Taking the Technology for A Spin!

In Fall 2016, we partnered with a leading laundry management company for a 90-day beta test of our laundry platform at University of Florida. The test was held at Infinity Hall, UF’s premier live-work residence hall.

Purpose of the Test

We had four main goals of our beta test:

• Prove that the platform and app work as intended
• Test acceptance and adoptability within Millennials
• Obtain feedback from users
• Gather data on laundry usage patterns

Student Laundry Challenges- Pre-Beta

Through surveys and focus group, we identified several pain points that residents were experiencing prior to the Washlava installation, including:

• Perceived shortage of washers and dryers in hall
• Credit card readers failing to accept swipes reliably and them producing duplicate charges
• Time wasted because of unknown machine availability and no laundry status visibility

Machine Implementation Details- Beta

Existing washers and dryers and a credit card payment system were replaced with new LG machines.

• 12 washers and 12 dryers were distributed across 4 laundry rooms
• Washlava technology was integrated inside each machine
• An LED light strip was affixed to each machine to indicate status
  • Green = Available
  • Blue = Reserved
  • Red = In Use

Beta Findings

Students immediately understood how to use the Washlava app. No instructions or guidance was needed. Throughout the beta test, they reported:

• Improved equipment throughput and machine availability
• Spending less time doing laundry because of improved laundry room visibility, machine reservations and in-app notifications
• Seamless, error-free payments via the mobile application
• An affinity to the sleep design and usability of the LG machines

Beta Data

• In 90 days, 291 residents downloaded the app, made 1,430 washer reservations, did 3,856 loads of laundry and opened the app 18.722 times.
• Washlava ended the beta with a new promoter score of 99+ (95 of 96 respondents indicated they would recommend Washlava to a friend.)
• When asked how they would describe Washlava, residents overwhelmingly responded, “CONVENIENT”

Next Steps

The test at Infinity Hall was so successful that the 90 day test has been extended through the end of Spring 2017. Additional system upgrades are being tested and the technology is now available to be rolled out to a laundromat or multi housing facility near you!

 

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