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I’m a UX/ UI designer with a background in teaching and data analysis, skilled in optimising work processes to enhance user experiences and deliver products that are easy to use and enjoyable
Timeline
1 month
Type
Case study
Role
UX/UI Designer
Responsibilities
UX research
UI and UX design
Branding and visual design
Information Architecture
This concise case study provides an overview of the end to end design process for a responsive rental homes website designed for the UK's middle to upper-class renters.
The primary goals of this project are to resolve challenges in the rental property search process, stand out from competitors such as Rightmove and Zoopla, and deliver a contemporary, minimalist, and luxurious user interface.
Problem
Our target users, successful professionals in the upper market, lack a user-friendly platform that provides clear property comparisons through map view, offers metric-based property valuation, and keeps them updated with the latest market trends.
User research summary
I began my user research by conducting interviews with five potential users, asking the following questions:
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What are the most challenging aspects of searching for rental homes?
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How do you currently evaluate the value of rental properties?
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What features do you expect from a high-end rental homes platform?
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How often do you read articles related to the housing market?
The insights gained through my research pointed to a clear gap in the market where the following problems needed to be addressed:
Any other nearby properties?
Users struggle with comparing property locations effectively.
Are we getting a good deal?
They desire metric-based information for property valuation.
So many sites!
Users often use multiple sites to search and understand the property market.
Using quotes from the interviews I created an affinity diagram which highlighted the following key points giving clear direction to differentiate this product from the existing search engines:
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Lack of clear map view for property comparison.
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Desire for metric-based property valuation.
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Limited availability of up-to-date market trends.
User Persona
In order to get a more tangible grasp on who our user is and to understand their process of finding a rental property, I created a user persona based on the data collected.
To guide me through the design process, I wanted to ensure that this persona accurately portrayed a successful financially savvy professional to emphasise the importance of convenience,
Emily B. | 31 yrs, accountant
Background: A successful professional looking for high-end apartments in London.
Goals: Find a rental home quickly, make informed decisions, and access valuable market insights.
User story: Emily wants to effortlessly compare rental properties, access metrics for property valuation, and stay updated with the latest housing market trends so I can make informed decisions on my next rental home.
User Journey
Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
Based on my research of current products in the market and my target demographic, a minimal viable product (MVP) for the responsive website was designed to include the following features:
Map View
Modern and minimalistic design with a map view as a central focus
Valuation metrics
Each listing to have numerous metrics to inform the renter on nearby rental market
User profile & blog on market trends
User profile to save properties and searches and an informative blog
Information architecture: sitemap
Once I had enough information on what was needed from the platform and a minimal viable product was created, I designed the structural framework for my luxury rental homes website. It serves as a comprehensive guide, illustrating the organisation and hierarchy of the website's key components and features. The site map outlines various sections and functionalities, from the homepage to user profiles, ensuring that each element aligns with our user-centric design approach and business objectives.
Mid- Fidelity Wirefames
After the initial round of Lo- Fi Sketches and one round of usability testing, I moved onto my mid-fidelity wireframes for both desktop and mobile version of the website.
Hi- Fidelity Mockups
The wireframes above were refined one more time using the feedback from the second usability study to create a hi-fidelity mockup and prototype.
Final Design (Desktop version)
Through the iterative design process and user testing, the final design of the app has been refined to optimise usability and address user needs. Feel free to play around with the desktop and mobile versions of the responsive webpage :)
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