Date: December 2021-January 2022
Client: Solo Project
Tools: Adobe XD
Role: Design Research
UX Audit
Conduct Interviews
Wireframe Development
User Flows
Information Architecture
Copywriting
User Experience / Interface Design
The challenge
Effortless Home Rentals
Searching for a home can be an arduous process, taking weeks or months. In such situations, users have to use some rental websites which cannot understand and meet their needs. So I wanted to find a solution to allow users a minimal responsive rental website without complicating the process.
User Research
Thanks to my white paper research I found out what people place high importance on when they searching a home. Additionally, explanations of amenities (68%), high-quality photos (60%), and online rental listings (46%) are important features.
Source: National Association of Realtors (NAR) among 10,643 responses in USA, 2021.
I also did a competitive analysis between 4 brands and for each UX feature, I awarded a score of 0 to 1, (0,5 means not every home has this feature on the website) based on the existence of these features. So, each brand is awarded a maximum of 6 points.
After completing the competitive analysis, I did interviews with my users and found the biggest pain points below. The others are; professional photos, detailed filters, map listing, reviews, and language support, respectively. Also, the first filter that users prefer is location, and then pricing. A user made this sentence during our interview;
''Unfortunately, the process cannot be managed well in apartments with high demand.''
Requirements
Based on these user needs I narrowed down my insights into 3 categories that I wanted to address:
-
An organized, minimalistic environment where users can quickly find exactly what they need
-
A website that increases users' confidence in the transparency of the home finding process
-
A responsive website that has all features that users want to see and enables users to get an appointment efficiently
Personas
User Journey
While I was developing my personas and thinking about who would use my product, the idea of the most touristic cities in Europe really stuck out to me, so in the wireframing stage, I decided to focus on a selection of European cities to make it easier for users to find housing when they move to a new city.
Ideation
In light of the ideation process, I decided that my main points solving the problems mentioned above should be the automation of the scheduling of a tour, uploading necessary documents beforehand to make the process easier for both sides, showing the number of requests for the advertisement sent before to make the process more transparent.
Wireframe & Prototype
I have created some drafts that ensured the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points.
After sketching the screens, I started to design low-fidelity prototypes in order to get the first feedback with the usability testing.
Usability Tests
I conducted 2 rounds of usability studies. The findings from the first study made me realize that some UI elements were imperceptible. Some incorrect button naming were discovered in this usability study.
High Fidelity Prototypes
I refined my low-fidelity designs with the help of the first usability tests. In the second round, I used high-fidelity designs for the final touches with user feedback. These are my final Cozyhomes product mockups after the second usability test.
Booking your appointment according to the agent's schedule, detailed filters that are divided into categories, and using a tap bar for video, 3d tour, and map are the essential features that I have taken into consideration according to my user interview and white paper research.
