Storage Reservation Process

UX Case Study

Overview: One of the UX projects I was involved with when Edison Properties owned Manhattan Mini Storage (MMS) was to create an online-first storage rental experience to increase efficiency and decrease operational costs. Ultimately, this project never saw the light of day before the business was sold. But the current leadership at that time was excited over its potential. The prototypes you’ll see are not fully fleshed out, but at least provide an overview of the functionality of the proposed process and design thinking.

My Role: UX, UI, Copywriting, Project Management

Project Link: View Prototypes

Strategy: At the time, competition within the self-storage space was starting to embrace an online check-in process, similar to how hotels, car rental companies, and airlines do today. The previous sales process with MMS required customers to be onsite at the facility to complete their storage unit reservation. The proposed sales process attempted to simplify and create one system that field employees and representatives from the customer call center (CSC) representatives could utilize and be consistent with the front-facing customer experience.

Market Research: I analyzed several of the leading self-storage competitors that already offered a check-in process to see how theirs differed and identify commonalities that they all shared. From there, I adapted the existing MMS user flow looking for ways to anticipate customer and employee pain points.

Project Link: View Competitive Analysis

Flow Charts: In collaboration with several of the business leaders, I developed a new user flow consisting of the main front-facing customer track and a secondary backend track with screens exclusive to the field employees or CSC reps.

Project Link: View Flow Charts

Search Input: Previously, the MMS search input was too limited and didn’t offer users a way to narrow their search—until they got into the search results. The proposed advanced search allowed users to do what they could already do, but right from the get-go, with a refined list of search results at the start. Users who entered the site from a promotional page would have limited filter parameters to align with the current promotion they saw. For example, if the promo is just on personal closets, it would display relevant search results that align with that promotion.

Curated Results: Data analysis identified most of our customers search for storage based on location over size. And while most preferred to see all the location options, some found it overwhelming. For the latter, a “storage helper” was implemented to guide them to a curated set of the closest facilities with availability based on their answers to key questions.

Online Check-in: After users finish their storage selections, they can complete the online check-in immediately or do it later at the facility. If they choose to complete it online, a separate process captures their information. That process allows them to do things they would have typically handled at the facility. These include electing add-on items, adding authorized users, completing billing, and e-signing documents. This way, they could bypass any human interaction and access their unit quicker.

Project Link: View Prototypes