As Seen on Shark Tank

Hidrent was a mobile and web platform designed to connect off-duty firefighters with homeowners and businesses seeking reliable, trustworthy help with handyman tasks. Hidrent was acquired in 2023 by the Belfor Group. 

The Challenge: Building Trust in the Gig Economy

The gig economy has revolutionized how we access services. Providing rides home. Delivering our food and groceries. Even taking care of our children. Yet a huge barrier still persists: trust. How do you ensure that someone entering a customer’s home or business is reliable and capable?

This was the foundational challenge Dave (Hidrent’s CEO) and I tackled when building Hidrent. During a few conversations, Dave turned to me and said “You know who I trust? Firefighters. If they are there during a crisis, why can’t they be there during other times?” 

Hidrent was born.

By leveraging the inherent trustworthiness and dependability of firefighters, a service designed to ensure safety and reliability in the gig economy while providing firefighters with supplemental income started come to life.

As Director of Product, my responsibility was to build a seamless, multi sided system catering to three distinct user groups:

1. Consumers (homeowners)
2. Firefighters
3. Businesses 

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The Solution: Human-Centered Design for Trust and Usability

Creating Hidrent required a holistic, human-centered design approach that merged user empathy, scalable architecture, and engaging experiences. As my first fully owned product, I wanted to build an incredible experience

1. The Problem Space

Building a multi-sided market place is hard. We needed thorough market research to mapthe barriers consumers face in the gig economy. We learned:

• There are major safety concerns: Users need to know, who is entering my home or business?
• We need to be easy to use: Older users were less likely to adopt traditional gig economy platforms or any tech for that matter, 

Firefighters work 24 hour on 48 hours off for their schedules. So holding an extra job came with unique considerations. Things like:

• Flexibility: A side gig that fits around unpredictable and demanding shifts.
• Brotherhood: A system that was custom to the firefighters and their co-workers. 

2. User Personas and Branding

We developed detailed personas for both primary user groups (firefighters and consumers), highlighting their goals, pain points, and motivations. These personas informed our brand identity for customers visualize the platform across touchpoints.

For example:

• Firefighter Persona: Mike, a 32-year-old firefighter, wants a reliable way to earn extra income between shifts that can coexist with their unique schedule. 
• Consumer Persona: Linda, a 65-year-old widow who values trustworthiness in handymen and hasn’t used much technology.

3. Designing for Accessibility and Engagement

Mobile and Web Platforms:

• Mobile App: We needed two separate apps. One for firefighters to manage jobs on the go, and one for our consumers needing to post jobs. 

• Web App: Designed to cater to our older customers. We built it with accessibility in mind, including with large touch targets, simplified navigation, and accessible fonts.

4. Building Trust at Every Interaction

To continue to address safety concerns, we integrated:

• Verified Firefighter Profiles: Featuring professional credentials, photos, and ratings. By Partnering with the IAFF (International Association For Firefighters) we had access to tens of thousands of vetted firefighters.
• Branding: Leveraged the firefighter ethos of dependability to create a strong emotional connection with users.

 

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Results: A Beautiful and Impactful Experience

Hidrent is now a trusted platform that:

• Empowers firefighters to earn extra income in a flexible way.
• Gives homeowners and businesses peace of mind when hiring help.
• Resonates with an older demographic, thanks to its intuitive design and emotional appeal.

Key Metrics:

• 150,000 homeowners active on the platform 
• 2500 businesses served 
• $2.5M in funding raised 
• 75,000 firefighters onboarded

What I Learned

• Trust is a Design Asset: Trust isn’t built in one step; it’s layered into every micro-delight, from seamless onboarding to consistent branding.
• Iterate Relentlessly: We tend to think we are done once we hit a finish line. An experience is never done. There are always improvements that can be made. 
• Design for All, Not Most: Prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity creates solutions that truly serve everyone.