| END-TO-END APPLICATION
CLASSMATE
An app that allows you to connect with other college students to find the ideal roommate who fits your needs and expectations.
Overview
Moving is often challenging, especially for college students navigating new cities and newfound independence. With limited budgets, shared housing is usually the most affordable option. However, finding a compatible roommate can be difficult, as differences in lifestyles, schedules, and habits can greatly impact the living experience. This adds to the stress of an already complex process, and a busy students day to day schedule.
My goal is to offer a solution that simplifies finding a compatible roommate who matches the users preferences, while also managing easy communication before placing a commitment to live together.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
TOOLS
Figma
TIMELINE
1 Month
Design Process
Research
Analyze what common problems artists are facing, explore existing resources, and listen to their experiences.
Design
Developing a visual design that targets artists creativity.
Iterations
Update wireframes based on insights received during user testing.
Define
Strategizing what features are most important, while prioritizing user needs.
Test
Testing prototypes with users to evaluate how well the app meets user needs and identify patterns and pain points.
Methodologies
Competitive Analysis
Understanding what already exists and what features competitors have.
User Interviews
Interview artists and listening to their experiences, pain points, and stressors.
Research Findings
All sorts of platforms exist, but they are not specifically for finding roommates for college students. Below are a few samples of strengths and weaknesses I discovered during my competitive analysis research.
CIRTRU
ROOMIES
ROOMSTER
FACEBOOK GROUPS
3D Room Tours
Provides online 3D room tours of apartment complex, house, etc.
Easy Filters
Allows filtering by room type (private or shared), houses, apartments, and studios.
Vague Descriptions
A bit unclear whether a listing is posted by a real person, a landlord, or an automated bot.
Limited Options
Most listings are short-term leases. Not an ideal site for those looking for long-term leases.
Review & Rating System
Users can add reviews or comments about their experiences with roommates or landlords.
Detailed Filters
Can filter by location, budget, lifestyle preferences, and more, making it easier to find a roommate.
Limited Verification
While profiles are verified to an extent, there's still a chance of encountering fake or misleading profiles.
Outdated Listings
Some listings remain on the site even after rooms are filled, leading to frustration for users.
Language Support
Supports multiple languages, allowing accessibility for non-English speakers.
Landlord & Tenant Support
Allows property owners to post rooms or apartments for rent.
Potential Scams
Reports of fake profiles and fraudulent listings are common, posing a risk to users.
No Background Checks
No background checks required, potentially exposing users to feel unsafe.
Direct Messaging
Easy to connect directly with the person who created a post, leading to quick responses.
Wide Marketplace
Can buy affordable supplies or sell items in the users local area.
Potential Threats
Difficult to search for roommates or housing unless you use the search bar or join a specific group.
Limited Support
Facebook offers limited group-specific customer support, making dispute resolution difficult.
Understanding Their Stress
User interviews were conducted with 7 participants ranging from incoming freshman to senior college students. My goal was to gain insights on their pain points, stressors, and overall experiences when preparing to move into a new apartment and looking for a roommate.
“I’m juggling an internship, school, and my social life—moving’s the last thing on my mind.”
— Junior College Student
"Everyone else seems to have it figured out, and I’m just stuck, unsure what to do."
— Incoming Freshman
Key Findings
Roommate Compatibility
Participants struggle to find a compatible roommate due to lack of time, and ends up choosing a friend to live with instead.
Time-Consuming Process
Searching through countless listings, interviewing potential roommates, and negotiating living terms is exhausting.
Adjusting to a New Area
Being unfamiliar with a new area made it very overwhelming during participants move, adding to their stressors.
Setting Boundaries
Establishing clear living arrangements and personal boundaries can be challenging, leading to misunderstandings or disputes later on.
How might we design a solution to help college students find a roommate efficiently, given their time and budget limits?
Personas
Personas were created based on experiences gathered from incoming freshman, and experienced college students during user interviews.
Site Mapping & Flows
Before beginning the wireframing process, I created a user flow and task flow to help me understand the users journey. My goal is to outline each feature, define how user’s would navigate through the app, and identify potential roadblocks.
User Flow
Task Flows
Wireframes
Low-Fidelity
I sketched out low fidelity wireframes using the site maps and flows as a reference, and translated those sketches into draft screens in Figma.
Mid-Fidelity
After brainstorming, I then moved onto mid-fidelity wireframes, and tested this prototype early on with artists from user interviews to ensure the app flow is clear and intuitive.
Visual Design
After refining the wireframes based on user feedback, I began brainstorming the app's visual design. I aimed for a color palette that encouraged trustworthiness. Based on user feedback, and competitive analysis research, users have a hard time trusting resources due to potential risks of getting scammed.
Branding
I selected a color palette with yellow-orange, and blue hues to convey trust and reliability. The name “Classmate” was used to indicate the app’s intentions of targeting college students as the main audience.
UI Kit
High-Fidelity Wireframes
After making minor adjustments, I applied the app's visual design and branding into the prototypes, and made minor adjustments from early user testing.
User Testing
I conducted user testing with 7 participants from user interviews during the research phase. They were instructed to complete 3 tasks:
Setup Your Account and Profile
Match with a Roommate
Use Chat Feature after Matching
Test Objectives
Time Duration
The amount of time it took to complete tasks in a timely manner. Task completion would ideally take less than a minute.
Navigation
Navigating the entire app beyond instructed tasks without anything confusing along the way.
Completion of Tasks
Completing tasks without any problems. Were there any confusing parts?
Usability
Is the entire app easy for the user to understand? Are they familiar with each action?
Test Results
Time Duration
5/7 participants were able to complete the tasks under one minute.
Lack of Profile Information
There was a strong need of highlighting specific information on users profiles: personality traits, number of wanted roommates, and preferences. Participants mentioned they wouldn’t read a lengthy wall of information.
Completion of Tasks
7/7 participants were able to complete each instructed task.
Usability
Very easy and familiar for users to go through, it felt familiar to previous apps they’ve used before. Felt similar to dating apps.
Iterations
Although users completed the assigned tasks in under a minute, I noticed areas that still needed improvement. In addition to the main iterations, I made minor design adjustments to accommodate both light and dark modes. Below are the changes I prioritized based on user feedback.
Sign In & Verification
Pain Point
Participants wanted more ways to sign into their account, and wanted to make sure the verification system was strengthened.
Wall of Text
Pain Point
Users found it difficult reading students bio’s due to the length. Users wanted to see people’s preferences in a roommate vs. a wall of text.
History
Extra Screen
There was a need to have a type of tracking for profiles in case users wanted to go back to them later, but didn’t want to commit to matching yet. Added an additional screen for users to return to potential matches.
Solution
Added additional options for users to input a phone number or email, strengthened the verification system, and included a 30-day "Remember Device" checkbox.
Solution
Condensed the text and improved card clarity and readability. Added profile preferences for bedroom type and number of roommates, suggested by user feedback.
The navigation bar was updated with the addition of the “likes” tab to access potential matches. The notification bell was moved to the upper right of the home page for ease of access.
BEFORE
AFTER
The Final Product
