Rent Right is a peer-to-peer platform for tenants seeking property in Rome, Italy.

This is a concept project I worked on while studying at UX-Land School.

In a team of two, we were assigned to design a mobile app to simplify the rental process for greater efficiency and convenience.

Project Overview

8 weeks

Duration

Team

Group of 2

Role

Tools

UX Designer

Figma, FigmaJam, Google form, Zoom, Photoshop, Canva

Project Goal

• The main goal of our research was to study users to understand their concerns and needs.

• Creating a user-friendly application, smooth and clear house rental process.

• Simplifying the rental process by allowing users to search by suburb, sort and filter results, browse listings, request visits, and submit applications directly through the platform.

• Establish proper communication between the landlord and the applicant.

User Target

• Individuals seeking for property in Rome, Italy.

• Owners looking to rent their properties in Rome, Italy.

"We concentrated on designing the website for the first target group"

Design Process

followed a Double Diamond approach based on the Design Thinking methodology. It was not a linear path; we bounced between stages as the project progressed.

Discover

We surveyed people from different backgrounds, including various ages, jobs, and genders. Among them, 52% were aged 25-37, and 47% were students.

The interviews with 10 survey participants provided valuable insights, emphasizing the importance of providing accurate information about the property and building trust . Specifically, focus should also be placed on app language, distance visibility, communication facilitation, and image quality.

Survey

The most important feature of a property:

• Monthly Rent

• High Quality Photo

• Furnishing Status

• Number of Bedrooms

• Square of footage

The most Important feature for Application:

• Multi Language App

• Easy Visit Process

• Sufficient Information

• Communication

• Updates

Interview

• Comprehensive property detail : Users prioritize property details and description, including high quality photos for informed decision-making

• Multilingual support : Users emphasize the importance of language to interact with app in their preferred language, leading to increased engagement, satisfaction and trust.

• Communication : Users prioritize landlords' responsiveness, it enhances the application's credibility and user satisfaction.

• Simplified visit process : Users express interest in booking property visits at their convenience.

• Filter feature: Users prefer to have the filter feature added so they can quickly and efficiently find their ideal property, which improves search accuracy.

Some quotes mentioned by people in interviews :

Affinity Diagram

Using the affinity diagram, we found the most important factors:

Comprehensive detail

Multilingual app

Filter

Communication

Simplified visit process

Key Takeaways

To understand the users' pain points and develop effective solutions, we employed a comprehensive research approach that consisted of the following methods:

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Online Survey

Interview

Competitive Analysis

We aimed to address users' top preferences by incorporating key features into the property details and application.

Initially, we looked at other rental applications to understand what features are important. Then, we analyzed these apps to see how they work and what they offer. By looking at different applications, we made sure our application has everything users need for a great experience.

Competitive Analysis

Define

Persona

Site Map

User Flow

The insights I gained from surveys and interviews helped shape the persona. The main goal is to highlight the patterns and pain points, allowing me to empathize more deeply with users.

In designing the user flow, our goal was to find an apartment, then request a visit and finally receive a confirmation message from landlord.

To ensure our information architecture meets user expectations, we conducted an open card sorting session. We developed our first version and iteratively refined it based on user testing and competitive analysis.

Develop

Comprehensive property Information

Challenges

Solutions

Multilingual support

Following stakeholder discussions on language barriers, we decided to offer multilingual support so users can choose their preferred language upfront.

Communicate easily with landlords

Allowing users to schedule property visits online at their convenience.

• Request a visit

• Choose a date and time

• receive a confirmation message from Landlord

Allowing users to request a visit,send a message to landlord and apply for rent.

Improving User Trust to Drive Rental Engagement

Showing landlord verification identity to build credibility and trust in the rental app

By offering video, helping to reassure them that the photos accurately represent what they can expect.

Encourage landlords to enhance their property listings with

• high-quality images

• detailed descriptions of the property's condition

to attract more tenants, build trust, and give tenants a clear idea of the property.

Sketches and Wireframes

We started with hand-sketched low-fidelity wireframes for early team communication. Later, we used Figma to create low-fidelity wireframes, iterating several times before final content development.

Improving rental search efficiency with effective filtering feature

We found that specific details are the most valuable search criteria for users, thus integrating a filter feature helps users discover listings tailored to their specific needs.

Sketches

Wireframes

UI Kit

We developed a comprehensive UI kit with templates and components, ensuring smooth, consistent, and efficient application development throughout the project.

Iteration and Usability Test

We conducted a moderated usability test with a select group of potential users via Google Meet.

This step was integrated into my design process once we had a functional UI prototype. This approach significantly enhanced our understanding of the user's perspective on the app, providing valuable insights.

The "Tap to Draw" button is misunderstood 60% of the time. Users often do not realize they need to tap on the map to start drawing.

To address this, remove the button and replace it with an icon that illustrates a hand gesture to guide users on how to start drawing.

" Search page"

The "Tap to Filter" icon is misclicked 60% of the time due to user difficulty in recognizing it.

To address this,

• Replace the filter icon with a "Filter" text label

• Fill the button with color

" Draw on the map page"

30% of clicks to open the card profile are incorrect.

To address this, make all parts of the card clickable to open.

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Deliver

High Fidelity Wireframe

Here is the final prototype, showcasing the results of our design process.

Prototype

Reflection

What I have Learned

What Next?

• I learned that effective collaboration within the team is crucial for meeting project milestones and deadlines.

• Regular communication and teamwork are essential for aligning goals and maintaining progress.

• I learned that conducting thorough research is pivotal in understanding user needs and market demands.

• I learned that creating a comprehensive UI kit ensures design consistency across the product.

• I learned that user feedback during the testing phase can lead to significant enhancements in usability.