Roomers

The Project

I was tasked with designing a room and roommate matching application aimed at improving the efficiency and trustworthiness of the room-finding process. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate my design thinking process and develop a solution to address the pain points in the current market.

Part 1

Discover and understand users

This section focuses on understanding the needs, goals, and challenges faced by users searching for rooms and roommates. I set several research goals before starting the design process:

Research Goals

1. Understand the pain points of users in the current room-finding process.
2. Analyze existing solutions and identify gaps in the market.
   
3. Explore opportunities to enhance user trust and experience.

Survey and User characteristics

I conducted a survey using Google Forms and received numerous responses. Here is a summary of the average user's characteristics:

Demographics

• Between the ages of 18-34
• Actively looking for a room or roommate
• Urban dwellers, often in cities with high rent and demand for housing

Pain Points

• Difficulty finding reliable and compatible roommates.
• Concerns over safety and trust when meeting potential roommates.
• A lengthy and cumbersome search process using multiple platforms.

Key User Insights

I noticed some common themes and patterns among the survey responses.

User Feedback

Here’s what some of the users said when asked about their experience with finding rooms and roommates:

Finding a roommate who shares similar lifestyle habits has always been challenging. I wish there was an app that could better match us based on more than just location and price.

Safety is a big concern for me, especially when meeting potential roommates. It would be reassuring if the app had a verification process for all listings and users.

I’ve had bad experiences with unreliable roommates in the past. I’d love a feature that shows more detailed profiles and reviews from previous roommates."

It would be great if there was a way to easily find other students who are looking for a place to share, especially in a new city where I don’t know anyone yet.

User Persona

Obinna Akubata

26 years old | Brooklyn, New York | Software Engineer

"I just want a roommate who matches my lifestyle from the start."

Bio

Alex, new to New York for work, seeks a roommate. He values a quiet, clean home, and spends weekends exploring the city while staying committed to fitness and healthy living.

Goal

• Discover the best places to stay and eat

Pain Points

• Frustrated with the time-consuming process of searching multiple platforms for a suitable roommate.
• Concerned about the safety and trustworthiness of potential roommates.
• Needs a platform that can match him with someone who shares similar lifestyle preferences.

The Competition

These are the 3 digital travel booking tools that came up most often in survey responses. My goal was to compare what features they had to offer in order to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Pros:

• Extensive listings, user reviews, roommate matching.
• Does a few things very well

Cons:

• Basic interface, not always up-to-date.

Pros:

• Wide range of listings, free to use.
• View previous + upcoming stays

Cons:

• Risk of scams, no user verification.

Pros:

• Local listings, integrated with social network.

Cons:

• Varied quality of listings, potential for scams.

Part 2

Problem Definition & Ideation

With the insights gained from user research, I refined the project’s focus to address the most critical pain points.

Problem statement

People searching for rooms and roommates need a secure and efficient platform that simplifies the process and offers personalized matching based on their preferences, so they can find suitable living arrangements without the stress of using multiple tools

The idea

A Comprehensive Room and Roommate Matching App

To address the users' pain points, I designed an app that focuses on:

Feature Requirements

Based on Obinna's needs, the app should:

Be Reliable

• Ensure listings are verified and profiles are detailed and accurate.

Offer Easy Navigation

• Simple, intuitive interface to quickly browse and filter options.

Enable Secure Communication

• Provide in-app messaging to facilitate secure communication between users.

Obinna's Journey

What steps Daria takes before, during and after her involvement with the app.

1. During Lunch Break: Obinna browses potential roommates on Roomers, setting preferences for location, budget, and lifestyle.
2. Shortlisting: He shortlists a few profiles that match his criteria.
3. Messaging: Obinna uses the in-app messaging feature to communicate with the shortlisted candidates, discussing routines and expectations.
4. Verification: He checks the verification status of listings and profiles to ensure safety and reliability.
5. Meet-Up: Feeling confident, Obinna arranges an in-person meet-up using Roomers' suggested safe meeting points.
6. Final Decision: After meeting, he finalizes his decision and secures the room through the app's secure payment feature.

Early sketches

I started by sketching some user flows and early wireframe ideas.

Information Architecture

I wanted to be realistic in what I could achieve given the time limitations, so I decided to focus the solution on 2 aspects of trip planning: discovering a location and browsing accommodations (boxed area).

User flow

I wanted to be realistic in what I could achieve given the time limitations, so I decided to focus the solution on 2 aspects of trip planning: discovering a location and browsing accommodations (boxed area).

Part 3

Wireframing, visual design & prototyping

This section demonstrates the designed solution, from low-fidelity wireframes to a high-fidelity prototype. Figma was used as the design tool.

Low-fidelity wireframes

I created wireframes that allow users to:

• Create and View Detailed Profiles: Users can easily see potential roommates' profiles with comprehensive information.
• Personalize Search Criteria: Users can filter room listings and roommate matches based on their preferences.
• Securely Communicate: Integrated messaging system for secure communication.

Style guide

I chose a modern, clean aesthetic with a focus on usability. The color palette is minimalistic, and the typography is simple to enhance readability. The app’s layout follows a 4-column grid to ensure consistency across screens.

Component library

After setting up color and text styles in Figma, I started to build a component library to maintain consistency across the designs. Components were setup using auto layout to make sure they are scalable across different screen sizes.

The final designs

The final designs bring together all elements to create a seamless and user-friendly experience for room and roomate finding.

Takeaways

While working on this project, I focused on addressing the most pressing user needs within a limited timeline. Here are some of the constraints and trade-offs I managed:

• Usability Testing
• Due to time constraints, I could not conduct extensive usability testing. Ideally, further testing would refine the app’s features
• Scope Limitation
• The app’s focus was on the most crucial aspects of room and roommate matching, with future iterations planned for expanded features.