Personal Work

Regret- Free Renting

At a glance: the platform I wish I had when I was looking for student housing

Fall 2022 was one of the worst times in recent history to be a student looking for housing in Waterloo.

This website seeks to revolutionize the student housing search by bridging the increasing power gap of landlords and students; through providing transparency and information to students to make informed choices, and to hold landlords accountable to unethical practices.

Team

Solo Project

My Role

Product Design - user research, visual design

Timeline

2022

Tools

Figma, Miro, Condens

Problem

What's the Situation?

After the return to in person classes after covid, student housing has been a seller’s market, with students having little recourse to illegal or unethical management practices.

In a new report from Waterloo Undergraduate Students' Association:

Only 15% of companies were reported to use the Ontario standard lease, as required by the provincial government
80% of students experience at least one major maintenance issue per term

In order to better understand the challenges that users were facing, additional context was collected through primary and secondary research.

Discovery

Research Methods

Literature Review

Recognizing that finding housing was a prevalent issue for students, WUSA, a student-run university organization, has created a survey to gather data and understand the issues students experience.

Many students (43%) experience 1-2 maintenance issues per term and only 10% of respondents never have a major issue per term

Recognizing that finding housing was a prevalent issue for students, WUSA, a student-run university organization, has created a survey to gather data and understand the issues students experience.

Many students (43%) experience 1-2 maintenance issues per term and only 10% of respondents never have a major issue per term

Recognizing that finding housing was a prevalent issue for students, WUSA, a student-run university organization, has created a survey to gather data and understand the issues students experience.

Many students (43%) experience 1-2 maintenance issues per term and only 10% of respondents never have a major issue per term

Existing Housing Feedback and Concerns

There are many existing forum threads, such as the ones found here or here, that have attempted to record housing feedback. However, most are inactive as the forum gives priority to more recent threads. I analyzed the structure and writing patterns to create a form to accommodate the reviews, as well as recording the most frequently mentioned topics.

Such topics included:

Maintenance
Hygiene/Cleanliness
Building quality
Location
Cockroaches

Such topics included:

Maintenance
Hygiene/Cleanliness
Building quality
Location
Cockroaches

Such topics included:

Maintenance
Hygiene/Cleanliness
Building quality
Location
Cockroaches

Discover

Personas

From my research, I identified two types of personas that have a distinct set of circumstances and needs.

Persona 1: Amy, fall/winter term student

User Need: As a fall/winter term student, I need to ensure that building I am leasing is of a livable standard with basic amenities so that I can make my decision and secure housing as soon as possible.

Persona 1: Amy, fall/winter term student

Persona 2: John, summer term student

User Need: As a summer term student, I want to browse and compare housing options so that I can choose the best accommodation for me within my budget.

Persona 2: John, summer term student

User Need: As a summer term student, I want to browse and compare housing options so that I can choose the best accommodation for me within my budget.

Persona 2: John, summer term student

User Need: As a summer term student, I want to browse and compare housing options so that I can choose the best accommodation for me within my budget.

Discover

Research Insights

Some research insights include:

Students take what they can get. If a students have issue with illegal clauses, “they would just move on to the line of people behind you who would sign the lease as is”. In more competitive fall or winter terms, posts offering to sublet rooms are “flooded with responses within minutes”.
‍Location and cost are top priorities. Cost is self explanatory, but students place higher value in precise location than other demographics- the majority of students do not own vehicles and walk on foot to campus.
‍Summer term is a different ballgame. The housing market in the summer term is far less competitive than fall or winter terms due to less students on campus. Students in the summer have far more options available and can be more selective.
Students value each other's opinions. It's common for students to search online to find accounts on how living there is like, or try asking around their social circle.

Turning Insights into Design ideas:

Support both users needing to explore options, or those with a location already in mind.
In the filter, sorting, and listing page, highlight factors that users care about most.
Allow students to share their experiences, and give their approval to reviews they agree with.
Have metrics on the most important factors to students, so different buildings can be compared at a glance.
Have filters on reviews and when browsing, so users can easily find information on topics they are concerned about.

Some research insights include:

Students take what they can get. If a students have issue with illegal clauses, “they would just move on to the line of people behind you who would sign the lease as is”. In more competitive fall or winter terms, posts offering to sublet rooms are “flooded with responses within minutes”.
‍Location and cost are top priorities. Cost is self explanatory, but students place higher value in precise location than other demographics- the majority of students do not own vehicles and walk on foot to campus.
‍Summer term is a different ballgame. The housing market in the summer term is far less competitive than fall or winter terms due to less students on campus. Students in the summer have far more options available and can be more selective.
Students value each other's opinions. It's common for students to search online to find accounts on how living there is like, or try asking around their social circle.

Turning Insights into Design ideas:

Support both users needing to explore options, or those with a location already in mind.
In the filter, sorting, and listing page, highlight factors that users care about most.
Allow students to share their experiences, and give their approval to reviews they agree with.
Have metrics on the most important factors to students, so different buildings can be compared at a glance.
Have filters on reviews and when browsing, so users can easily find information on topics they are concerned about.

Some research insights include:

Students take what they can get. If a students have issue with illegal clauses, “they would just move on to the line of people behind you who would sign the lease as is”. In more competitive fall or winter terms, posts offering to sublet rooms are “flooded with responses within minutes”.
‍Location and cost are top priorities. Cost is self explanatory, but students place higher value in precise location than other demographics- the majority of students do not own vehicles and walk on foot to campus.
‍Summer term is a different ballgame. The housing market in the summer term is far less competitive than fall or winter terms due to less students on campus. Students in the summer have far more options available and can be more selective.
Students value each other's opinions. It's common for students to search online to find accounts on how living there is like, or try asking around their social circle.

Turning Insights into Design ideas:

Support both users needing to explore options, or those with a location already in mind.
In the filter, sorting, and listing page, highlight factors that users care about most.
Allow students to share their experiences, and give their approval to reviews they agree with.
Have metrics on the most important factors to students, so different buildings can be compared at a glance.
Have filters on reviews and when browsing, so users can easily find information on topics they are concerned about.

Design

Competitive Analysis

Flows from many other products such as Airbnb, Etsy, and Google Maps were studied, with a focus on listing and review formats.

Design

Low Fidelity Prototypes

Next, I decided what user flows that I would be fleshing out, and the rough layout of the pages.

High Fidelity Design

Easily Search and Filter

Information on the cost of housing is front and center, as it is the #1 metric students consider when searching for housing. Location to campus is also exposed, for convenient sorting and comparison.

Submission flow

Pricing information is collected here- this is invaluable as it exposes pricing inflation and collects historic data found nowhere else. Three primary metrics identified to allow quick, objective comparisons.

Comparisons with map view

Again, this allows for convenient exploration and comparison of housing within a similar location. Students are usually familiar with the area near campus, and may find it more intuitive to navigate.

Retrospective

Outcome

This project is still a work in progress, and I am looking to flesh it out for my capstone in my final year. Provided the community is willing to contribute and share their experiences, I genuinely it would significantly change the landscape of finding housing in Waterloo for the better.‍

Let's start creating together