Backstory

So this problem originated as an idea from our group members I teamed up with, they wanted to create a roommate management app that they would have liked going through college as they had a tenuous history of bad and unreliable roommates. They wanted to create a solution that could not only help college students that maybe didn't know anyone as well as just other people that wanted a comfortable living environment in this increasingly difficult economy.

Research

The goal of our research was to get clarification on two main issues. The first issue was why are people living with roommates and what factors are most important when looking for one. And the next problem was, what are some of the biggest pain points that come with a shared living environment?

Literature review

Through our literature review, we delved into the economic landscape and historical context of shared living spaces in the US. Our research encompassed housing data from the aftermath of the Great Recession to examining the financial sacrifices people had to make to afford rent in the late 2010s. We also explored articles shedding light on roommate conflicts and the detrimental impact of stressful and negative roommates on an individual's mental health. Notably, we think some key findings emerged from the Zillow report on customer housing trends in 2019:


26% of renters find it difficult to afford their rent and 66% of renters make at least one sacrifice to afford their rent.

Based on this report 18% of renters have roommates and we can only assume that this number would increase with the financial hardships and economic climate of America during and after the covid-19 pandemic.

Competitive Audit

We conducted a detailed competitive analysis to assess the priorities of our competitors and identify what areas we could improve in. Our goal was to identify successful features that were already established in the room and roommate finding space. Through our analysis, we made two valuable discoveries.

1. We didn't need to reinvent the wheel for certain features such as basic sign-up, Messaging, ID verification, and Maps as industry standards were already well established.

2. We identified significant opportunities to stand out and innovate in the realm of roommate management. .

Approaching the problem

In this section, I'll go over how my team and I sought to solve this roommate problem. We'll go through the user interview process, the creation of affinity maps and personas, and the requirements phase of goal-directed design.

User Interviews

To complement the quantitative data we acquired within the room and roommate finding space, we wanted to gather qualitative insights directly from potential users. Our objective was to supplement existing information and uncover common pain points with current platforms. Employing a mix of online platforms including Discord and Zoom we conducted six end depth interviews. Below are Key findings that were sourced and synthesized from our affinity Maps.

Roommate preferences

• Users mentioned the importance of lifestyle compatibility, preferring those with basic social skills and cleaning habits
• low maintenance roommates
• Compatibility based on shared interests, hobbies, and sleep schedule

Communication

• Communication plays a significant role in avoiding conflicts
• Contracts, quiet hours, and clean schedules for mentioned as important for roommate agreements
• Having a maintenance platform that encouraged basic communication but wasn't too cumbersome

App preferences

• Users Express a desire to know potential roommates' work schedule
• Photo ID verification mentioned as a desirable feature and even preferred for establishing trust
• A app was preferred over a website with similarities to dating app platforms in terms of functionality
• Privacy concerns were raised regarding sharing personal information such as income and health issues

---

Requirements

For the requirements phase of GDD our team wrote down all the requirements for the app that our personas needed to accomplish their goals. Some of these aren't necessarily features but more like flows that will help our personas complete their goals.

Implementing a Design

Finally, we get to the framework and refinement phase of Goal-Directed design. Here we will go over the lo-fi wireframes and keypath scenarios. Lastly, we implemented visual design, brand identity, text hierarchy, and more, to create our final product prototype.

Wireframing

Here you can see some earlier iterations of our designs and user flows. While a few concepts didn't make it and some screens were adjusted based on feedback these low fidelity wireframes really helped us experiment and gauge the functionality of our app.

Prototyping

After refining our wireframes, we transformed them into high fidelity prototype screens. We used our advanced visual design skills and unique brand identity to create a high-functioning prototype with hassle-free interactions and user flows that would closely resemble the final product.

Usability Testing

Lastly, I don't want to forget our usability testing, this was a crucial part of our refinement phase as we held five interviews with potential users going over our prototype. They gave us feedback on interactions, readability, and overall problems they had which allowed us to make a few final adjustments before our deadline.

---

Obstacles and challenges

Time management and team communication

• Looking back at our group and time management, there were certain aspects of the GDD process we glossed over that we shouldn't have originally. Understandably for the sake of time but definitely hurt our project's depth.
• Communication was handled in person and online and there were not any serious issues I felt like our team as a whole could do a better job at weekly checkups, accurately explaining what they were doing, and just in general taking and receiving criticism and feedback.

Task management and scope creep

• I felt like a group was always a little disorganized and never had a great grasp of the task at hand. This Disorganization and confusion led to scope creep as so many ideas were being brought to the table that our core vision was clouded and I felt wasn't executed to its fullest potential.

Conflict management and administrative direction

• When conflict arose or disagreements were had most of the time they were dealt with civilly, but definitely put a hindrance on communication and time efficiency.
• Sometimes the direction of some features and design decisions were skewed amongst group members and issues weren't noticed until the last minute or got completely overlooked.