ROOM X MATE
My 1st UX project
Problem Statement
What the users really need
As one of the target audience of room/apt/house for rent market, how to get the useful/correct information is crucial. At bay area, there are lots high-tech companies with high paid salary. The apartment rent price is high, so is the house sales market. Quite a few working professionals choose to live with the friends to lower down the living cost. Although the current two websites (mobile apps), Zillow & Trulia, already offer enough information on the platform, however; the website can be created more user-friendly, and not overwhelming the users. I also want to add the review/comparison features, so the potential users can get a clear overview of the selections. What: focus on the rental room/apt/house market (not house sales market) Who: single professionals/young couple at the age of 25-35 Where: At Bay Area of Northern California When: the users can search the rental pricing anytime How: The prototype will be on the laptop/iPhone to validate the features
Research
An Apt/House for Rent User Experience App
The purpose of this research is to take a look of the potential users of an Apt/House for rent user experience app and make sure what their needs and what features they would like to see in the app.
Persona
Hotel Travelers
GOALS & NEEDS
- No need to update the check-in/check-out dates all the time to see the best rate
- Ways to minimize the hotel search/booking steps
- Save time making the notes and share with friends
Sitemap
Start planning the structure of the app
The sitemap helps me determine where in the app users should see what's important to them.
User flow
Always wearing the user's shoes
After creating the sitemap -- I wanted to spell out specific flows users would take within the app. These documents illustrate those routes -- showing all points of interaction and decision-making
Sketching
Planning the boards
After creating the sitemap and user flows -- I felt ready to start sketching potential layouts. These pictures illustrate some of my initial thinking.
Wireframing
Visualizing the real functions
The next step was transferring these paper-and-pencil sketches to digital files. I used Balsamiq as an intermediate step before going into Illustrator. This allows for flexible wireframing before committing to building a high-fidelity prototype.
CHALLENGE: How much screen real estate should be allocated to finding a roommate
Style Guide
Unity and Consistent
I chose these subtle colors because I want the focus of the app to be on the information being displayed.
Prototype
Connecting all together
https://invis.io/SKB834N5G
While working on the prototype projects, at first I created all the boards in Xd. It can easily work between Adobe Illustrator and XD. However, while I want to do the test, it seems XD is not user-friendly. Therefore, I went back to InVision, which I can test the prototype easier on the laptop and the mobile (app). The struggle is that on the real screen, even the 1 pixel is very crucial. There are lots of times that I need to go back and forth between the boards and fix the minor pixel changes. Also, how to connect all the boards right is important. During the test, I figured out that if you visit one board, you’ll get stuck and nowhere to go.
Testing
Understand the validation process
Overall all the testing is going well the the users are able to accomplish the given tasks without problem. There was some confusion caused by the prototype limitations. The users are willing to share their personal ideas to improve the app.
Room X Mate App
What I learned from the entire process is the result is not as what I imagine at the beginning. After doing the user researches/interviews, I got to know the real needs of the users. If the users need to find a apt with someone to share, the someone will be something in common, not strangers.
