Dwelle
A creative product prototype focused on streamlining the housing search process for UC Berkeley students.
Role: Designer
Duration: October - December 2022
Team: Three fellow UC Berkeley Graduate Students in UX Research
The Challenge
Every year, UC Berkeley conducts surveys to check the pulse of the student experience. The housing component revealed some startling trends, especially for graduate students.
Approximately 3 out of every 4 UC Berkeley graduate students struggle to find housing.
I experienced the chaos of the Bay Area housing market first hand when I relocated. I wanted to explore potential solutions for how to make the housing search process less stressful for the thousands of students relocating to the area to pursue their dreams in grad school.
User Research
To begin our exploration we needed to understand what problems our users were facing:
What does the workflow of a rental apartment search look like in the Bay Area housing market?
What are the experiences of incoming Berkeley students with regards to finding housing?
What are the experiences of Bay Area residents with regards to finding housing?
What are Bay Area residents’ attitudes towards finding neighborhoods to live in?
To gain user insights, we conducted four user interviews with individuals actively searching for housing in the Bay Area. These interviews featured a task completion element where we asked the users to think aloud as they tried to find some viable housing options.
After conducting our interviews, we created an affinity diagram and identified 18 unmet needs for our users. With this list, we grouped, ranked, and prioritized them to facilitate our ideation process.
From the interviews, we created an affinity diagram. At a high level, three core needs emerged:
Information Overload: Users grapple with a vast amount of data from various sources, making it difficult to find trustworthy information.
Inefficient Organization: Existing methods for managing listings often lead to disorganization and missed opportunities.
Neighborhood Uncertainty: Understanding commute times, neighborhood vibes, and proximity to essential locations like workplaces and schools is crucial but often difficult.
The First (Digital) Prototype
Based on the research findings, we envisioned Dwelle: an in-browser web tool that streamlines the housing search process. We began with paper prototypes and through guerrilla user testing and design critique, we developed the initial prototype. Dwelle offers three core features:
Chrome Extension:
Effortlessly collect listings from any website with our easy-to-use Chrome extension. No more juggling bookmarks or tabs.
Personalized Dashboard
Easily manage and organize your saved listings with a user-friendly, customizable dashboard. Filter and sort listings based on your preferences.
Interactive Map:
Visualize potential apartments' locations in relation to key points of interest. Understand commute times and explore the surrounding neighborhoods.
Usability Testing
We conducted three different usability tests, each designed for the feature prototype individually. The testing revealed valuable insights:
Bulk Add Feature Redundancy: Users preferred to add listings individually after reviewing the details, eliminating the need for a bulk add feature.
Design Clarity: The initial design schema resembled an apartment listing site, causing confusion. We pivoted towards a more intuitive, note-taking-style interface.
Animation Friction: Users experienced frustration with certain animations that strayed from their expectations. We refined the prototype to ensure a smoother user experience.
Another Iteration
Using this feedback, I developed a prototype that integrated the three features into one flow. I developed some more sketches of how the design could look and tried to simplify the design aesthetically to focus more on the flow and functionality.
Feedback
I conducted four usability tests on this new prototype which revealed the following:
More Cohesive: Users liked seeing how the chrome extension, dashboard, and map worked together.
Mental Model: Users felt that the design still resembled a typical apartment search site instead of their notes to guide the housing search process.
For another iteration, I would build out the onboarding flow for a product like this, which would do a better job of introducing how users should engage with the product.
Outcomes
Dwelle fills a much needed market gap.
Dwelle shows promise in addressing the challenges of the Bay Area housing search and beyond! By streamlining the search process, organizing listings effectively, and providing valuable location insights, Dwelle empowers users to make informed decisions and find their ideal home. I am excited to continue iterating on Dwelle based on user feedback and contribute to a smoother relocation experience for Bay Area residents.