PrivadaKey — Matteo's Portfolio

02 — Research and Discovery

10 interviews, conducted think-aloud

Kenny, our project manager, leveraged his network to recruit 10 participants, property owners and guests with real experience relevant to the problem we were solving. I designed the testing methodology, prepared the think-aloud testing kits, and led every session.

Each session followed a think-aloud format structured around five scenario-based tasks: creating a property, managing calendar availability, inviting users, adding contributions to a booking, and managing guest access.

After completing the interviews, I synthesized my findings independently, then collaborated with Kenny to combine them into a single prioritized document organized by impact and effort, ready to hand directly to our developer.

"Across all 10 interviews, a few themes surfaced so consistently that they stopped feeling like usability issues and started feeling like fundamental misalignments between how the product was built and how people actually think about sharing a home."

Finding 01

The calendar felt broken

New property calendars start fully blocked by default, but no user understood why. Most assumed something was wrong with the product. The concept of intentional access was being undermined at the very first interaction.

Finding 02

The contribution model created confusion

The pricing setup was the single most confusing part of the product. Users could not tell if charges were per person or per stay. One user summed it up: too complicated just for sharing with friends.

Finding 03

Roles and permissions were invisible

Users did not understand what roles like Owner, Manager, or Guest meant in practice. Most either skipped role selection or assigned the same role to everyone, a significant gap given how central permissions are to the product.

Finding 04

Real users brought things we never would have thought of

Some of the most valuable moments were not problems at all. They were gaps we had not thought to include. Real property owners surfaced scenarios no internal discussion could have revealed: specific amenity needs, hosting edge cases, nuanced rules around pets, smoking, and heating.

03 — Process

Independent synthesis, then combined

Rather than combining notes immediately, Kenny and I each worked through the recordings independently first, ensuring our interpretations were not influenced by each other. Independent synthesis meaningfully increases confidence in the findings that both people surface.

I structured our findings around a three-tier priority framework, organizing every issue by its impact and effort to make the document immediately actionable for the team.

1

Quick Wins

Clear, obvious fixes causing unnecessary friction. Decimal increments on whole number fields, missing address inputs, no password visibility toggle. High signal, low effort.

2

Moderate Effort Changes

Issues requiring more considered design work. Informational tooltips throughout setup, clarified contribution amounts, improved calendar range selection.

3

Bigger Strategic Fixes

Fundamental misalignments requiring core flow rethinking. Most significantly, the onboarding experience and the contribution model.

"The most significant outcome was a proposed restructuring of the contribution model into three clear paths: Completely Free, Free with Utilities, or Structured Cost. Still an early direction, but one that only emerged from talking to real users."

04 — The Solution

Design outputs

The research phase produced a prioritized, evidence-backed set of recommendations the team could act on with confidence. I created Figma mockups to visualize key design directions and give the team something concrete to react to. These were communication tools, not final specs. Some translated directly into the product, others were adapted along the way.

Alongside the UX work, I developed the full PrivadaKey brand identity, a visual language that felt warm and trustworthy without being corporate.

Early Figma Designs

Screen 01 — Dashboard

The dashboard gives property owners a clear overview of all their properties, upcoming bookings, and recent activity in one place. Property cards show role context, availability status, and next booking at a glance, directly addressing the finding that owners needed a single source of truth for who was coming and when.

Screen 02 — Bookings Overview

The bookings view organizes stays into This Week, Pending, and Past, making it immediately clear what needs attention. This was an early proposal; the tab structure was adapted as the product evolved, which reflects the iterative nature of working in a small cross-functional team.

05 — Brand Identity

Building the visual language

The brief was to create something that felt warm and trustworthy without being corporate, a visual language that reflected the personal, relationship-based nature of the platform.

Logo and Mark

PK Monogram

A hexagonal logomark housing the PK monogram. The hexagon suggests structure and privacy while the rounded letterforms keep it approachable. Monocolor variations work across both light and dark backgrounds.

Colour Palette

Cambridge Blue and Burnt Sienna

Cambridge Blue as the primary, calm, considered, trustworthy. Burnt Sienna as the accent, warm and human. Together they avoid the cold blues of typical tech products.

Typography

Inter Family

Inter across all brand touchpoints for its clarity at every size. From UI labels to headings to body copy. Bebas Neue reserved exclusively for the logo logotype.

Brand Guide

Full Documentation

A full guide covering approved logo variations, clear space rules, colour specs across RGB, CMYK, HEX and Pantone, typography usage guidelines, and improper use examples.

06 — Outcome and Reflection

What the project taught me

The primary outcome was a comprehensive, prioritized research document the team could act on with confidence, ten interviews conducted, synthesized independently, and combined into a single set of findings. Alongside that, a complete brand identity system that gave the product a visual language it had not had before.

The findings have not been fully implemented yet. The project is on a planned hiatus, but the work is done and waiting. That is the reality of early stage startup life.

If I could go back and do one thing differently, it would be to get closer to the development side of the project. Watching the product being built made me want to contribute beyond design and mockups. Something I am actively working on.

"Without being able to talk to the people you are designing for, you will never reach the pain points that would actually get them to use your product. Every meaningful insight we surfaced came from a real person sitting with the product and telling us, in their own words, what was not working. No amount of internal discussion gets you there."

07 — Next Steps

Where the project is headed

When the project picks back up, the immediate priority is implementing the research findings and getting to a live beta test with a broader group of users. The first round of interviews gave us a strong foundation, but a structured beta will surface a deeper layer of feedback than task-based sessions can.

That beta is also an opportunity to validate the early directions from the research, including the proposed contribution model restructuring, and see how they hold up when users are living with the product rather than just moving through it for the first time.

See it live

Try PrivadaKey yourself

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My Role

Timeline

Team

Tools

Methods

Status

A better way to share your home

10 interviews, conducted think-aloud

The calendar felt broken

The contribution model created confusion

Roles and permissions were invisible

Real users brought things we never would have thought of

Independent synthesis, then combined

Design outputs

Early Figma Designs

Building the visual language

PK Monogram

Cambridge Blue and Burnt Sienna

Inter Family

Full Documentation

What the project taught me

Where the project is headed

Try PrivadaKey yourself

Matteo’s POrtfolio

Contact

Privada key

My Role

Timeline

Team

Tools

Methods

Status

A better way to share your home

10 interviews, conducted think-aloud

The calendar felt broken

The contribution model created confusion

Roles and permissions were invisible

Real users brought things we never would have thought of

Independent synthesis, then combined

Design outputs

Early Figma Designs

Building the visual language

PK Monogram

Cambridge Blue and Burnt Sienna

Inter Family

Full Documentation

What the project taught me

Where the project is headed

Try PrivadaKey yourself

CIBC Banking App Capstone

Matteo’s POrtfolio

Contact