Streamline your next NYC apartment hunt.

Timeline

10 weeks (July-Oct 2024)

Tools

Figma

Type

End-to-end case study

Project Overview

Role/Responsibilities

UX Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Iterations,
Design System, Visual Identity

Approach

Design Thinking
(Empathize, Define, Prototype, Test, Iterate)

Raven streamlines the process from searching to requesting an application and keeping all roommates in the loop, making the “hunt” the exciting adventure it should be.

Message and schedule with agents directly
Stay organized with a document checklist
Comment on and rank listings
Centralized roommate hub for viewings, documents, and listings

What is Raven?

I rented my third apartment in New York City this summer. You would think it’d get easier with experience…

It took me nearly

2 weeks,

16 viewings,

and 80+ hours

to find my new home.

The Problem

In 2024, NYC renters are experiencing difficulties in apartment-hunting  due to competition amidst  a historically low  vacancy rate of  1.4%.

For example, an agent reports about a listing having 35 viewings and 10 applications in just one day

I wanted to know how this quick-paced market affects renters’ hunt process.

Understand renters’ process in apartment hunting in NYC
Discover pain points in searching for an apartment in NYC
Understand the role and function of apartment hunting apps in NYC
Reveal opportunities to help renters better manage the renting process.
Understand the impact of market speed and unit availability impacts renters

Participant Criteria

I focused on participants who have recently been apartment hunting in NYC (last two years) and were actively involved in the process (adult).

Establishing a goal

(30-40 sec.)

Research Plan

I believe that adult renters in NYC are having a difficult time finding and signing for apartments due to the lack of available units. I will know I am right when I see that 3 to 5 people who have recently tried to rent apartments say that the process was difficult because of the availability and speed of the market.

Hypothesis

I established five research goals to outline what I hope to learn in my interviews, informing my questions, participant criteria, and analysis.

Goals

I began by creating a design hypothesis to inform my assumptions, research plan, and scope.

Research Analysis

After conducting four interviews, it was clear that lack of available units makes the real estate market in NYC more competitive, negatively impacting renters’ apartment hunt experience.

Using an affinity map, I identified five main themes/insights, and one key insight was revealed:

Building empathy

(30-40 sec.)

Competitor Analysis

(30-45 sec.)

Initial Key Insight

Preparing & Managing Necessary Materials

Renters struggle with gathering and managing the necessary documentation for apartment applications, often leading to delays and missed opportunities in securing apartments.

Revised Key Insight

Managing & Organizing Various Tasks

Renters face challenges in organizing and managing the various tasks involved in securing an apartment, such as gathering documentation, coordinating with realtors, scheduling viewings, and planning logistics with roommates, often resulting in delays, missed opportunities and increased stress in securing apartments.

Next I wanted to explore the current functionalities and existing digital solutions popular amongst NYC renters.

Further ideation and interviews revealed major additional challenges like coordinating with realtors, scheduling viewings, and managing roommates.

Hence, I pivoted to “Managing and Organizing Various Tasks,” providing a broader scope and opportunities for a more holistic solution.

StreetEasy

Trulia

Zilliow

RentHop

Ability to like, save, share a listing

Ability to directly coordinate with agent, schedule and organize viewings

Provides reliable resources, support, and information

How might we ease the process of managing the various tasks of apartment hunting to reduce stress and save time for NYC renters?

How Might We

Meet Alex, 22

a recent NYU graduate navigating the NYC rental market for the first time with two college roommates. They rely on texting each other links to online listings and realtor contacts, but struggle with managing the fast-paced process. The group feels overwhelmed by coordinating viewings, organizing documents in Google Drive, and anticipating additional costs, often leading to missed opportunities and added stress.

Goals

Secure an apartment before starting a full-time job.
Minimize stress by being well-prepared.
Find a building that meets everyone’s needs.

Pain Points

Unsure about all the necessary documents and worried about missing something crucial.
Intimidated by the quick decision making in the fast-paced nature of the NYC rental market.
Difficulty in coordinating with roommates.

Behaviors

Spends a lot of time on platforms like StreetEasy, Trulia, Zillow, and Renthop browsing listings
Created a shared Google Drive with his roommates to organize necessary documents and track potential apartment listings
Saves listings on real estate platforms and uses organization tools (i.e. flags) in email to track information

Persona

As a first-time renter in NYC, I want to streamline communication with my roommates so that we can efficiently plan our move.
As a first-time renter in NYC, I want to be able to keep track of my viewings and upcoming tours so that I don’t waste time managing them.
As a first-time renter in NYC, I want to be able to share and discuss potential apartments with my roommates so that we can all agree on the best choice.

Creating Value

(30-40 sec.)

User Stories

Managing and Coordinating the Apartment Search Process

Chosen epic

After expanding this epic into 10 user stories, I focused in on three:

Now that I identified that managing and organizing the various tasks of apartment hunting was an opportunity for design intervention, I wanted to create a valuable design. User stories allowed me to ideate legitimate functions from the user’s perspective.

Designing experience

(30-40 sec.)

Task Flow

Inspired by my persona’s goals and journey map, I designed an extensive task flow that targeted moments where renters often resort to external applications (such as messages, emails, files, notes, and calendars). These existing user decisions were the building blocks to the final design intervention.

Exploratory

(30-40 sec.)

Solution

(30-40 sec.)

Sketching

I began by sketching screens for Onboarding, Activity, Listings, Document Checklist, and Household (dashboard). They were inspired by the most popular real estate platforms and common applications for collaboration/messaging.

Exploratory sketches

Exploratory Sketch: Activity

Incorporating ways to display messages and roommate activity.

Exploratory Sketch: Onboarding

Establishing user preferences that will be used to define best apartment matches and overall household preferences

Exploratory Sketch: Document Checklist

Experimenting with visual layout of documents and upload process.

Exploratory Sketch: Household

Playing with the idea of widgets to design a functional and home-y dashboard

Exploratory Sketch: Listings

Using popular real estate mobile applications as inspiration to maintain consistency for users

After identifying the strongest designs from each exploratory sketch, I developed one solution sketch for each screen.

Solution sketches

Solution Sketch: Document Checklist

Mainly inspired by Headspace's content layout, the document checklist is a place where all necessary materials are listed. Users can filter, sort, and upload all in one place.

Solution Sketch: Onboarding

Final Onboarding screen. Includes a progress bar and options to skip.

Solution Sketch: Listing

Browsing listings (left) remains very similar to what users are used to. Main differences include household preference indicators, and more intuitive ways to interact with a listing. Listing details (right) combine best features from existing platforms and other information users reported as important.

Solution Sketch: Activity

The final activity screen composes of roommate activity, and separate buttons for messages and active applications. This screen changed significantly after user testing and iterations.

Solution Sketch: Dashboard

This household dashboard is a combination of widgets and a listing view that encompasses all necessary information roommates may need.

Using my task flow, solution sketches, and UI moodboard, I developed an initial user flow in mid-fidelity wireframes. These are the screens I prototyped and used for my first round of user testing.

Visualizing a solution

(30-40 sec.)

Wireframes

User Testing

Test Output 1

Prioritization Matrix

Goals

Identify usability challenges
Assess opportunities for iteration
Test product effectiveness

Plan

Task 1: Onboarding

Task 2: View and select listing

Task 3: Request tour

Task 4: Go on tour and take notes

Task 5: Wait on roommate approval

Task 6: Request an application and apply

5: Testing

Wireframe Iterations

Homescreen

Before

Before

After

Users faced challenges…

understanding where contact came from

Iterations:

clarified that roommates are found in contacts
added icon to establish “group chat” feeling

After

6: Iterate

Browse

Before

Users faced challenges…

understanding what percentages meant

Iterations:

added tooltip overlay to clarify percentages

Users faced challenges…

understanding what percentages meant

Iterations:

added tooltip overlay to clarify percentages

After

Messages

Before

After

Users faced challenges…

understanding what percentages meant

Iterations:

added tooltip overlay to clarify percentages

Voting

User Testing

Test Output 2

Prioritization Matrix 2

Goals

Assess iterations
Task flow effectiveness
Final major iterations

Tasks

Task 1: Onboarding

Task 2: View and select listing

Task 3: Request tour

Task 4: Go on tour and take notes

Task 5: Wait on roommate approval

Task 6: Request an application and apply

7: Testing (again)

Task Flow Iteration

After users request a viewing, they are prompted to schedule a time through directly messaging the agent.

During this process, the Raven Scheduling Assistant recommends using the Document Checklist to prepare for the tour.

Take notes during viewing

6: Iterate

Take notes during viewing

During the viewing, Raven allows users to take notes directly in the listing. Users can upload images and text, and share with the rest of their Household.

Request Viewing

Browse

Because of time, I removed Onboarding as the start of the task flow. Now users start by finding a listing and requesting a tour.

I revised the nav bar to have Household in the center, and messages as its own page.

I added a search bar and sort option, and cleaned up text/icon hierarchy.

Schedule/prepare for viewing

Visual Identity

Wordmark

Color Injection

I went through 3-4 different color injections, using different color palettes and referencing a variety of UI inspiration.
Here is an example of how the color injections varied greatly in the Browse screen.
It was difficult striking a balance with the blue without making it too “Facebook-y.”

Here is an example of how my original color palette was too dull and soft, and didn’t channel the excitement of my moodboard.

Naming

Raven

Inspired by “haven”

Ravens symbolize prophecy, wisdom, insight

Personifies the app / service

Symbolism of building a nest when finding a home

Moodboard

Focused on encompassing Raven's essence of trustworthiness (blue), efficiency (green), empowerment (red), and excitement (orange)