Product Design / UX Design. I turn your ideas into digital products.

Overview

StorHub Group, with operations across Singapore, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand, aimed to become the leading pan-Asian self-storage player by developing its own Property Management System (PMS) to manage rentals efficiently across its expansive network.

Figure 1. StorHub in data.

Problem Statement

As the self-storage industry in Asia Pacific saw rapid growth, StorHub recognized the need for a modern, user-friendly PMS that could seamlessly handle the increasing complexity of managing numerous properties and varying local regulations.

Figure 2. Current PMS features Vs desired ones.

So, at the end of 2020, the idea of designing and developing a whole PMS became real, based on the need for a better, easier, and more modern solution for a growing sector like self-storage.

Approach:

Research & Analysis: Conducted extensive user research including diary studies, focus groups, and personal interviews to deeply understand user behaviors and needs.

Design & Prototyping: Developed user personas to guide design decisions and created over 250 wireframes and high-fidelity screens using tools like Balsamiq and Figma, focusing on intuitive user interfaces and efficient information architecture.

User Testing: Implemented rounds of user testing to refine functionalities, with tasks ranging from adding new units to managing online payments, ensuring the interface met the real-world needs of users.

Example: Design User Personas

Figure 3. Designing User Persona for the new PMS.

Identified Roles

Due to StorHub PMS's project needs, they required different actions from different people. They could only afford to spend a little time managing old Software where Staff couldn't edit their team members or create championship rounds manually anymore.

SuperAdmin	Admin	Staff	Customers
Superadmin is a role that will manage more than one location. The intercommunication between different Self Storages entities is necessary due to the need for a high-level global report system. We limited this role to the organization's managers who do not depend on stakeholders in the daily-based work.	Admin is the person who will manage the WebApp regularly and understand one particular Self Storage building. The Admin doesn't need regular information from other locations, but he requires quick access to every feature in his managed building and a very accurate set of local reports.	The huge time-saving tool for the Self Storage business. Now, Staff can get real-time information about occupancy, AI suggestions, promotions, and best prices and even get paid online.	Every customer or potential customer in the Self Storage business that is looking forward to getting his stuff saved most efficiently. Every current customer who needs any interaction with their everyday items, from delivery to relocation. We were able to provide breaking initiatives like a self-check-in kiosk and a self-storage dashboard to check the status of your item and even e-sell them.

SuperAdmin

Admin

Staff

Customers

Superadmin is a role that will manage more than one location. The intercommunication between different Self Storages entities is necessary due to the need for a high-level global report system.

We limited this role to the organization's managers who do not depend on stakeholders in the daily-based work.

Admin is the person who will manage the WebApp regularly and understand one particular Self Storage building.

The Admin doesn't need regular information from other locations, but he requires quick access to every feature in his managed building and a very accurate set of local reports.

The huge time-saving tool for the Self Storage business.

Now, Staff can get real-time information about occupancy, AI suggestions, promotions, and best prices and even get paid online.

Every customer or potential customer in the Self Storage business that is looking forward to getting his stuff saved most efficiently.

Every current customer who needs any interaction with their everyday items, from delivery to relocation.

We were able to provide breaking initiatives like a self-check-in kiosk and a self-storage dashboard to check the status of your item and even e-sell them.

Figure 4. Identified roles for One Space PMS.

Without a clear understanding of what your product does, what problems it solves, or for whom it solves these problems, ultimately, there’s no need for your product. Our goal was to ensure the One Space WebApp solved every daily need for the Self Storage business clearly and simply.

Design Process

Information Architecture: Developed a structured approach to the PMS interface to ensure intuitive navigation and accessibility.

Prototyping: Utilized Balsamiq for low-fidelity wireframes and Figma for high-fidelity prototypes, creating over 250 screens that focused on enhancing user interaction and functionality.

Interface Design: Designed a user-friendly interface that allows for easy management of property listings, tenant agreements, and payment processing.

Figure 5.1 BRDs, Specifications and Diagram flows.

Figure 5.2 Low Fidelity Mockups to "Create New Lease".

Figure 5.6 Figma Designs (+250 screens).

User testing

User testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. It can be seen as an irreplaceable usability practice since it gives direct input on how real users use the system. We decided to use this technique in our app with these tasks:

Add new Units.
Create New Quotations.
Issue Invoices.
Generate Financial and MK Reports.
Manage Online Payments.

Figure 6. User testing results (Current PMS Vs One Space Beta).

	Current PMS Software	One Space Beta
Add new Units	2	5
Create New Quotations	1	5
Issue Invoices	1	4
Generate Financial and MK Reports	3	4
Manage Online Payments	1	5

User Interface Examples

Figure 7. Some One Space Designs.

Outcomes

Implementation: Successfully rolled out One Space PMS across all StorHub locations, replacing multiple legacy systems with a single integrated solution.

User Adoption: Achieved high user adoption rates due to the intuitive design and user-centered features.

Impact

Operational Efficiency: Drastically reduced the time needed for common administrative tasks, improving overall productivity.

Customer Satisfaction: Enhanced customer service capabilities, leading to improved tenant satisfaction and retention.

Innovation in Features: Introduced cutting-edge features such as AI-driven pricing suggestions, self-check-in kiosks, and an interactive storage dashboard, setting new standards in the self-storage industry.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer.

One Space, Property Management System