Usespace
Market Research
Stakeholder Interview
Where
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Role
What
Space Sharing and Booking Platform
Team
1 Designer, 2 Developers
Project Type
Client Project
Duration
2.5 Months
The project offers a variety of design challenges, from user experience issues like seamless booking and intuitive navigation to technical challenges like integrating real-time availability and handling diverse user needs. This provides a rich, stimulating environment for creative problem-solving and innovation.
What is Usespace?
Together we make a space available to everyone!
Community Event Platform
Usespace is a dynamic platform connecting social organizations with versatile venues across the Netherlands. It simplifies the process of finding and booking spaces for events, fostering community engagement and social impact.
ESG Compliance Solution
Usespace offers solutions to sustainabiliy by optimizing underutilized spaces and transforming them into sustainable venues that meet ESG standards while supporting community and business initiatives.
Social Organization Hub
Usespace serves as a centralized hub empowering social organizations to discover and secure ideal venues tailored to their needs. Usespace streamlines the venue search process, enabling organizations to focus on their core missions.
Problem Discovery
Business Painpoints
Space Listing and Discovery
The current process is cumbersome and time-consuming, relying heavily on existing networks and manual outreach.
Managing Bookings
Managing bookings is a manual and error-prone process. This can lead to frustration for both venue owners and social organizations.
Inconsistent Branding
The current platform may suffer from inconsistent branding and a suboptimal user experience, making it difficult for users to navigate the available features.
One of the biggest challenges our users face is the time-consuming process of finding suitable event spaces. We would like to save organizations from the endless calls and site visits, allowing them to focus more on their mission and less on logistics.
Mare, Founding Partner & Managing Director
We believe that every space has the potential to create positive change. Our new platform should unlock this potential by connecting social organizations with the perfect venues for their needs.
Eva, Social Operations Manager
Design Goals
Better Listing
By improving the way venues are presented on our platform, we aim to provide detailed, easily accessible information that helps social organizations find the perfect space for their events quickly and efficiently.
Simplified Booking
Our redesigned browsing and booking system will be user-friendly and guiding organizations through a seamless experience from discovering a venue to confirming their reservation.
New Branding
By adopting a vibrant, professional look and feel, we aim to build trust and recognition, making Usespace the go-to platform for social organizations and venue owners alike.
Competitor Analysis
Spacebase
Storefront
Capital C Amsterdam
Qualitative Research
The two ends of the stick were equally involved and their feedback were more than necessary. In this case the problem was very niche and required one-on-one research, observation and interaction.
As a result of this research, we needed to create two different personas and user journey maps. When we can combine this information, we are one step closer to a proper solution.
Social Organizations
User Quotes
"We evaluate spaces based on practical factors like size, acoustics, and facilities. Ensuring that the space meets our specific requirements is essential before decision."
Sarah
"The booking process can be quite time-consuming, involving back-and-forth communication and screening processes. We're looking for more streamlined platforms."
Lynn
"We want to experience benefits for out organization by simplifying the process of finding event spaces and providing clear communication channels with space owners."
Baart
Meet Vincent!
Visionary Vincent
The Inspiration Igniter
Male
34
Determined
Collaborative
Strategic
We're not just looking for event spaces; we're seeking opportunities to empower children, transform lives, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed, because every child deserves a chance at a brighter future.
Bio
Vincent is a dedicated professional with a strong passion for fostering positive change and social impact within his community.
With a solid foundation in business management, he channels his expertise and energy into an organization devoted to uplifting underprivileged children in urban areas.
Driven by a belief in the transformative power of education, he is on a mission to provide educational opportunities and financial support to those who need it most. His commitment to ensuring that every child has access to quality education fuels his determination to create a brighter and more equitable future for all.
Frustrations
Finding affordable event spaces
Limited access to resources
Lack of transparency
Time-consuming process
Inefficient planning
Unstructured collaboration
Goals
Create engaging events that raise awareness
Forge strategic partnerships with space owners
Needs
Access to affordable event spaces
Transparent communication
Support and resources
Monitoring and scheduling
Devices
He looks for the event spaces and corporate offices on his laptop and makes a list to call.
Journey Map of Social Organizations
Space Owners
User Quotes
"For us livability and visibility are key factors when deciding which social organizations to allow in our spaces. We aim to be transparent about the side costs involved."
Anne
"We aim to attract people from outside into our building by hosting events like concerts, which not only bring publicity but also contribute to the community."
Martijn
"Managing event logistics can be complex, but having access to a centralized dashboard with screening information and event history would greatly simplify the process."
Rogier
Hello Irene!
Bio
Irene is a purpose-driven collaborator with a passion for fostering meaningful connections and promoting social impact within corporate office spaces.
With experience in managing diverse office environments, Irene understands the importance of aligning events with the organization's mission and vision. She values transparency and effective communication when collaborating with social organizations to utilize office spaces.
Irene seeks to streamline the process of connecting with social organizations and ensuring a seamless and impactful experience for all stakeholders.
Frustrations
Limited visibility into space availability
Inefficient event coordination
Lack of meaningful connections
Complexity in managing policies and requirements
Times loss during screening of the organizations
Impactful Irene
The Purposeful Collaborator
Female
42
Strategic
Purpose-Driven
It's important to stay critical of our mission and vision. Livability and visibility are key factors when deciding which social organizations to allow in our useable spaces.
Goals
Facilitate meaningful connections
Optimize space utilization
Enhance social impact
Needs
Efficient event management tools
Community engagement features
Transparent communication channels
Devices
She mostly visits the online pages of the social organizations on her phone.
Journey Map of Space Owners
I did a feature analysis of the existing platform with stakeholders, based on their analytics data. We have talked about the current situation and the reasons might be causing issues.
Analyzing the Current Platform
Homepage
Values
Booking
Social organizations and businesses struggle to find and book suitable event spaces due to inefficient and time-consuming processes. Existing platforms lack detailed venue information and user reviews, essential for organizations. Usespace addresses these issues by offering a comprehensive platform that streamlines booking, provides detailed venue insights, and supports social and environmental goals.
Crafting New Brand and Design
Information Pills: The Bento Boxes
We adopted the bento box layout ensuring that information is organized in a visually appealing and easily digestible way. Users can quickly find what they need without feeling overwhelmed, enhancing their overall browsing experience on Usespace.nl.
The bento box system allows us to highlight key information and call-to-actions within distinct sections. This focused delivery ensures that important details, such as venue features and booking buttons, stand out, guiding users toward making informed decisions.
The modular nature of the bento box layout provides flexibility in content management. Usespace.nl can easily update, expand, or rearrange sections as needed, allowing the platform to grow and adapt without disrupting the overall design and user experience.
Usability Testing
Three usability tests were conducted to evaluate the performance and user experience of key functionalities on Usespace.The tasks included browsing and booking a venue, toggling between the "Use" and "Space" sections to display different information, and accessing the dashboard to browse upcoming events. Each test subject's completion time and success rate were recorded.
By utilizing a structured system of reusable UI components, we created a cohesive visual language that reinforces trust and usability. We carefully designed new ones that seamlessly integrated with the existing style. Every choice was made to enhance clarity, functionality, and innovation, ensuring a sleek and forward-thinking user experience.
Working with Ceren has been a seamless experience. She is proactive, detail-oriented, and always receptive to feedback, ensuring that the final product balances creativity with technical feasibility. Her collaboration and problem-solving mindset truly elevate the entire team.
Mare Santema Co-founder
What Went Well?
The key strength of this project was effective stakeholder collaboration and clear communication. Regular weekly meetings ensured alignment between design, development, and other teams, allowing us to address feedback early and make informed decisions.
As a result, despite some technical constraints, the overall workflow remained smooth, and the project maintained a high level of quality and cohesion.
What Did Not Go Well?
While I designed with full creative flexibility in Figma, not all elements were easily translatable into code due to technical limitations. This led to some discrepancies between the intended design and the final implementation, requiring adjustments and compromises during development.
In hindsight, closer collaboration with developers earlier in the process—such as aligning on feasibility, conducting design audits, or prototyping within real constraints—would have helped bridge this gap and create a more seamless handoff. This experience reinforced the importance of designing with technical feasibility in mind while still striving for a high-quality user experience.
