Project: Apartmentz
Role: UX Designer
Duration: September - October 2022
Project Goals
Apartmentz is a website allowing individuals to search for apartments in their desired location. The goal for Apartmentz was to create a website that users could easily interact with and to keep the brand identity consistent through the website and mobile site. Brand consistency would allow users to have familiarity between mobile and computer, allowing them to have broader search accessibility.
Challenges
Create an easy-to-use apartment search flow for users.
Allow users to request an apartment tour.
Create a user-friendly interface for unfamiliar and familiar users.
Competitors Audit
An audit of a few competitors’ products provided direction on gaps and opportunities to address with the Apartmenz website. Some of these competitors include Realtor, Zillow, and Trulia.
Paper Wireframe
Low-Fidelity Prototype
To create a low-fidelity prototype, I connected all the screens involved in the primary user flow of searching for apartments and requesting a tour.
Pain Points
After finishing the low-fidelity prototype, I conducted an indirect usability study with 5 participants. This allowed me to see where the user was confused when purchasing a ticket from the app. From this study, I gathered some excellent feedback on where to improve.
Home Page
Users couldn’t click on the suggested apartments on the home page for a faster search.
Date/Time
Users had confusion with the calendar.
Usability and Affinity Data
Conducting usability data allowed me to understand better what the user needs and the pain point the user had throughout the process. By using an affinity diagram, I could separate data together, allowing me to see similar patterns between the users. With these patterns, I could make updates to the app design to eliminate the pain points the participants encountered.
High fidelity prorotype
Apartment Sugestions
The low-fidelity prototype did not allow the users to view the suggested apartments on the home page. A couple of the users found themself trying to click on them. On the high fidelity, I ensured the users could view the apartments suggested on the home page.
Date/Time
Users needed some clarification on the calendar on the low-fidelity prototype. They needed clarification on how and where to select a date and time. On high fidelity, I made sure to make the calendar easy to read and label the date with the actual date to eliminate any confusion the users might have.
Take Away
Apartnentz was the first responsive web project I had worked on. One of the essential things to keep in mind is the brand identity and ensuring both the computer and mobile websites keep brand consistency. Maintaining brand identity consistently through both devices allows users to be familiar with whichever device they are searching on. Empathizing with the user's needs allowed me to create a strong brand identity between devices.