Swift Cleaning is a small business catering to residential and commercial cleaning in the Philadelphia area. The company specializes in residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, deep cleaning, and follow-up cleaning. Although the owner previously had a professionally designed website, it did not effectively define her brand or provide sufficient information about the quality of the work, services offered, or include features like a client booking request form.
The original website did not effectively define the brand or provide sufficient information about the quality of the work and services offered, nor did it include essential features like a client booking request form.
The Audience
Swift Cleaning's target audience consists of working professionals in their 40s, like Theresa, who need reliable, pet-friendly cleaning services. They seek flexibility, transparent pricing, and a non-judgmental experience to help maintain a comfortable, stress-free home while balancing remote work and personal life.
The Solution
Our solution is to enhance Swift Cleaning’s website with a simple quote and booking form, along with distinct branding and authentic imagery that reflects the company’s values. This will help the business better connect with customers, streamline operations, and increase bookings to boost income.
The Process
Empathize
Human Research
I conducted in-depth interviews with five participants.
The Owner
4 Participants - 3 Female / 1 Male
Approximately 20 minutes per interview
All local to Philadelphia & surrounding suburbs with experience hiring professional cleaners.
Interview Questions
Background & Demographics: Can you tell me about yourself and what you do for work? Where are you located?
Personal Needs & Experience: How does professional cleaning fit your needs? What's your experience with hiring cleaning services?
Website Impressions & Features: What was your first impression of the cleaning service's website?
What features did you find most useful or frustrating?
Specific Needs: What services are you interested in (residential, commercial)? How important is it to find pricing and book services online?
Design and Content Preferences: How important is the design and layout of a cleaning service website to you?
Do you prefer websites with before-and-after photos or customer testimonials?
Environmental Concerns: How important is it to you to know about environmentally friendly cleaning products?
Booking Preferences: How do you prefer to book cleaning services (online form, phone call)?
Is there anything that would make the booking process easier for you?
Experience Stories: Can you share a great experience with a cleaning service?
Can you recall a time when a cleaning service failed to meet your expectations?
What did I learn?
Overview of Motivations:
Busy schedules that leave little time for household upkeep
Working from home which has created more clutter that quickly snowballs and becomes overwhelming
Special occasion or family event that was easier to manage with the additional help
Reducing stress and anxiety
Overview of Pain Points
Businesses that don’t provide general information on the type of services offered
Businesses that don’t provide a ball-park price range for services or some way to submit information about your request that will generate a price range for the customer
Not having enough information on the website for customers to already know if this business will work for them financially or otherwise.
Being too large of a company to the point where you never know who is coming to do the work, or the person doing the work is unfriendly or seems unhappy to do the job
Someone inexperienced or inconsiderate who might not have experience with pets or children and made common sense mistakes like leaving the door open, or not closing a gate, which resulted in a pet getting out of the house.
Overview of Common Needs
Someone trustworthy and reliable that makes customers feel safe having in their home
Someone who will respect their privacy and use caution if any photos of work are taken
Consistency in the quality of work and the person(s) who completes the work
A licensed and insured business with a good reputation
A professional that offers eco-friendly products or someone open to using the customer’s preferred products
A smaller business that feels less “cold” and more warm and welcoming, but not so small that the customer needs to worry about whether or not they will be able to complete work as scheduled due to unforeseen personal circumstances
Having a strong online presence was not a big factor and it is more important that the professional have a good reputation and be recommended by someone from within their community or who had used their services
Competitive Analysis
Who are the top competitors in social platforms and what do they offer?
The cleaning market in Philadelphia is highly competitive. I focused on direct competitors of similar size serving the same area. Most businesses did not offer instant quotes or immediate online booking; instead, they had simple contact or quote forms. All three businesses featured client testimonials or reviews on their websites. Only one business showcased before and after photos, mentioned Airbnb cleaning, and provided information about environmentally friendly, non-toxic products. Most had a limited online presence beyond their main websites.
Define
Affinity Mapping
Insights
Clients strongly prefer small, local cleaning businesses that offer a personal touch, flexibility, and trustworthiness. They typically find these services through community recommendations, particularly on social media. Key motivators for hiring cleaners include stress reduction and improving work-life balance, especially for remote workers. The cleaning business owner, with over 15 years of experience, wants her website redesign to reflect these values while attracting the right clientele and expanding services beyond downtown Philadelphia.
Most important takeaway: The website redesign should emphasize the business's local, personalized approach and flexibility, aligning with client preferences for smaller, trustworthy cleaning services.
User Persona
Theresa is a 44-year-old Senior Content Manager originally from Seattle, now living in a grand Victorian home in West Philadelphia with her three cats: Thaddeus, Nora, and Cleo. She moved to Philadelphia to pursue a career in Marketing. Currently, Theresa is working to balance her professional responsibilities with her personal time, finding reliable cleaners for her home, and dealing with increased stress from juggling remote work and household chores. She seeks a flexible, trustworthy, pet-friendly cleaning company with friendly, non-judgmental staff, transparent pricing, and services that allow her to create a comfortable, stress-free home environment
Goals
Creating a better balance between her professional responsibilities and personal time
Finding reliable cleaners to help keep her home in order
Frustrations
Increased stress from trying to juggle remote work and household chores
Clutter impacting her focus and productivity during work hours
Needs
A smaller cleaning company that is flexible, trustworthy, reliable, and pet friendly.
Friendly staff that are non-judgmental and make her feel comfortable enough to show a messy home
Transparency in services offered and their pricing
Motivations
Creating a comfortable and welcoming environment at home that allows her to work stress-free
Improving her quality of life and work/life balance
How might we help people like Theresa?
How might we create a business that makes her feel comfortable and at ease showing our cleaners her home and mess?
How might we build a company that combines reliability and professionalism with neighborly friendliness and consistency?
How might we offer a flexible approach to the booking process or supplies used?
POV Statement
A busy marketing professional in her 40s who works from home, lives in a large house with her three cats that she adores. She needs a cleaning service that is flexible, friendly, and trustworthy that makes her feel comfortable and can provide consistent quality in their work. This will reduce her stress, increase her productivity at work, and improve her quality of life and overall work/life balance.
Develop
Early Sketching & Wireframes
As I engaged in the redesign process for Swift Cleaning, I started with initial sketches to refine ideas for the responsive website, building on the existing site to create an intuitive user experience that resonates with clients.
User Flows
User Flow 1: Requesting a Cleaning Service
User Flow 2: Learn about the company and submit contact form
Style Tile
For Swift Cleaning, I selected colors that harmonized with the brand's existing logo and reflected the nature of the cleaning industry, utilizing various shades of blue known for their bright, sanitary, and uplifting qualities. I incorporated warm and inviting imagery and fonts that convey a sense of trust and reliability. To attract clients who value the personalized, hands-on approach that a smaller business can provide—such as Airbnb turnover customers—I chose a bright gold for the call-to-action buttons. This color not only grabs users' attention but also conveys a sense of luxury and quality, solidifying the branding and hierarchy within the site.
Deliver
High Fidelity Wireframes
Prototyping
Key Takeaways
The redesigned Swift Cleaning website successfully aligns with the business owner's vision, offering a simple, less commercial design that better represents the authentic nature of her business. The new site connects effectively with the target customer base, making it easy for customers to submit contact information and request quotes for services. This enhances accessibility and user engagement. While the redesign is a success, as Swift Cleaning is a growing business, I will continue to monitor the site and make regular updates to ensure it evolves with the company’s needs and growth.
