Overview
Sonder Inc. is a hospitality company that manages short-term rental properties, providing professionally designed, furnished apartments with hotel-like amenities for travelers. Housekeeping managers and housekeepers are essential to the business. This project aims to automate the dispatch system, which is used to manage shifts for housekeeping managers and housekeepers, thereby reducing stress and improving efficiency for both roles.
My contribution
User research
User testing
Product design
The team
2 × product designer
1 × design manager
1 engineering team
Year
2022
Overview
Sonder Inc. is a hospitality company that manages short-term rental properties, providing professionally designed, furnished apartments with hotel-like amenities for travelers. Housekeeping managers and housekeepers are essential to the business. This project aims to automate the dispatch system, which is used to manage shifts for housekeeping managers and housekeepers, thereby reducing stress and improving efficiency for both roles.
My contribution
User research
User testing
Product design
The team
2 × product designer
1 × design manager
1 engineering team
Year
2022
Overview
Sonder Inc. is a hospitality company that manages short-term rental properties, providing professionally designed, furnished apartments with hotel-like amenities for travelers. Housekeeping managers and housekeepers are essential to the business. This project aims to automate the dispatch system, which is used to manage shifts for housekeeping managers and housekeepers, thereby reducing stress and improving efficiency for both roles.
My contribution
User research
User testing
Product design
The team
2 × product designer
1 × design manager
1 engineering team
Year
2022
Process
Problem
Sonder properties are spread across various parts of the city, requiring housekeepers to travel between locations to clean units. Last-minute schedule changes often complicate this process. While some housekeeping managers fear that automation might replace their jobs, there is a need for thorough testing and validation.
Research
Our research revealed that early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO) are major pain points for housekeepers, as they often do not receive updated schedules in time to plan accordingly. When we proposed automation for handling some ECI and LCO scenarios, housekeeping managers showed interest in limited automation. Specifically, they supported the idea of automatically adjusting cleaning schedules within the same building for ECI/LCO requests, provided these changes are made at least two hours in advance.
Design & Testing
With this level of automation in mind (two hours ahead, within the same building), we designed the dispatch app for housekeepers and housekeeping managers to achieve the desired level of automation. Through iterative design and testing, we ensured that the app effectively addresses their needs and improves operational efficiency.
Process
Problem
Sonder properties are spread across various parts of the city, requiring housekeepers to travel between locations to clean units. Last-minute schedule changes often complicate this process. While some housekeeping managers fear that automation might replace their jobs, there is a need for thorough testing and validation.
Research
Our research revealed that early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO) are major pain points for housekeepers, as they often do not receive updated schedules in time to plan accordingly. When we proposed automation for handling some ECI and LCO scenarios, housekeeping managers showed interest in limited automation. Specifically, they supported the idea of automatically adjusting cleaning schedules within the same building for ECI/LCO requests, provided these changes are made at least two hours in advance.
Design & Testing
With this level of automation in mind (two hours ahead, within the same building), we designed the dispatch app for housekeepers and housekeeping managers to achieve the desired level of automation. Through iterative design and testing, we ensured that the app effectively addresses their needs and improves operational efficiency.
Process
Problem
Sonder properties are spread across various parts of the city, requiring housekeepers to travel between locations to clean units. Last-minute schedule changes often complicate this process. While some housekeeping managers fear that automation might replace their jobs, there is a need for thorough testing and validation.
Research
Our research revealed that early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO) are major pain points for housekeepers, as they often do not receive updated schedules in time to plan accordingly. When we proposed automation for handling some ECI and LCO scenarios, housekeeping managers showed interest in limited automation. Specifically, they supported the idea of automatically adjusting cleaning schedules within the same building for ECI/LCO requests, provided these changes are made at least two hours in advance.
Design & Testing
With this level of automation in mind (two hours ahead, within the same building), we designed the dispatch app for housekeepers and housekeeping managers to achieve the desired level of automation. Through iterative design and testing, we ensured that the app effectively addresses their needs and improves operational efficiency.
Outcome
The Smart Shuffle notification automates nearly 50% of early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO), significantly relieving housekeeping managers. This allows them to allocate more time and energy to on-site inspections and task management.
Outcome
The Smart Shuffle notification automates nearly 50% of early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO), significantly relieving housekeeping managers. This allows them to allocate more time and energy to on-site inspections and task management.
Outcome
The Smart Shuffle notification automates nearly 50% of early check-ins (ECI) and late checkouts (LCO), significantly relieving housekeeping managers. This allows them to allocate more time and energy to on-site inspections and task management.