uchi
Synopsis
Role
UI Designer, UX Researcher
Special thanks to Professor Bill Mead for guidance
Problem
Housing insecurity and homelessness is a prevalent issue within the student community. With the economy booming, the cost of living gradually increases with students struggling to keep up. Most are forced to move out and relocate to a more affordable location due to high rents and utility costs.
Final Deliverables
prototyped app
overview
why college students?
When I was creating this app, I wanted to address the issue of housing insecurity within the student community. Some students have difficulty keeping up with the rising costs in housing and utilities. Looking for housing can be stressful and there is no sense of community and lack of confidence when searching for housing.
objective
I wanted to create an experience that helped people find housing that was affordable and convenient. I also wanted to give the opportunity to help the community out by putting their own listings to improve housing searches and efforts.
interviews
I conducted 30 interviews with people ages 18-25 around my college campus and asked how accessible it was to acquire housing. I also asked if the cost of housing was fair and if the prices were catered to the budgets of university students. These were some of the answers that stood out from these interviews.
branding
ideations
final screens
features
task 1
In this task, users will start up the app and answer a few questions that will help the user in refine their search for housing.
This task is essential to the user experience. When specifying which preferences the users want. It will help them navigate the app with ease.
task 2
During this task, users will apply for the opportunity to get a place. They will input their information in the contact form and submit.
I wanted to create a smooth experience when navigating through the app. Applying for housing can be stressful and I wanted to alleviate some of that stress.
takeaways
Time was a major constraint when completing this project. We only had 6 weeks to bring our concepts to fruition. If I had more time allotted to work on this project. I would have liked to implement more features on my app like a profile and settings section. It would also been nice to implement this project on a national scale. Housing insecurity amongst college campuses is prevalent and must be addressed. Here are some things I would have liked to explore with this app
Create a messaging feature where you can follow up with potential roommates and landlords
Improving overall UI
Integrate a community forum where people can posts updates on housing opportunities and resources