Unole
Finding affordable housing should be fun, easy and interactive
Underrepresented population (recovering addicts, new immigrants etc.) continue to face challenges with finding affordable housing within the shortest possible time.
Unole solves the problem through an accessible digital product with easy call-to-actions.
Project Timeline
RESEARCH
Problem Scope & Target Audience
The primary user group were underrepresented population who need to view and book affordable housing within the shortest possible time.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about available digital poducts, however research also revealed that filtering through the available listings made the booking process more difficult. Additionally, it was discovered that users wanted to contact, communicate with potential landlords and possibly have 3d viewings of the space before committing to their preferred houses.
Interview and Empathy map
Persona
Alex
Age 32
Education Diploma
Hometown Illinois Chicago
Family Recently separated
Occupation Business exec
Alex is a blind, recently separated man who barely has time to unwind. He needs to find a comfortable, accessible apartment for himself and 9 year old daughter within 3 days. He has contacted friends and agents but many landlords require to see Alex in person before renting out their space.
“Things happen. When they do, we need to pick up and move on”
Goals
Find a safe home for my daughter
Cut down time looking for a house
Complete the booking without stepping into the house
Frustrations
Booking a house without seeing it has proven difficult
Paying lump sum securely online is a hassle
Umma
Age 19
Education Uneducated
Country Uzbekistan
Family Single
Occupation Hair stylist
Umma has recently moved from her country. While she has been staying at the shelter, Umma needs to find a suitable house before the end of the month. She has searched through shelter resources but hasn't found an affordable option.
“Immigrating has been harder than I thought”
Goals
Move out of the shelter in the shortest time
Gather money for the rent
Frustrations
So many hidden add-on charges
Houses aren't so close to the busstop
Research Findings: Pain points
Cannot easily book houses for rent
Filtering through available houses is cumbersome
Previewing or having 3d tours before renting are impossible
Wish I could contact the landlord before committing
DESIGN
Paper wireframes
Sketching the screen iterations ensured that the digital wireframes adequately address user paints and contribute to an enhanced user experience. It also reduced time spent on the overall design. I prioritized
Quick and easy booking process to ensure users save time
Easy selection of houses and simplified filter function
Similar listings were categorized together
Accessibility
Used alt text to images and screen readers for users who are visually impaired
Used voice to text for users who are hearing impaired
Used icons to help ease navigation
Low Fidelity Prototype
From the completed set of paper and digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype whose primary user flow was searching and booking for affordable houses. This prototype was used in a usability study.
Usability Findings
Two rounds of usability studies were conducted. The first study steered the research wireframe to prototype while the second study guided the study from prototype into its mockup phase.
Round 1
Users wanted to move quickly across screens and still find the rent
Users wanted to have a virtual tour of the space before booking
Users want to access the proximity of the property to amenities
Round 2
Comparison of similar listings was not seamless
Actions to report a landlord or listing was not clearly stated
Wireflow
In directing the flow of the project screens, the protoype provides vital information about inter-page accessibility and fluidity
High Fidlelity Prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented polished user flows for searching and booking affordable housing. It also meets user needs for 3d home tours, contacting landlords and interactive filtering
Style Guide
Using warm feeling and comfortable colors helped convey the feeling of comfort to our users in Unole. Shades of green are present almost everywhere throughout the world in some aspect, so it paired well with the idea of feeling homely within a space. The main typeface of choice for the app is Inter. We wanted to select a sans-serif typeface that would bode well with the rounded edges within our interface, as well as the black/white contrast inside of the app.
REFLECTION
One of the things I learned from this exercise is the importance of considering different contexts and user environments. Due to many possible reasons (life style, habit, etc.), one user can have drastically different needs than another user, and one user can have different needs at different times. While designing the Unole app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs
