Research: using collaging to surface insights about customer hesitations and priorities

TaskRabbit was experiencing low conversion rates, and wanted insight into the following questions about Task Posters:

• What are their questions & reservations when considering the service?
• What would motivate them to try TaskRabbit for the first time? 
• What holds them back?
• What’s the best way to message the service to help users understand its value?

I did not conduct research into expectations surrounding the signup process, because the decision to sign up is separate from the preliminary thoughts and emotions that a user might have when considering the service initially.

Although the signup process was out of scope, some of the responses obtained from the other questions - for example, what holds users back - may give TaskRabbit insight into potential changes to the signup process that might help alleviate important concerns.

Target User Population

TaskRabbit is a service that allows individuals to help other individuals with services they need. It is a highly personal service, as reflected in the profiles of the Rabbits that appear on the site; it is based on individuals connecting with and assisting one another. For this study, I focused exclusively on the potential posters, not the Rabbits.

Based on research and conversations with key stakeholders, I generated the following mini-personas:

Data Analysis and Recommendations

There were 12 participants in my study; I divided them into three teams of four. All participants were representatives of the target user population I previously defined. We did not have anyone fitting the Edna persona, but Gina, Paul and Doug were represented. The subjects ranged in age from mid-20s to 60.

Each team created a collage, which I photographed and annotated based on their explanations. The annotated images appear below. 

I used the following color scheme to identify the nature of the feedback:

Analysis

After annotating each collage, I compiled the data and sorted the feedback by type (concern, observation or suggestion) as well as by category (confidence, practicality, safety, security, value.) The results of the analysis follow in this section.

Subjects’ concerns, by category:

Subjects’ perceptions of value, by theme

Connecting findings to research goals

The collages produced useful insight into all of my research goals for this study. To quickly recap, those goals were:

Understand the emotions and concerns of potential task posters:

• What are their questions & reservations when considering TaskRabbit?
• What would motivate them to try TaskRabbit for the first time?
• What holds them back?
• What’s the best way to message the service to help users understand its value?

Understand the emotions and concerns of potential task posters:
Collaging proved to be an effective method for understanding how potential task posters felt about TaskRabbit when first exposed to it, before they had an opportunity to explore the site in any detail or become familiar with (and potentially biased by) its contents. The collage method provided an opportunity to capture their very first questions, as well as their initial visceral reactions to the concept (for example, the images of snakes and the phrase “please don’t rob me” written over an image clearly indicated that, at a basic level, the idea of letting a stranger into your house can be inherently scary and is something TaskRabbit will need to continue working to overcome.)

What are their questions & reservations when considering TaskRabbit?
As discussed previously, most of the questions and reservations center around safety, security, and the details of how the service works.

What would motivate them to try TaskRabbit for the first time?
This group of participants overwhelmingly felt that TaskRabbit is a very interesting concept, and the idea of having someone take care of chores is a very appealing one. They all expressed interest in trying it, but based on the collage feedback I believe they would be more likely to do so if their concerns about safety, security and logistics were addressed up front on the website.

Additionally, several people commented about a money-back guarantee, which makes me think that the cost of an initial task is a barrier. I know TaskRabbit has experimented with something similar in the past, but if there is a practical way to offer a free first task so people can try the service, it seems like that would be appealing to this group of potential posters.

What holds them back?
Based on the feedback I received during this exercise, I think the concerns about safety and security are considerable. In addition to those issues, this group of respondents had some specific questions about a money-back guarantee, ability to carefully screen Rabbits, availability of the service in their area, and timing. They would be unlikely to post a task unless those specific questions were clearly answered.

What’s the best way to message the service to help users understand its value?
As previously discussed, there were two key value-related themes that were most appealing to this group: the notion of an ideal life, and the ability to spend time relaxing rather than doing household chores. Since TaskRabbit currently services urban areas, marketing the retro, 1950s “perfect life” could be a fun and interesting approach. Alternatively, it might be effective, as one of the collage teams suggested, to spell out for potential posters all the different relaxing ways they could spend the time that they save by using TaskRabbit to handle their daily chores.

It should be noted, however, that none of these participants had any doubts or concerns about the actual value of the service; they understood it right away. Their doubts centered more around the issues of safety, security, and how the system works, so it might be more effective to focus on clarifying those issues rather than on emphasizing value.

User population, revisited

Following this research study, the initial personas I created appear to be very relevant. My study group contained people who were quite similar to Gina, Paul and Doug. However, after leaving the collage session, one participant sent me some additional thoughts via email. Included in her comments was the following statement: “I don’t see why I would pay someone to do something I could physically do myself. I would focus on the idea that, for whatever reason, you’re not able to get something done – you have someone who can step in when you need it. I’m not one of those people who would rather pay someone to do it just so I don’t have to deal with it.”

Based on this, there might be a persona I have missed; I can see a potential need for a persona that only uses TaskRabbit in a pinch, not as a regular avenue for getting things done. This might be similar enough to Paul that no change is required, but I would want to ask future participants to self-identify with one of the four existing personas to make sure everything has been covered adequately.

Recommendations to address research goals

This research study revealed some clear concerns that potential task posters have when considering the TaskRabbit service. The majority of these concerns relate to safety, security, and the logistics of posting a task. I think the collage approach was interesting and uniquely effective because it captured their latent fears about the concept before they had visited the website or read about it in any depth.

Now that I have identified these very base-level concerns, my recommendation would be to address those right up front, before they have a chance to cast doubt into the mind of a potential poster.

Safety and Security
Currently, there is a “Safety is Task #1” link on the TaskRabbit homepage. Clicking that link leads to a page that contains three main sections:

• Who are the TaskRabbits? (with a link to see the top ones)
• TaskRabbits are safe and reliable
• So you want to be a TaskRabbit?

I would recommend re-naming the page to capture the main concern, and I think its content should be up-front about the concern, starting with a title such as “How do I know TaskRabbit is safe?” The content on this page should focus solely on the second bullet point. Remove the information for potential Rabbits, and use this space to allay the fears and concerns of potential posters. Provide testimonials from other posters, and a way for potential posters to connect to a community of other posters so they can discuss their concerns and get reassurance that TaskRabbit is truly a safe way to get help with their needs.

Additionally, several of the collage participants expressed an interest in, or need for, safety tips and more facilitation from TaskRabbit to really understand how they will meet and interact with Rabbits. This page should cover that sort of information in detail.

Practicality
Again, the TaskRabbit site already has a homepage link called “How TaskRabbit works.” However, this content didn’t seem to align with the concerns expressed by my study participants. Some of the key differences are:

• The study participants wanted to see a list of tasks and prices, so they could simply pick something to start a posting. The “Post a Task” link does lead to a list of live tasks, but it’s a bit overwhelming and the “use template” option seems less straightforward than what the study participants desired.
• Study participants were less concerned about who the individual rabbits are, and more concerned about knowing that the person will be safe to let into their home. I think this content could be adjusted to focus more on the safety procedures and liability concerns and less on “meeting” the Rabbits.
• When it came to payment issues, none of the participants had any concerns about where their money goes or what the service fees are; their questions were exclusively about whether they can get their money back if something goes wrong, and how they pay (credit card? PayPal? cash?) The Pricing page seems to miss the mark by answering questions that are different from the ones that are foremost on potential posters’ minds. Additionally, the “How do you price a Task fairly?” sidebar seems potentially overwhelming, especially when the participants in this study indicated that they don’t know how long certain tasks will take; the page recommends using that as a factor in setting a price, so this would be hard for a first-time poster. Furthermore, the study participants specifically requested a chart of suggested tasks and prices; the page they see when reading about pricing is much more complex and could potentially be a deal-breaker for a first-time poster.

Through the collage exercise and the ensuing discussion, it was clear that the study participants had numerous detailed questions about exactly how it works: what services exist, how to pay, how long it takes, if you can get your money back, etc. The video on the “how it works” page is a good start, but doesn’t get to the level of detail that was expressed by the potential posters.

I would recommend revamping the video so it provides more detailed information that addresses the initial concerns identified in this study. For people who are not inclined to watch videos, it would be nice to also provide a graphic illustrating the process so the steps are somewhat clear to a prospective poster. Also, I believe it would be very useful to offer additional resources for potential posters. A live chat option would allow people to ask all of their detailed logistical questions quickly without having to read too much or hunt for the information. Additionally, one of our participants suggested a forum where potential posters can ask for advice from current posters, and I think that could potentially be a valuable resource.

Next steps

As listed in the schedule I proposed, I would recommend the following next steps:

Redesign workflows and design to address key findings
As described above, the homepage should be modified so the primary links resonate with the concerns of potential task posters. When clicking through any link, the potential poster should see content that answers his or her questions and concerns.

Create prototypes to demonstrate new approach
The redesigned homepage and related workflows could be prototyped simply, possibly even as paper prototypes, to demonstrate the new flow and content. These prototypes should be tested with users to see if they allay the main concerns more effectively.

Conduct interviews to validate recommendations
As part of the process of testing the prototypes, I would recommend conducting in-depth interviews with prospective users to get additional insight into their remaining concerns and ideas.

Analyze feedback from interviews
The feedback from user interviews should be reviewed and analyzed for any themes or information that might inform the redesign process.

Create clickable prototypes
Using the information from the prototype testing / interviewing process, TaskRabbit should create clickable prototypes that can be used in usability testing to validate the changes.

Conduct usability testing to confirm success of changes
The clickable prototypes should be tested to confirm that the changes result in a higher conversion rate for new posters. Alternatively, they could be implemented on the site and tested via A/B testing.

Research Protocol

The following protocol was used during the collage activity:

1. Preparation for participants
   1. Purchase magazines, scissors, glue sticks and paper.
   2. Set up room and recording equipment.
       
2. Participant arrival
   1. Explain the background of the study.
   2. Sign consent forms.
       
3. Introduction
   1. Introduce the goals of the research study. Tell the participants that TaskRabbit wants to know more about:
      1. Their questions & reservations when considering TaskRabbit.
      2. What would motivate them to try TaskRabbit for the first time.
      3. What might hold them back.
      4. How to message the service to help users understand its value.
      5. What TaskRabbit could do to turn visitors into Posters.
         Note: these statements were presented to the group but were not discussed in any detail prior to the collage exercise.
   2. Talk about the schedule for the session (5 minute intro, 30 minutes collage, 15-20 minutes discussion.)
   3. Present TaskRabbit concept to the group (5 minutes.)
      1. Show video from TaskRabbit site.      
      2. Explain some of the most common tasks that are currently requested via the site.
          
4. Activity
   1. Explain how collaging works: working in groups of four people, flip through the magazines to find images that relate to the goals of the study. Cut them out and assemble them into a collage. We will review the collages during the second half of the session.
   2. Pass out the instructions.
   3. Teams create collages.
   4. Turn on recording equipment and notify participants. Have each team present / discuss; 5 minutes per team.
   5. Stop the recording.
       
5. Wrap up
   1. Ask participants if they have any questions.
   2. Ask participants if they are willing to fill out a follow-up questionnaire.
   3. Indicate that the session is complete.
   4. Explain what will be done with the data that was collected.
       
6. Participant sendoff
7. Dismiss participants.
8. Send out thank you / follow-up email.

The handout shown at right was presented to each team during step 4.2 of the above protocol. Teams were specifically instructed not to refer to the URL provided; it was listed only so they could visit the site after leaving the study, if they desired to do so.