in the platform
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Inform and educate
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Let users feel that they are making a difference
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Being responsive to user feedback
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Streamline the process
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Foster a sense of community
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Personalization
Designing the new solution - from a "Service provider" to a "Two-sided platform"
04
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Prototype
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Future research (WOZ, Pilot, etc.)
Research Process
Combining academic and industry research
At the outset of the research process, we set out to better understand the term “sharing” (of appliances and items) and people's perceptions of it, as well as its psychological aspects, social and cultural perspectives, and economic impact. This initial step (based on psychology literature and field research) taught and revealed behavioral patterns regarding people's willingness to share their belongings with others or, from the other end, to borrow from others. That step included a literature review and benchmark research.
To deepen our understanding of why residents with direct access to TULUs' item lease services do not use them as expected, we surveyed over 150 tenants in buildings with TULU units in the US and the Netherlands and interviewed six of them (via Zoom). We aimed to uncover the barriers to adoption and potential users' intrinsic motivations.
Findings highlighted a notable tendency - those possessing items similar to TULU's offerings tended to avoid the service, favoring personal ownership over communal use. However, there was notable recognition of shared use's environmental and cost benefits, particularly those focused on sustainability and efficient space utilization.
These insights highlight the need for TULU to emphasize its service's unique benefits, challenge the norm of ownership, and encourage a transition to shared consumption. They also challenged TULUs’ business approach, raising the option of considering a shift toward adopting new operational characteristics.
Research Limitations
There are Always Some...
The time we had for the project and the distance from TULU's activity constituted natural limitations for us while striving to conduct thorough research with valid insights and provide an uncompromisingly designed and proven solution. That prompted us to devise creative, agile, and highly focused approaches. Yet, we recognized the impact of those limitations on our outcome and advised TULU to deepen the research, prototype further, and pilot the solution before fully adopting it.
Market Behavior
What Others Do, and What We Can Learn From it.
The "sharing economy" competitive market is well-known for transportation services like Uber, urban scooter rentals, and real estate ventures like Airbnb. However, none of the companies we researched offer in-building appliance rentals.
A significant disadvantage for these services, including TULU's lesser-known in-building offerings (which also include scooter rentals), is marketing. Unlike scooter services, which benefit from high visibility and extensive advertising, TULU has relied primarily on word-of-mouth and in-house event marketing. Due to tenant demographics and online habits, we've discovered that social media could be a key promotional channel to overcome the lack of physical presence.
Additionally, we've drawn insights from companies like Uber, which builds user trust through a ranking system, and we plan to integrate a similar system into our solution to enhance trust.
User Interviews
Learning of People's Concerns About Sharing
Responses to sharing varied, but many expressed reluctance, notably stating, "I don't like to borrow things from others." This sentiment was emphasized by an interviewee: "I don’t really like to borrow things from my friends or from people, generally." Concerns included trust and responsibility issues due to the lack of a formal "agreement" between lender and borrower and hygiene—particularly post-COVID.
Another significant barrier was ownership, which symbolizes not only convenience but also achievement and social status (for example, having a brand like Dyson), illustrated by remarks such as, "When TULU opened, I started using their items until I got my own," and "I bought all my own stuff, so I don't have to rent anything."
HRI design considerations:
Interviews Insights
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Opportunity for personalization of the service (proxemics - “The Dance”).
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Cultural based interaction design.
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Establish familiarity to enhance attachment in the human-robot interaction (giving a robot a name - “Hi Siri”).
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Prolonging the interaction. Provide a feeling that the robot is "thinking of me."
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Establish standardizations for eHMI communication protocol
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Service design is crucial.
When discussing the logistics of storing many items in small urban spaces and the practicality of frequent usage facing the cost-benefit analysis of purchasing versus renting, participants acknowledged a paradox in their behavior and considered the environmental impact.
I don’t really like to borrow things from my friends or from people, generally.
When TULU opened, I started using their items until I got my own
I bought all my own stuff, so I don't have to rent anything.
The Solution
TULU.me - A convergence of interests
A good user experience encompasses and converges the interests of the service provider's business goals and those using it. Adopting a user-centered design approach, TULU was receptive to our suggestion to modify parts of its service model. We proposed transforming some of their units into a platform where tenants can rent out their own items, effectively creating a tenant-driven rental marketplace.
In doing so, people's interests in clearing space in their condensed apartments, getting an option to earn some pocket money, and being environmentally friendly are gained. The solution also reassures the tenants of any trust or hygiene issues since TULU mitigates the risk and connects the lander and the renting tenants by combining a ranking model into the system and providing a clear, straightforward agreement and easy-to-use platform. Also, through the app, people gain complete control of their item's condition and availability, income, and community status, making it a reliable and trustworthy platform.
On the other hand, TULU receives more robust community engagement by modifying its narrative and attracting more potential users who have all the items and haven’t used their services until now. Also, regarding resource investment, the new approach can be launched quickly using existing infrastructure, gathering additional relevant data on user behavior and mapping missing products.
Takeaways
Listen, Listen, and Listen
The intense experience of working at a marathon pace with a limited timeframe and resources brought me to face yet again the very core aspects that accomplishing this project was built on:
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Flexibility - especially when collaborating with other members of a group. Knowing when to push forward and when to pull back, managing and harnessing each member's skill for the group's greater good, and being open-minded.
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Stepping out of your comfort zone - though designated to a specific role as a designer (thanks to my design background), sometimes leaning a shoulder, even if it’s not within your required job description or your comfort zone of specialties - needs to be done. Also, it is an excellent opportunity to learn and be exposed to new things that can enrich you.
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JTBD (“Jobs to be done.”) - Same as in a UX process, thinking of what the “Jobs” need to be done by users for them to achieve their goals; the same goes here. Laying down the plan and deciding what is required for the progress is crucial for managing a tight and agile process.
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Love what you do, but don’t fall in love with what you did - since it is an iterative process. One must be willing to “let go” of one's design, even if he has put lots of effort into it, to find out he needs to take a different course of action.
Results
A lifestyle choice for sustainable, community-focused urban living
The "TULU and Me" add-on is designed to transform the user experience by offering easy navigation, personalized service, and enhanced community connections. It addresses both emotional and logistical hurdles associated with using shared items. This strategic improvement positions TULU as a service and a lifestyle choice for sustainable, community-focused urban living.