Future mobile app
Utility-first UX brief
Laundrypal should feel like a calm, utility-first student app. Every screen should answer one simple question fast: Is a machine free, what should I do next, and when do I need to come back?
Navigation model
Home
Primary daily screen showing the resident’s selected laundry room, live machine availability, and quick scan entry.
Scan
Fast camera-first entry point for scanning a machine QR and jumping directly into the start flow.
Activity
A combined view for active cycles, finished loads, queue reservations, and anything that needs the student’s attention.
Profile
Campus, residence selection, notification preferences, and joined rooms.
Onboarding
The user signs in, chooses their university, then selects their residence or laundry room. This should be fast, searchable, and mostly one-time setup.
- Search university first, then narrow into residence halls or housing communities.
- Show a clear success state when the room is joined.
- Offer QR scan as an alternate entry if the student is physically in the laundry room.
Home
Home should open directly into the student’s main laundry room status. The top of the screen should tell them whether machines are free right now.
- Show washers and dryers in a clean grid or room-map arrangement.
- Use strong status colors and large touch targets.
- Surface the fastest next action: scan a machine, start a free one, or join a queue.
Scan flow
Scanning should be the fastest path in the app. The user scans the QR sticker on a machine, sees that exact machine, chooses duration, and starts.
- Do not make the student hunt for the machine after scanning.
- Show machine label, room, status, and allowed duration immediately.
- Keep the confirmation step minimal so the flow feels instant.
Active cycle
Once a machine is started, the app shifts into reassurance mode: countdown, reminders, and a clear path back when the cycle is finished.
- Countdown should be visually prominent and easy to read at a glance.
- When a cycle completes, switch the card state from passive tracking to urgent pickup.
- Require a simple pickup confirmation to close the loop.
Queue and reservations
Queueing should feel simple, fair, and low-stress. Students should understand where they are in line and what happens next without reading extra instructions.
- Show queue position and approximate wait clearly.
- When a machine becomes available, elevate that reservation inside Activity.
- Keep queue actions to the essentials: join, leave, claim, start.
Profile and settings
Profile is lightweight. It should mainly store campus, room membership, and notification settings.
- Prioritize notification controls for reminders and queue alerts.
- Allow switching or adding additional rooms without clutter.
- Keep account details secondary to operational settings.