Facility maintenance at CityU faces slow and fragmented reporting of problems, causing delays and user frustration.
Facility maintenance at CityU faces slow and fragmented reporting of problems, causing delays and user frustration.
Our user research identified the critical need for a quick, transparent feedback system to improve repair workflows.
Our user research identified the critical need for a quick, transparent feedback system to improve repair workflows.
Design Problem & User Groups
CityU’s campus utilities, used heavily by diverse users, experience frequent breakdowns. Slow or unclear feedback mechanisms and reliance on ad-hoc reports often delay repairs and harm user experience. Our project aims to improve this process through a faster, more transparent channel.
The main user groups are: Management Office (needs real-time status and quick response tools), Maintenance Team (benefits from immediate, clear task assignment), Students (the primary users, deeply affected by equipment failures), General Staff (overburdened and value simple feedback), and Visitors (often unable to report or find working facilities, impacting CityU’s public image).
User Studies & Interview Insights
We conducted student interviews to understand facility reporting experiences. Local and international students (Wilson, Dumi, Vyom) described challenges such as unclear procedures, a lack of urgency, confusion about reporting methods, and insufficient repair updates. Many students felt disempowered to report, assuming someone else would handle it or not knowing how. SRO student housing offers QR-code-based, transparent systems, unlike the opaque process on the main campus.
Interviewees highlighted the mental burden of unresolved issues (elevators, locks, washrooms). They desired reporting channels that are effortless and informative, with features like uploading photos, voting urgency, and map-based status views. The absence of feedback mechanisms erodes trust and leads to repetitive inconvenience.
