My role: Lead UX/UI Designer: research, interaction, and visual design. Solo, two weeks. Tools: Figma, FigJam, Trello.
The problem
Finding an acceptable public restroom on the go is a small, constant source of stress, and for a surprisingly large group it's a real barrier to daily life.
A “niche” need that actually serves a huge, underserved population: people with IBS and Crohn's, on-the-go workers, pregnant women, and parents of small children.
What I did
Secondary research revealed a large, underserved market: health conditions, on-the-go careers (delivery, postal, rideshare), pregnant women, and families with young kids.
Amanda, a mother of three, and Brianna, a postal worker with IBS, two distinct people to keep the design honest to real, urgent needs.
A clean, accessible interface; one-tap filters (no fees, baby-changing station, handicap accessible); and a simple way to save favorite restrooms.
A focused sitemap (search · favorites · more) and a fast onboarding → search → restroom detail → directions flow, grounded in Jakob’s and Hick’s Laws.
Paper prototypes → final high-fidelity mockups across the full flow, from splash to directions.
The outcome
A complete, accessibility-minded concept app (from sitemap and user flow through to final high-fidelity mockups) built around speed and patterns users already know, with three filters that came straight from the persona work.
Designing for a “niche” need served a far larger population than expected, driven by necessity and practicality, not novelty.
What I'd do next: run moderated usability tests on the onboarding and search flows, then prototype the directions hand-off.
Key decisions & trade-offs
Committed to people with IBS/Crohn’s, on-the-go workers, and parents of small kids. Narrower than mass-market, but a deep, urgent, underserved need.
Shipped three filters (no fees, baby-changing, handicap accessible) instead of an exhaustive list. Less coverage, but a single-touch decision that respects Hick’s Law.
Chose SSO and a minimal flow over a custom one (Jakob’s Law), because ~21% of users abandon an app after one use, so speed-to-value protects retention.
Skills demonstrated
Want the full story?
The personas, the sitemap and user flow, the paper prototypes, and the final mockups screen by screen.
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