Housemates - Helping students find compatible housing through personalized search
Client
SacHacks X IBM Z Hackathon 2021
Role
UX/UI Designer
Timeline
36 hours
Team
Jenny Diaz, Dorothy Hung, Kelly Tan
placed 2nd for best design w/o code
Wait off-campus living doesn’t have to be stressful?
Overview
Short & Snappy: What’s This All About?
What I did?
I played a key role in designing a student housing app for first-year UC Davis students, helping shape the experience from initial concept to high-fidelity prototype.
Why was it done?
To help transition first-year students to off-campus living by addressing key gaps in guidance, affordability, and roommate compatibility. 72% of UC Davis students reported not receiving adequate support to navigate off-campus housing.
What Impact did it have?
Placed 2nd place among 100+ teams in SacHacks X IBM Z Hackathon 2021, for excellence in no-code design from a panel of 6 industry designers and engineers.
What did I learn?
I learned how crucial it is to involve users in order to gain a deep understanding of their challenges
Problem and Context
Product Goal:
Defining
Starting Point
User behavior suggested an opportunity for assisted support with housing
Our goal was to make the app a resource to find compatible people, consolidate the information, and presenting it in a simple, user-friendly layout.
The existing off-campus housing process doesn’t adequately support first-year students
First-year college students often struggle to find suitable off-campus housing because the search occurs at an inconvenient time and requires navigating scattered resources. This challenge was especially pronounced during COVID-19, when remote learning disrupted first-year connections and the transition to college life.
72.9% of UC Davis students believe UC Davis does not provide enough housing information for off-campus housing. (50 responses)
Aren’t provided with needed housing information
Are provided with needed housing information
Who is this?
Is this enough context to warrant comptability?
Multiple resources
27.1%
72.9%
Key issues we were trying to address:
Information on off-campus living is spread across multiple platforms, making it harder to understand the responsibilities involved in the decision-making process.
Fragmented Information
Many housing and housemate-finding platforms fall short on security and transparency, leaving users vulnerable to scams.
Security & Trust Gaps
Finding housemates with similar living habits makes the apartment search easier by ensuring compatibility, leading to a more seamless and stress-free living experience.
The Value of Compatibility
Facebook Housing Page (Left), ASUCD Housing Site (Right)
Define
Competitive Analysis
What features do students need?
Design
Final Solution
Student Verification
Utilize student verification by signing in through your Student Single Sign-On (SSO), a user authentication method that allows students to access multiple applications with a single set of login credentials.
Housemate match service
Users set up their profile by filling out a questionnaire that will help filter potential matches, with the option of adjusting their preferences.
thanks for tagging along
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