Designing mrfix.homes – Smart, Reliable Home Repairs Made Simple

Overview

mrfix.homes is a smart home maintenance platform designed to help everyday users, especially seniors and busy homeowners, connect with trusted local service professionals without stress or confusion. With verified contractors, real-time job tracking, and an interface built with accessibility in mind, mrfix.homes brings trust and simplicity back to home repairs.

mrfix.homes platform interface showcasing key features

The Problem

"It's hard to find someone reliable. And even harder to know what's going on once I've booked them."

Key User Pain Points:

• Seniors & immigrants struggle to use cluttered platforms like Kijiji or Facebook groups
• No visibility into job progress once a service is booked
• Communication between homeowner and contractor is unreliable
• Lack of trust: Can I rely on this person to show up or do the job right?

Common frustrations in traditional home repair services

Our Goal

To design a platform that simplifies the home repair process while building trust between homeowners and service providers — especially for seniors, families, and landlords.

Research Process

Methods Used:

• 12 stakeholder interviews (seniors, homeowners, landlords, and 2 contractors)
• 2 contextual inquiries observing seniors book via phone
• 1 survey (36 responses from Ottawa & Mississauga regions)
• Competitive analysis of Thumbtack, Urban Company, TaskRabbit, Handy

Key Insights:

Key findings from user research and competitive analysis

User Personas

Based on our research, we identified two primary user personas:

RITA (66) – Retired Teacher

Needs to request help without feeling overwhelmed. Prioritizes trust and simplicity.

Goals

• Find reliable help easily
• Understand the process clearly
• Feel secure about who enters her home

Frustrations

• Technology feels complicated
• Uncertain about service quality
• No updates after booking

"I just want someone trustworthy who will show up on time and do the job properly."

VIKAS (38) – Landlord

Manages 4 units, wants to schedule jobs quickly with status updates for tenants.

Goals

• Quickly schedule repairs across properties
• Track job progress remotely
• Maintain tenant satisfaction

Frustrations

• Coordinating between tenants and contractors
• No visibility into repair status
• Unreliable service providers

"I need to know when the plumber arrives and finishes, without calling everyone involved."

Design Solutions

MVP Features (Phase 1)

From paper sketches to high-fidelity prototypes

Booking Flow

The simplified 3-step booking process: Location → Select Category → Pick Time → Confirm

Streamlined booking flow designed for simplicity

Usability Testing

We conducted multiple rounds of testing to validate our design decisions:

User testing sessions with target audience

Visual Highlights

Key visual elements of the mrfix.homes interface

Outcomes

Pre-launch and in-progress metrics show promising results:

Reflection & Next Steps

What Worked:

• Real-time updates reduced anxiety during home repairs
• Seniors found the app "calmer" than others
• Contractors liked the structured photo logging system

What Can Improve:

• Still working on integrating reschedule + cancellation UX
• Need auto-reminders for follow-ups

What's Next:

Live Product

The mrfix.homes platform is currently in beta testing. You can visit the live site to explore the current implementation:

https://mrfix.homes

Screenshot of the live mrfix.homes platform