Study Case
Improving House Rent Search Experience
Product Designer
2023
Overview
Finding rental houses with complete and structured information is a challenge. Currently, various platforms provide rental listings, but the information provided is often limited to a few photos, price, location, number of rooms, and some basic details.
This makes it difficult for renters to evaluate properties thoroughly without contacting the advertiser to ask for more details.
The goal of this project is to design a website for rental house listings that provides more comprehensive information, including the surrounding environment, more photo of the house and additional facilities, allowing users to make easier and more informed decisions.
Phase 1: Discover - Empathizing with the User
User Research
This phase begins with gathering data through interviews to better understand the challenges faced by people searching for rental houses. The objective is to learn about the users' main needs and the information that is most important to them when searching for rental properties.
Methodology:
Conducting interviews with 15 users who are currently looking for rental houses, both online and offline.
See Interview Data ->
Insights:
1. Incomplete Information Causes Frustration
Challenge:
Most participants mentioned that property listings often lack essential details like room sizes, photos of each room or area, and neighborhood descriptions.
Impact:
Users spend additional time contacting landlords or agents for clarification, leading to frustration and delays in decision-making.
2. Incomplete Information Causes Frustration
Challenge:
Users are dissatisfied with low-quality, poorly-lit, or insufficient photos (e.g., only 3-4 photos per property)
Impact
Limited visuals hinder the ability to assess the property's condition and suitability, increasing reliance on physical visits.
3. Lack of Neighborhood Context
Challenge:
Users find it difficult to assess the neighborhood's safety, accessibility, and available facilities from listings.
Impact
This creates uncertainty and makes it harder to narrow down potential properties.
4. Need for Advanced Filtering Options
Challenge:
Current platforms lack robust filters for specific needs like number of rooms, number of bathrooms, etc.
Impact
Users waste time scrolling through irrelevant listings.
5. Efficient Communication is Key
Challenge:
Participants reported that reaching out to landlords or agents often results in delays or incomplete responses.
Impact
This slows down the rental process and adds unnecessary stress.
Key Opportunities for Improvement
From the interviews, a persona was created to represent the primary target user, someone looking for a rental house with a need for detailed information
From the interviews, a persona was created to represent the primary target user, someone looking for a rental house with a need for detailed information
Persona
Abdul Aziz
29 years old
Software Engineer
Location: Urban area, Living In the middle or not far from the city center
Status: Newly married
Biography
From the interviews, a persona was created to represent the primary target user, someone looking for a rental house with a need for detailed information
Abdul values efficiency and convenience, preferring platforms that minimize unnecessary visits and provide enough information to make confident decisions. As a tech-savvy individual, he appreciates features like filter and neighborhood insights to make the process smoother.
Goals
Find a rental house within his budget, located not far from the city center, and with modern amenities.
Access detailed property information to reduce time and effort in the search process.
Choose a house that fits both functional and lifestyle needs, such as good connectivity and nearby facilities.
Frustrations
Limited Details: Listings often fail to include critical information like what areas are there in the house or amenities.
Poor Photo Quality: Low-resolution or minimal photos make it hard to assess the property.
Unclear Neighborhood Context: Safety, accessibility, and nearby conveniences are rarely mentioned.
Communication Hassles: Contacting landlords for basic inquiries is time-consuming.
Needs
Detailed Property Listings: Clear descriptions, high-quality photos of every room, and an overview of included amenities.
Streamlined Search Experience: Advanced filters for budget, location, and specific features.
Neighborhood Information: Insights into safety, transport links, and local services like supermarkets or gyms.
Ease of Communication: Direct and efficient ways to contact landlords or agents when needed.
Behaviours
Relies on online platforms with robust search and filtering tools to streamline his property search.
Prioritizes platforms that reduce the need for unnecessary visits or repetitive inquiries.
Prefers transparency and detailed visuals to make quick and informed decisions.
Quotes
"Time is limited. I need listings that answer my questions upfront and help me choose the right home efficiently."
Competitive Analysis
Analyzing several popular property search platforms like OLX, Facebook Groups, and Instagram to understand their weaknesses in providing rental information.
Findings:
Analyzing popular property search platforms—OLX, Facebook Groups, and Instagram—reveals specific weaknesses in providing rental information:
1. OLX
Inconsistent Listing Quality: Users often encounter incomplete or poorly detailed property descriptions, making it challenging to assess suitability.
User Experience Issues: The platform's interface can be cluttered, hindering efficient navigation and search functionality.
2. Facebook Groups
Lack of Standardization: Listings vary widely in format and detail, as individual users post without a standardized template.
Scam Vulnerability: The absence of formal verification processes increases the risk of encountering fraudulent listings.
Information Overload: High activity levels can lead to important listings being quickly buried under new posts, making it difficult to find relevant information.
Instagram
Visual Focus Over Detail: While images are emphasized, essential property details are often missing or insufficient.
Limited Search Functionality: Instagram's search capabilities are not tailored for property hunting, making it hard to filter listings by specific criteria.
Understanding these weaknesses can guide improvements in providing comprehensive and reliable rental information across these platforms.
Phase 2: Define - Problem Statement
Define Key Problem Statement
Based on the findings from user research and competitive analysis, the main problem is
“People searching for rental houses often struggle with incomplete and poorly organized property information, which leads to frustration, wasted time, and inefficiencies in their decision-making process. Current platforms fail to provide comprehensive property details, adequate visuals, or advanced filtering options, making it difficult for users to find and evaluate suitable rental properties effectively.”
Job-to-be-Done (JTBD)
Defining the users' goals or "job-to-be-done" helps understand what users are trying to achieve when using the solution we are creating.
When I am looking for a rental house,
I want to quickly and easily find accurate, detailed, and verified information about properties and neighborhoods,
so that I can make confident decisions without unnecessary delays or in-person visits.
Key Functional JTBDs:
Locate rental houses that meet my specific criteria (e.g., number of rooms, budget, amenities).
Evaluate properties remotely through detailed photos, information and insight.
Understand neighborhood safety, facilities, and accessibility without visiting.
Communicate efficiently with landlords or agents for inquiries and follow-ups.
Key Emotional JTBDs:
Feel confident and reassured in choosing a property that fits my needs and lifestyle.
Avoid the stress of unclear or incomplete listings and slow responses.
User Needs & Pain Points
User Needs
Pain Points
Access to comprehensive property information.
Incomplete or vague descriptions that miss critical details.
High-quality visuals of properties (all rooms, exteriors, etc.).
Listings with few or low-quality images that fail to show the property’s full condition.
Filters to customize property searches.
Lack of robust filtering options results in irrelevant listings.
Efficient communication with property owners/agents.
Slow responses or unclear answers from landlords or agents.
Insights into neighborhoods and amenities.
Limited or no information on the property's surroundings and nearby facilities.
A mobile-friendly and user-intuitive platform.
Poor user experience on mobile devices, making searches inefficient.
By addressing these key problem statements, JTBDs, and pain points, the solution can focus on providing a user-centric platform that simplifies and enhances the rental house search experience.
Phase 3: Develop - Ideation and Prototyping
Ideation (Brainstorming Solutions)
Using the insights from the Define Phase, here are potential solutions for the problems identified:
Comprehensive Property Profiles
Include detailed descriptions of the property (include amenities).
High-quality, well-lit photos of rooms, and exteriors.
Advanced Search Filters
Add filters for budget, number of rooms/bathrooms, parking availability, furnished/unfurnished, and proximity to transport.
3. Neighborhood Insights
Provide details on safety, nearby schools, grocery stores, public transport, and leisure facilities.
4. Efficient Communication
Integrated with WhatsApp for direct and real time communication with landlord or agent.
5. Mobile-First, User-Friendly Design
Design a responsive platform optimized for mobile use.
Simplify navigation with a clean interface and intuitive user flow.
6. Transparent Cost Information
Clearly display rental costs, deposits, maintenance fees, and payment terms.
Provide an estimated monthly cost breakdown for better financial planning.
User Flow
Using the insights from the Define Phase, here are potential solutions for the problems identified:
Wireframing & Structure Information
Home Page
Search Results With Filter:
Property Details Page:
Phase 4: Deliver - High Fidelity & Implementation
High Fidelity
The high-fidelity design of the rental house search platform was created to address the core user needs and solve pain points identified during research and analysis. The design includes detailed, visually appealing, and user-friendly interfaces for the following key pages:
Home Page
Goal: Quickly engage users and direct them to start their property search.
Features:
A prominent explore button
Curated sections like "Featured Property and "Most Popular"
Search Results:
Goal: Enable users to efficiently filter available properties based on their criteria.
Features:
List and grid views for exploring results.
Key property details (price, number of bedrooms, location) visible at a glance.
Property Details Page:
Goal: Provide users with comprehensive information about each property.
Features:
High-quality images with a gallery viewer.
Detailed property descriptions, amenities, and outdoor features.
Interactive Google Map integration to highlight the exact location.
Contact button for communication with the property owner/agent.
Implementation
The design was implemented using Framer, leveraging its dynamic and interactive capabilities to create an intuitive and visually impactful user experience.
Solution
The final solution is a rental property search website that provides comprehensive information with user-centered features to address the key pain points of renters.
Key Features
Complete descriptions and photos of each room and facility.
Advanced filtering options based on facility requirements, location, and price.
User-friendly interface for easy navigation and decision-making.