Story detail · Home Depot Pro Experience Design
Rats behind the wall
Context: Mid-job, the contractor opened a wall and found a nest of rats. They had to solve it on the spot to keep the site on track for inspection.
Observations: Reached for their phone immediately — never considered calling the office. Visibly anxious about the inspection deadline.
Push
Rats threaten the site passing inspection — the work can't be cleared or licensed with them there.
Pull
The Home Depot app puts traps on site within the hour — no waiting, no calls.
Anxiety
Worried the traps won't actually work and the rats come back tomorrow.
Habit
Default instinct is to deal with surprises quietly — avoid making a big deal and move on.
Verbatims
“If the inspector sees that, we fail — the site can't get its certificate. I can't have that on my record.”
“Time is the thing — the moment I stop moving on a job site the client notices. Every break costs me something.”
“I could have someone grab traps and bring them within the hour — that's why I didn't call anyone.”
“Honestly I was worried the traps wouldn't do it and I'd be back tomorrow with the same problem.”
“Normally I'd just deal with it myself and move on — I don't like making a big deal out of surprises.”