RENTLY
An easier way to find and rent apartments in Nigeria
Industry
Real Estate
Client
Personal Project
Service
Mobile App Design
Year
2021
Overview
Rently is a user-friendly mobile application designed to simplify the apartment hunting process for Nigerians.
The Problem
Many Nigerians complain about the hardship associated with relocating to new apartments or finding suitable properties for rent. Besides the commission they have to pay to Estate Agents for each trip to find a place that meets their criteria, the agents also charge exorbitant fees when the tenants eventually find a property they want. This makes the entire process expensive and tiring.
Project Goals
Simplify Apartment Search: Provide users with a seamless way to search for available apartments across various locations in Nigeria.
Enhance Decision-Making: Enable users to explore properties remotely through immersive virtual tours and 3D visualizations.
Increase Accessibility: Make apartment hunting more convenient and efficient by allowing users to browse and evaluate properties directly from their mobile devices.
Improve User Experience: Reduce the need for physical visits during the early stages of apartment selection by offering detailed virtual previews of property features and surroundings.
Research & Insights
For this project, I used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to better understand the users' goals, pain points, and motivations. I created an online survey and distributed it through social media platforms. 50 people between the ages of 18 and 35 participated in the survey.
Survey Results
The study showed that 96% of the respondents have rented or are currently renting an apartment.
Respondents were asked how they found their rented apartments. The majority of the respondents (62%) got their apartments through a referral from a friend or acquaintance. The study showed that32% of the respondents got their apartments through real estate agents. About 4% of the respondents got theirs through an online platform, while 2% of the respondents found theirs through posters.
When asked about the challenges they faced when renting their apartments, about 26% of the participants complained about stressful house hunting, 24% complained about high agent fees, 16% complained about unreliable agents, 14% complained about bad house conditions, 8% had no issues at all, 6% thought the houses were too expensive, 4% were unhappy with the payment pattern, and 2% were unhappy with the apartment's location.
Respondents were asked which apartment rental option they would prefer if they were to relocate to another state in Nigeria. According to the study, 50% of respondents would rather travel to the state before looking for an apartment, 28% would ask a friend to make the arrangements, and 20% would prefer to look for apartments online.
When asked if they trust online apartment platforms, about 60% responded in the affirmative, while 40% said they don't.
When asked why they don't trust online platforms, most respondents cited deceptive images/information as the main reason. Other respondents cited fraudulent tendencies as their major reason.
User Interviews
Following the results of the quantitative research, I conducted semi-structured interviews to gain a better understanding of the potential users' experiences. I conducted seven remote User interviews, all of which were recorded for note-taking purposes. The purpose of the interview was to learn about the users' experiences with house hunting and apartment renting.
Analyzing the Research Data
Following the interview, I transcribed the recorded calls and classified the data into three categories: Pain Points, Motivators, and Behaviors. (Affinity Diagram).
After categorizing the data, I was able to identify themes and insights into the users' apartment-renting experiences.
Key Insights
Interviewees complained about the stress and time they wasted looking for a suitable apartment.
Interviewees complained about exuberant agent fees when renting an apartment
The majority of interviewees complained about unreliable agents.
Interviewees dislike searching for apartments online because the images and information provided are frequently deceptive.
Interviewees would prefer to search for apartments online and physically inspect them before making a payment.
The majority of interviewees obtained their apartments through real estate agents or referrals from friends/colleagues.
Userflow
A user flow diagram is the steps a user will take to achieve a particular task within a product. I created a based on the core task of the application ( Finding a suitable apartment for rent).
Sketches & Wireframes
Following the creation of the user flow, I began sketching my ideas in order to come up with a possible solution to the stated problems. This process allows me to visualize my ideas and experiment with different ways to place content on the screen to provide a positive user experience. I ran some down-the-hallway tests with some users to get quick feedback on my concepts.
After refining my sketches, I created a digital wireframe with more detailed content. At this point, I was more concerned with the product's layout and usability than with its aesthetic
Final Designs
After multiple iterations, here’s a glimpse of the final UI screens:
Search for apartments easily
Users can search for available apartments that meet their requirements and are within their budget. The map feature can also be used by users to explore specific areas where they want to live or move to.
Virtual Tour
Users can take a virtual tour around their preferred apartment to see the features in 3D. This increases credibility because it goes beyond mere images. This feature helps reduce the stress of moving from one location to another to inspect a property.
Landlord Ratings/Reviews
Users can view ratings and reviews of property owners or landlords left by previous tenants who have rented apartments from them. Reviews are an effective method of validating a product and can increase the credibility of a landlord/property owner.
Lessons Learned
I learned that proper research can reveal insights that were not apparent in the early stages of a design project.
I also learned that design is not always a linear process, as there were times when I needed to return to the users for additional information.
Because I couldn't talk to the users in person, I learned how to conduct remote user research using various online tools.
