M LEASE
Reimagining the housing search for University of Michigan students
Role
UX/UI Designer
Deliverable
U-M iOS App
Timeline
January - March 2024
Tools
Figma
Google Form
Overview
The Problem
U-M students struggle with inefficient housing searches and difficulty finding roommates with aligned preferences, making the process stressful and time-consuming.
Opportunity
Developing a U-M affiliated platform to streamline the competitive housing search and connect with compatible roommates.
Pains and Goals
Students rely on word-of-mouth and house listings of other students, lacking a centralized U-M platform to broaden their search options. They seek a quick solution to find affordable, desirable housing near campus and connect with like-minded roommates.
My Process
1
Research
Discovery
Comparative Analysis
2
Ideation
Initial Sketches
Design System
3
Designs
Mid-Fidelity
Core Experiences
4
Reflection
Conclusion
Research
Discovery
After conducting user surveys with 21 randomly selected U-M students, responses revealed that 95% had searched for housing before and found the process frustrating. This result confirms that over a majority of students seek a more efficient system.
Research
Comparative Analysis
The survey showed that 24% of respondents use Zillow, making it the most popular housing platform among U-M students and offering valuable insights for my app’s design. Zillow’s user-friendly interface, extensive property listings, and advanced search filters make it a strong reference for displaying housing options. However, while Zillow is great for general property searches, it lacks features specifically tailored to students, such as verified listings and roommate matching tools. This presents an opportunity to create a more specialized platform for this target audience.
Ideation
Initial Sketches
Ideation
Design System
Ideation
Core Experiencs
In my final model, the core experiences revolve around three main functionalities: U-M student verification, housing search, and roommate matching through direct messaging. Each experience was designed to be simple yet effective, ensuring that users could quickly find housing and compatible roommates while reducing stress.
U-M verification for profile creation
sign in with U-M email account
receive a verification email
enter grade level (ex: sophomore)
Search and create house listings
map of Ann Arbor with pins for available housing
filter feature for specifying search requirements
“like” feature to save favorite house listings
Connect and match with potential roommates
view profiles of current tenants on house listings
message tenants directly from listings
save conversations via the messages page
Reflection
Takeaways
M-LEASE was a rewarding project that addressed the challenges U-M students face in finding housing and compatible roommates. The key challenge was creating a streamlined, student-focused platform that simplified the housing search process while fostering trustworthy roommate connections. I implemented solutions such as a multi-step U-M verification system, tailored search filters for Ann Arbor housing, and features to connect with other students based on aligned preferences. These solutions aimed to reduce stress and inefficiencies in the housing search, providing a centralized, reliable platform for students. This project was particularly fun to work on because it directly addressed an issue my peers and I face regularly. Surveying fellow students and coming up with a real, applicable solution felt rewarding, as it allowed me to tackle a problem that affects our daily lives. If I had more time, I would turn this idea into a real app by assembling a team and pitching it to potential investors. This project reinforced the importance of user research and creating solutions that are both practical and impactful.