Project Happy Home
Project Happy Home is a responsive design prototype that helps users to find short-term or long-term rental homes. I created this project for the Google UX Specialization course.
Project Duration
1 month
My Role
UX Designer
My Responsibilities
Ideating, user research, visual design, wireframing, prototyping
The Problem
Realty websites often frustrate their users with their inadequate usage of functions, limited feedback mechanisms and low accessibility standards. Also, international community members experience even more difficulties with the language barrier.
The Solution
I benefit from filtering functions and feedback mechanisms to address user needs. I studied user flow and visual design elements for enhanced user experience.
Understanding
User research
I conducted phone interviews with four people from three countries. The diversity in location aims to approach the problem from a holistic perspective. I learned user habits and frustrations during the interviews, and the design formed around the results.
Study Type
Phone interview
Location
Czech Republic, Netherlands, Turkey; remote
Participants
4 participants
(2 female, 2 male)
Length
~10 minutes
Content
Function
Feedback
Language
User personas
"Finding a new apartment should be an exciting experience."
Competitive audit
The Design Process
User journey map
Persona: Rowan van Loon
Goal: Find a rental apartment
Information architecture
Paper wireframes
Website
For the home page, I prioritised the search function, which is the primary interaction of the website. Also, I tried to place lists intuitively.
Mobile app
For the mobile app wireframes, I placed interface elements and interactions according to the potential users' needs.
Digital wireframes
Iteration
Usability studies
Study Type
Moderated usability study
Location
Czech Republic, remote
Participants
4 participants (2 female, 2 male)
Age range: 25-35
Length
15 minutes
Visual representation
Feedback
Customized experience
The Solution
#1 Feedback on real estate listings
- Involves false information
- The rental is not up-to-date
- There is a problem in communication with the advertiser
#2 Feedback on unfiltered listings
Mockups
Website
Mobile App
High-Fidelity Prototype
Impact
“The website is easy to navigate and has a visually appealing design. I think feedback mechanisms are just right. I would surely use it.” – Participant C
Going Forward
What I learned:
Accessibility standards I took into consideration during the process; colour, contrast, and typography led to a more engaging visual design.
I gained lots of experience from the design-thinking methodology.
I tried to view the problem from various perspectives to find an improved solution.
Next steps:
An onboarding page for explaining the feedback system and parameters.
I would add a trust scale for real estate companies and landlords. Users could eliminate untrusted advertisers.
I would add an alarm function to warn users about new rentals.
Profile section could be more detailed, e.g., more lists apart from "favourite rentals".