Roomscape: a ux case study on seamless room and roommate discovery
This is a conceptual UX case study that focuses on improving the experience of the people who are searching for a room or a roommate in a city.
In this case study, I have described my process of designing an iOS app — ROOMscape. This is an hypothetical project based on problems which I faced during my shift to Bengaluru, I was waiting to solve this problem on my own, built an MVP and designed the edge cases while solving user needs targeted towards the Indian audience as per research.
📝Let’s get started
So, imagine this: You’re navigating the chaotic world of finding the perfect room and roommate — stressful, right? Well, that’s why ROOMscape came to life! I wanted to make the whole process a breeze, a smooth journey where you effortlessly discover your dream living space and your ideal roomie. Whether you’re a student, a young pro, or just going through a life shift, ROOMscape is here to turn your housing hunt into a downright enjoyable adventure. Let’s take the hassle out of house hunting, shall we?
⛔️Problem statement
Difficulty in locating affordable rooms and compatible roommates in a new location, heightened by a lack of accurate compatibility matching and trust issues among users.
Goals:
- There is a need to bridge the gap between physically visiting the places & meeting them through different platforms and viewing them online.
- Provide a user-friendly platform for seamless room and roommate discovery, implementing compatibility tests to enhance matches
🔎Design process I usually follow:
Its an iterative process, I usually go back and forth, I begin with thorough research to understand user needs and market trends. Once I’ve defined the problem and set clear goals, I move into the ideation phase, generating creative solutions. I then create low-fidelity prototypes for quick testing and gather valuable feedback from user interview. Based on user insights, I iterate and refine the design. Then I create high-fidelity prototypes for finalisation.
📜Secondary Research
(👀 ChatGPT partially helped me get this info)
🔶Demographics based on Bangalore population:
- Population: As of my last update in 2022, Bangalore had over 12 million people. It’s a diverse city with a significant young population, thanks to the IT industry.
- Age Distribution: A large percentage of the population falls in the age group of 20–35, which is the prime demographic for individuals seeking roommates.
- IT Hub: Bangalore is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of India, with a booming IT sector. This attracts professionals from across the country and even internationally.
🔶Housing Scenario:
- Rental Market: The city has a vibrant rental market, with a mix of independent houses, apartments, and shared accommodations.
- Pricing: Rental prices can vary widely based on the locality, amenities, and type of accommodation.
🔶User Behavior:
- Preference for Shared Living: Young professionals often prefer shared living to manage high living costs and build a social circle.
- Tech-Savvy Population: Bangaloreans are generally tech-savvy, relying heavily on apps and online platforms for various needs.
🔶Challenges:
- Traffic and Commute: Traffic congestion is a significant issue. Proximity to workplaces and easy commuting options is a key consideration for accommodation seekers.
- Cultural Diversity: Bangalore is culturally diverse, with people from different states and backgrounds. Understanding and respecting cultural preferences is crucial for a successful roommate match.
🔶Competitor Analysis:
- Existing Apps: Platforms like NestAway, Zolo, and NoBroker are popular for rental listings.
- Features: Users appreciate features like detailed property listings, virtual tours, and secure payment options.
🔶Key Features for the Roommate App:
- Detailed Profiles: Users should be able to create comprehensive profiles, including lifestyle preferences, work hours, and interests.
- Matching Algorithm: A robust algorithm to match compatible roommates based on preferences and habits.
- In-App Communication: Secure messaging within the app to facilitate communication between potential roommates.
- Safety Measures: Background checks, reviews, and a secure payment system to ensure a safe living environment.
🔶Local Trends:
- Preferred Localities: Areas like Koramangala, Indiranagar, and Whitefield are popular among young professionals.
- Community Living: The concept of co-living spaces with shared amenities is gaining popularity.
📜Primary Research
What is the current status of this problem ? How are we solving it?
After analyzing the problem and understanding how competitors are addressing certain aspects of the housing issue, I have identified a lack of trust between the bridge and the user. Agents and middlemen are attempting to attract customers, resulting in a significant increase in advance payments. There is also a lack of proper in-app communication to assess compatibility between the giver and receiver.
🎤User Interviews
I talked to users because, you know, chatting with them just spills the real deal. People share their personal experiences, and that’s where the gold is. When I’m doing user interviews solo, I usually hit record and then jot down the key stuff afterward. Here are some of the questions I asked few of my friends who moved to Bangalore recently & insights of the same.
💡Insights
- Age Range: Participants varied across different age groups, but a significant number fell into the young adult (20s-30s) category.
- Priorities in Accommodation Search: Key priorities included proximity to work or educational institutions, safety, affordability, and access to public transportation.
- Location Vibes: Most participants preferred the bustling city vibe over a quieter village setting, emphasising the desire for a dynamic lifestyle.
- Comfort with Online Search: The comfort level with finding accommodation online ranged between 3 to 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Many were increasingly relying on online platforms for convenience.
- Preferred Approach in Bangalore: Participants showed diverse preferences in their approach to finding a place in Bangalore, with some relying on online platforms, while others preferred traditional methods like real estate agents.
- Awareness of Legal Steps: A mixed level of awareness regarding legal steps, with some having a good understanding, while others were less informed. There’s potential for increased education on legalities.
- Experience with Shared Living: A significant number had prior experience sharing living spaces, highlighting both positive and negative aspects of such arrangements.
- Roommate Troubles: Instances of roommate issues were reported, mainly revolving around cleanliness, lifestyle differences, and communication challenges.
- Preference for Roommate Interaction: A balanced mix of participants leaned towards either getting to know their roommate beforehand or were open to finding one through the accommodation process.
- Ideal Roommate Qualities: Common factors sought in potential roommates included compatibility in lifestyle, cleanliness, communication skills, and a sense of responsibility.
💡How do I go about solving the problem here?
Okay, here’s the scoop: First, I did some homework, checked out what others found on the topic. Then, I made a cool questionnaire for people to spill the beans in interviews and surveys — all done on Whatsapp & calls thing. After chatting with folks, I took all that info and turned it into features based on the insights
I sketched out some rough ideas on paper, and later polished them up on Figma. Finally, I made the actual pretty screens you’ll see below.
Oh, by the way, I’m assuming we’ve already started picking folks using a screening questionnaire. And this whole app jazz is tailor-made for the awesome peeps in India and mainly of Bangalore😎.
⚖️Competitive analysis
🖼️Sitemap
📝Lo-Fi Wireframes
Paper wireframe is where I give a lot of thought about, I jot down every details I need it the product and here the below picture says it all.
📱📲Visuals
Aesthetic — Usability Effect in the App:
Users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as design that’s more usable.
The current app design— my effort has been focused on maintaining a simple, balanced, and aesthetically pleasing design for a comfortable visual experience.
Style Guide
Colour Palette: Outrageous Orange is a fresh and vibrant color even, Benjamin Moore describes it as an expressive orange that reveals a bold creative streak. I also checked out many real estate apps while doing competitive analysis and noticed they all use either Blue or Red colors. However, I chose not to go with those because I want this product to easily grab attention in the market.
Additionally, I used white for the background as it gives a very minimal feel to the entire application.
Typography: The target group for my app varies from Gen-Z to Boomers. Hence, I wanted to keep the text style simple and refined. I went with my primary font as Montserrat and secondary for Branding as Playfair Display.
💰Final Design
🔷Hick’s Law while selecting what user wants
Hick’s Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.
🔷Jakob’s Law in the Listing Flow:
Jacob’s law states that users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.
🔷Fitts’s Law in the Listing Flow:
The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target.
Here is the quick video of the ROOMscape prototype record
What did I learn?
Learned how to make a cool case study really quickly. Also figured out the ins and outs of moving to a new place — lots of things to explore and get the hang of! Fast learning is pretty awesome! 🚀🌍
What I could have done better?
Because of the short timeframe and limited data, the research focused on a smaller group of users. To improve and confirm the design solutions, we need to dig deeper with more thorough research and analysis.
The goal is to build a community of users who can connect and find flatmates😎
💎Conclusion
And there you have it, the grand finale! A massive thank you for taking a deep dive into my case study — I hope it left you intrigued. Shoutout to my mentors and the fantastic 10KDESIGNERS crew for their continuous feedback and support throughout this creative journey. Share your thoughts and feels in the comments below! 🥰
On the lookout for Product Design roles and freelance adventures at the moment. Drop me a line on LinkedIn or X or a chat, more insights, or potential collaborations.
