ProntoCasa reimagines home maintenance as a seamless, stress-free experience. The service connects families with a curated network of trusted professionals through a mobile app, complete with verified reviews and personalized contact recommendations - turning the often -frustrating search for help into a smooth, confident decision-making process.
Through immersive, on-ground research with families in Bergamo, our team uncovered a deeper emotional insight: trust and timing matter most. Many families struggled to find reliable professionals when they needed them the most, often resorting to DIY fixes or endless online searches. By integrating contact-based recommendations, ProntoCasa bridges this gap - helping families feel assured, supported, and in control of their household needs.
Qualitative study - to find out what's missing
Through qualitative research with families living in Bergamo, primarily homeowners with children, the team identified observations and curated actionable insights around them.
Insights
Housing bureaucracy traps families in long delays
Schools foster community for parents
An extended support system is essential
Household service disruptions add on to daily stress
The lack of reliable household services causes stress, forcing families to depend on DIY solutions or unreliable Google results for childcare, eldercare, and maintenance. When that fails, they turn to word-of-mouth for trusted professionals, but delays make it inadequate for urgent needs.
"If the boiler breaks on Saturday, I really wouldn't know who to call... things aren't so streamlined... On Living in Bergamo Facebook page, very often you'll see ‘Does anyone know a good plumber?' because we want people that recommend other people"
Homeowner, lives with 3 kids and husband in an independent house.
"If the boiler breaks on Saturday, I really wouldn't know who to call... things aren't so streamlined... On Living in Bergamo Facebook page, very often you'll see ‘Does anyone know a good plumber?' because we want people that recommend other people"
Homeowner, lives with 3 kids and husband in an independent house.
"It is very difficult to find someone who come to make services. There aren't many people who do this work. They are old...or retired... so you ask other people that you know if they know someone...but very difficult, very expensive."
Homeowner, married and has two children. Moved to Bergamo from Milan
"It is very difficult to find someone who come to make services. There aren't many people who do this work. They are old...or retired... so you ask other people that you know if they know someone...but very difficult, very expensive."
Homeowner, married and has two children. Moved to Bergamo from Milan
“There is a big problem in Italy in finding people who do these jobs, because if you build a palace, it's easy... you can find the people who are going to take care of these things. If you're focusing on finding people who do the maintenance of little houses, it's very hard to find them.”
Homeowner, lives with her 2 cats
“There is a big problem in Italy in finding people who do these jobs, because if you build a palace, it's easy... you can find the people who are going to take care of these things. If you're focusing on finding people who do the maintenance of little houses, it's very hard to find them.”
Homeowner, lives with her 2 cats
Zooming in: Day in the life of a busy family
Zooming out : How do families make housing decisions?
Opportunity
How might we connect families in Bergamo with trustworthy and reliable services that can minimise the stress that comes with searching, vetting and selecting?
How might we connect families in Bergamo with trustworthy and reliable services that can minimise the stress that comes with searching, vetting and selecting?
Let's brainstorm and build
We generated ideas and voted on the ones that resonated the most, choosing the top three to create wireframes around for testing.
Will it stand the test?
"The difference is that there is someone who says [the plumber] can be trusted, many people confirmed that he is ok... and maybe in the [‘recommended by’ element] you know someone, and this is interesting, this is the difference."
Homeowner, married and has two children. Moved to Bergamo from Milan
"The difference is that there is someone who says [the plumber] can be trusted, many people confirmed that he is ok... and maybe in the [‘recommended by’ element] you know someone, and this is interesting, this is the difference."
Homeowner, married and has two children. Moved to Bergamo from Milan
Learnings from testing
The findings confirmed the hypothesis that verified and recommended professionals help build trust among families.
Real-time updates and direct communication channels are essential for managing emergencies and building user confidence.
Social proof and recommendations from trusted sources, local influencers, or word-of-mouth are key to adoption.
Laying out the details!
