RentBlue
streamlining off-campus housing with group search and roommate matching
Overview:
RentBlue is a desktop website help streamline the housing searching process for students in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a group search function, enhanced filter matching and easy house tour scheduling. I worked with 4 other designers to perform an end-to-end design process, focusing on the listing design, group search function and design system.
my role
user research
product design
UX design
timeline
(3 months)
team
5 designers
tools
Figma
Figjam
Canva
why RentBlue?
Off-campus housing in Ann Arbor is expensive and hard to find.
With limited on-campus housing, U of M students are expected to find their accommodation from their freshmen year.
the challenge
dissecting the problem + solutions
problem 1
The current Umich off-housing website design features a side-by-side layout of listings and a map view.
While this location-focused approach enables users to easily see property locations, it comes with limitations:
• Insufficient space for detailed property information, causing difficulty to focus on individual listings.
• No specialized search bar for listings search, making it harder to change and personalize searches.
solution 1
Listings Search
Listing Details
problem 2
Roommates search lack personal touch, making the process rigid and unfriendly.
Profile pictures are too small and difficult to see other students as somebody you would want to live with
Impossible to scan though living preferences to identify potential matches
Information prompts are unhelpful; some students had to put room details as their screen name for visibility
solution 2
We included a side filter menu, cards with introductions and feature tags in the Roommate list view to make the it easer for roommate seekers to scan through potential matches. The size of the profile pictures are also increased to make connecting with other users on the website more friendly and approachable.
Roommates List
Roommates Details
Saved Listings
As our User Research indicated that some students prefer to look for accommodation together, we added a “group likes” section in the “Saved Listings” page. By adding others to see the properties they have liked and viewing others’ preferred properties, users can look for property as a group and narrow down their search more easily.
problem 3
Communications are carried out through email prompts, making it difficult to reach out and maintain contact.
problem 4
Requests must be made to via messages before creating a listing or sublease, making the process burdensome.
solution 3
Integrated communication system with Call and Tour Request Options
In order to address the limitations of email-only communication, we realized the importance of an in-app messaging system to reduce delays and improve response times.
The Call feature allows for real-time conversations, fostering clearer communication and building stronger relationships.
The Tour Request option enables users to schedule visits effortlessly through an intuitive interface.
-> ensure consistent engagement and efficient follow-ups, ultimately enhancing overall communication effectiveness.
Direct messages
solution 4
Friction-Free ‘Add New Property’ Process
We simplified and accelerated the experience of creating listings or subleases by removing the need for preliminary message-based requests. This streamlined approach allows users to directly input property details through an intuitive interface, reducing unnecessary back-and-forth communication and saving time.
Add new property
what i learned
collaborating in a multi-people design team
This project marked my first experience working in a large team of five designers, each contributing to the research and design process. It provided an opportunity to develop my leadership and communication skills, ensuring consistency across the project through the use of style guides and regular review sessions.
incorporating creativity within design conventions
At the outset, one of the primary challenges was defining the unique value proposition of the platform. Through this experience, I learned that by focusing on user needs, it’s possible to find areas for innovation. Subtle adjustments to common design conventions can create distinctive and meaningful user experiences.
well-structured usability testing
Although I had previously conducted usability testing, this project gave me a deeper understanding of the process. From segmenting the prototype into distinct user flows to preparing tasks and observing user interactions, I learned how to maximize the value of usability testing and apply the insights to refine and enhance the design.
