Revolutionizing the Rental Experience— A Rentful UX Case Study

Enhancing the Rentful Rental Experience

Rentful: Say goodbye to rental headaches and hello to hassle-free housing!

Background Information:

Clients:

Rentful is a rental startup founded by Aryan Lohia, a third-year Business Finance major, and Mihir Chintawar, a third-year Computer Science major. Aryan handles sales and marketing for Rentful, while Mihir brings his technical expertise to the backend development using the D3 stack, including TSX, Next.js (React), and Node.js. Mihir also offers courses on web stack development.

The Product They Wanted:

Rentful aimed to revolutionize the rental process for Cal Poly SLO students. The existing system involved manual paperwork, inefficiencies, and costly processing for both students and landlords. Rentful envisioned a software application that would streamline the entire process, making it fully online and efficient. They wanted two distinct sides: an admin case focused on practicality and usability, and a customer case with a visually appealing website tailored to student needs. Additionally, they required a custom design system to ensure a unique experience for Rentful users.

The Goals They Had:

1. Landlord onboarding: Creating a seamless onboarding process for landlords, including a form to collect necessary details and the incorporation of legally required signatures.
2. Admin views: Developing interfaces for listing all applications, managing houses on the platform, viewing applications for specific houses (including application groups for multiple roommates), and accessing detailed information about applicants.
3. Student views: Designing a user-friendly landing page where students could sign up using their Cal Poly email, a student application form with integrated credit union API for details, a digital form for lease aspects, and a comprehensive house view with filtering options.

The Rentful Team at Cal Poly:

The Rentful Design Team at Cal Poly, consisting of 2 product managers and 6 talented designers, collaborated with Rentful on this project. Our work began on April 7, 2023 and continued until June 5, 2023. The decided upon deliverables for the project included conducting user research, creating a design system, and developing high-fidelity prototypes.

• Justin Lau, Computer Science — Project Manager
• Jaden Bhang, Graphic Communications — Project Manager
• Coby Chuang, Art and Design — Designer
• Ava Zhu, Graphic Communications — Designer
• Jessica Yu, Graphic Communications — Designer
• Mio Nakagawa, Computer Science — Designer
• Adrienne Liang, Graphic Communications — Designer
• Audrey Pae, Business Administration — Designer

Problem Statement:

How might we create a seamless and user-friendly rental platform, Rentful, specifically tailored to the needs of Cal Poly SLO students? Our aim is to enhance the rental experience by transforming the current manual and inefficient system into an online platform that simplifies the search, application, and leasing processes.

Client Stand-ups:

Throughout the project, we conducted regular standup meetings with Aryan and Mihir, the co-founders of Rentful. These stand-ups provided opportunities for collaboration, feedback, and updates, shaping the general timeline and ensuring alignment with the project goals.

Research:

To gather insights and understand the needs of potential users, we conducted a series of user interviews with college students and young adults who have recently searched for housing or rentals online. These interviews provided valuable information about their experiences, frustrations, and preferences when using housing rental websites. Here are some key findings from the interviews:

1. Difficulty in Finding Housing: Many students expressed the challenge of finding suitable housing options, particularly in competitive rental markets. Limited availability, lack of online advertising, and not knowing where to start were common issues mentioned.
2. Importance of Detailed Information: The majority of interviewees emphasized the significance of having detailed information about properties, such as square footage, number of rooms, amenities, and pricing. They appreciated websites that provided clear and comprehensive descriptions to make informed decisions.
3. Visual Content is Vital: Pictures and virtual tours of the property were highly valued by users. Visuals played a crucial role in capturing their interest and helping them evaluate whether a property was worth considering.
4. Communication Preferences: Email emerged as the preferred method of communication with landlords or property managers, although some participants also mentioned the convenience of texting or having a direct messaging system within the website.
5. Importance of Filtering and Sorting: Users found filtering features, such as price range, location, number of rooms, and proximity to campus, to be essential for narrowing down their search. They appreciated websites that offered a mix of simplicity and a range of filter options.
6. Keeping Track of Options: Participants employed various methods to keep track of houses they were interested in, such as using notes apps, Google Sheets, or sharing information with friends. Having a built-in bookmarking or tracking feature on the website was suggested as a useful addition.
7. Proximity to Campus: Proximity to campus was a crucial factor for many students, particularly those without a car. Living within a reasonable distance from their educational institution was highly desired.
8. Application Process Convenience: The idea of using a single application to apply for multiple rental properties or houses was welcomed by users. They perceived it as a time-saving and convenient feature that could streamline the application process.

Based on these user interviews, we developed several user personas that represent the target audience for Rentful. These personas include Reva, a first-year student who found housing on Craigslist; Shannon, a third-year student who used a variety of websites and appreciated detailed information; Brooke, a second-year student who relied on connections and preferred an easy-to-use interface with visual content.

By understanding the needs, preferences, and pain points of our target users, Rentful can be designed to address these specific requirements and provide a user-friendly platform for searching, comparing, and applying for rental properties.

Ideation + Design System:

In the ideation phase, we generated innovative ideas to address the identified challenges. Through brainstorming sessions and design studios, we collaborated as a team to refine and select the most effective solutions. Concurrently, we developed a comprehensive design system that would serve as the foundation for the Rentful platform. The design system ensured consistency, scalability, and efficiency throughout the interface. We developed a comprehensive design system for Rentful. The design system included both the admin and customer cases, ensuring usability and practicality for landlords while providing a visually appealing and customized experience for students. The Rentful team expressed their satisfaction with the simplicity, clarity, and overall fluidity of the designs. They appreciated the blue and white color palette, which aligned with their logo and created a college beach vibe. Specific UI feedback included a preference for minimal blue color intensity for houses and contrasting color schemes between the landlord and student views.

Prototyping:

Based on the selected design concepts, we created prototypes that visualized the Rentful platform. Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, we iteratively refined the designs, incorporating user feedback and optimizing the user experience. The prototypes gradually evolved into high-fidelity representations of the final interface.

During the prototyping phase, we focused on capturing the essential functionalities and interactions of the Rentful platform. This allowed us to simulate the user journey and test the usability of various features. We incorporated the feedback received from internal critiques and made necessary adjustments to improve the overall user experience.

The prototypes showcased the key elements of the platform, such as property listings, application process, filters, map integration, and bookmarking features. Through interactive prototypes, we were able to demonstrate how users would interact with the Rentful platform, giving us valuable insights into potential pain points and areas of improvement.

By utilizing prototyping tools and techniques, we were able to simulate the functionality and visual representation of the final product. The prototypes not only provided a realistic preview of the Rentful platform but also served as a valuable resource for conducting usability testing with real users.

The prototyping process allowed us to iterate on the design, identify any usability issues, and make informed decisions to enhance the user experience. It was a crucial step in the design process as it helped us validate the effectiveness of our design choices and ensure that the Rentful platform meets the needs and expectations of its users.

Usability Testing:

To ensure a user-friendly and intuitive experience for our users, we conducted internal critiques among our team members on our mid-fidelity designs. The feedback received was crucial in identifying areas of improvement and validating successful design elements for usability testing. Here are some key observations and insights from the internal critiques related to usability:

1. Clear Application Status: The team appreciated the feature that displayed the status of the application, allowing users to easily see whether their application was approved or pending. This clear indication helps users stay informed about their application progress.
2. Organization and Navigation: The organization of information and navigation received positive feedback. The team liked the neat and concise property overview, as well as the jump-to categories feature, which made it easier for users to navigate through different sections of the platform.
3. Distinction between Tenant and Landlord Views: The separation and distinction between the tenant and landlord views were well-received. The team liked the clear differentiation in design and functionality, ensuring a seamless experience for both user types.
4. Visual Presentation: The team appreciated the cleanliness, simplicity, and consistency of the design. The use of boxes, frames, and color differentiation added visual appeal while maintaining a professional and serious tone.
5. Map and Filters: The inclusion of a map feature with filters garnered positive feedback. The team liked the integration of Google Maps, which allowed users to view property locations and filter search results based on their preferences.
6. Progress Bar: The presence of a progress bar was well-liked by the team. It provided a visual representation of the user’s progress within the application process, offering a sense of completion and guidance.
7. Bookmarking and Save Feature: The addition of a bookmarking or save feature for properties received positive feedback. This functionality allows users to easily save and revisit properties of interest, enhancing their overall experience on the platform.

Overall, the feedback from the internal critiques highlighted the success of several design elements in terms of usability. The clear presentation of information, ease of navigation, and attention to visual aesthetics were well-received. The next step will be to conduct usability testing with real users to gather further insights and validate the effectiveness of these design choices.

High-Fidelity Prototyping + Design System:

Our high-fidelity prototypes showcased the refined Rentful interface, demonstrating its functionality and aesthetics. We leveraged the design system we developed to maintain consistency and cohesiveness across different screens and interactions. The design system encompassed reusable components, layout guidelines, and visual styles, ensuring a seamless and unified user experience.

In response to valuable client feedback and to further enhance the aesthetics and contrast of the Rentful platform, we made significant improvements to our design system. We shifted from version 1 to version 2, incorporating refined color schemes and visual elements. This update not only addressed the client’s preference for minimal blue color intensity in houses but also ensured better contrast and an enhanced overall visual experience. The Rentful team expressed their satisfaction with the updated design system, which continues to provide consistency, scalability, and efficiency throughout the interface.

Challenges & Lessons Learned:

Throughout our collaboration with Rentful, we encountered challenges such as finding the balance between functionality and visuals, incorporating legally required elements into the design, and creating a design system that catered to the specific needs of Rentful users. These challenges required constant collaboration, communication, and iterative design approaches. We learned the importance of addressing legal aspects, conducting thorough UI feedback sessions, and tailoring the design system to create a unique and seamless rental experience for Cal Poly SLO students.

Testimonial from Rentful:

“We are extremely grateful for the outstanding work delivered by the [Team Name] Design Team at Cal Poly. Their commitment, thorough research, and meticulous attention to detail have transformed Rentful into a user-friendly and visually appealing rental platform. The design system they developed has provided us with the tools to continue delivering an exceptional rental experience to Cal Poly SLO students. We highly recommend their expertise and look forward to our continued partnership.” — Aryan Lohia and Mihir Chintawar, Co-founders of Rentful

What’s Next:

Moving forward, Rentful plans to implement the high-fidelity prototypes developed by the Rentful team. The next steps involve integrating the refined design system, conducting additional user testing, and iterating based on user feedback. The Rentful team is excited to witness the positive impact of the enhanced rental experience for Cal Poly SLO students.

Thanks for Reading!

See Our Prototype in Figma