Home is a place where we all need to feel safe and at ease - it should provide constant psychological comfort and allow for relaxation. That's why the degree to which our housing conditions meet our needs, including the human factor, is so important.
Unfortunately, when looking for an apartment/roommate, often under time pressure, we are forced to make compromises that later negatively affect our daily lives.
Our desire is to facilitate the best possible matching of the room/roommate to the user's needs.
Flatmatch is a mobile app and website that solves the problem of finding a suitable roommate.
We not only provide time savings and search efficiency, but also make the user stay in the place they choose with satisfaction for longer.
Research of needs (Emphatize)
Methods:
• Ensuring the readability and clarity of the proposed solution
• Smart planning of the information architecture
• Guaranteeing the consistency of ads
• Ensuring the readability and clarity of the proposed solution
• Smart planning of the information architecture
• Guaranteeing the consistency of ads
Problems:
• Offering the simplest and most intuitive solution possible in order to save the user time
• Ensuring effective contact between the advertiser and the interested party
• Providing information about the status of the ad
• Minimizing negative emotions associated with the first meeting
• Offering the simplest and most intuitive solution possible in order to save the user time
• Ensuring effective contact between the advertiser and the interested party
• Providing information about the status of the ad
• Minimizing negative emotions associated with the first meeting
Criteria for choosing a (sub)tenant:
• Providing information about both the advertiser and the interested party, in order to find a better match
• Determining the mutual expectations of both parties
Strategy (Define)
Solution and business model:
• Up-, cross-selling: local service providers, offering discounts on their services; additional, complementary services (cleaning), discounts in catering establishments, bonus for first login, paying rent through the application
• Premium version: return to rejected apartments/tenants, access to a network of contacts, paid subscription for e-mail with a specified number of ads meeting the criteria
• Advertisements
• Up-, cross-selling: local service providers, offering discounts on their services; additional, complementary services (cleaning), discounts in catering establishments, bonus for first login, paying rent through the application
• Premium version: return to rejected apartments/tenants, access to a network of contacts, paid subscription for e-mail with a specified number of ads meeting the criteria
• Advertisements
Alternative product development path:
FlatMatch as a tool (algorithm) for real estate agencies, portals such as OLX, Gumtree - in "matching" people according to their requirements and personality traits.
FlatMatch as a tool (algorithm) for real estate agencies, portals such as OLX, Gumtree - in "matching" people according to their requirements and personality traits.
What will make us stand out?
• Emphasis on the human factor
• Verification of ads
• Up-, cross-selling
• Reviews
• Credibility of ads
• Advanced matching algorithm
• Search efficiency by increasing reach and saving time
• Emphasis on the human factor
• Verification of ads
• Up-, cross-selling
• Reviews
• Credibility of ads
• Advanced matching algorithm
• Search efficiency by increasing reach and saving time
Touchpoints:
• Website - serves for convenient and clear use of the portal at home or at work, through desktop devices. Targeted at all 3 persons.
• Mobile application (iOS and Android) - serves to use at any time and in any place, through mobile devices (tablet and smartphone). Targeted at all 3 persons.
• Website - serves for convenient and clear use of the portal at home or at work, through desktop devices. Targeted at all 3 persons.
• Mobile application (iOS and Android) - serves to use at any time and in any place, through mobile devices (tablet and smartphone). Targeted at all 3 persons.
Additional elements of the ecosystem:
• social media,
• corporate intranets,
• university forums,
• job portals,
• local businesses.
• social media,
• corporate intranets,
• university forums,
• job portals,
• local businesses.
Ideation (Ideate)
Personas:
The following personas create the content of the service and at the beginning of the implementation they are our ambassadors, thanks to whom in the future the community of users will grow and encourage groups of secondary users to cooperate:
• advertisers (local services, attractions, etc.)
• cross-selling
• real estate agencies
• advertisers (local services, attractions, etc.)
• cross-selling
• real estate agencies
Scenariusz - User flow - Wireflow
Łącznie powstało 6 scenariuszy. Do każdego z nich rozrysowaliśmy User flowy i Wire flowy.
Design Considerations
There were areas that required particularly careful conceptual, functional, and design decisions:
There were areas that required particularly careful conceptual, functional, and design decisions:
• Distinguishing the application view for a registered/logged in and unregistered user
• What functionalities should the application have for an unregistered user
• Application monetization - possibly on which screens would ads be displayed
• How and when will we evaluate/verify apartments
• How to solve the way of filling in the user profile so that editing is not abandoned during it and so that it is not too monotonous and long, while ensuring effective matching
• When and on what basis will the premium version offer appear
• What will the profile filling forms look like and what information should be visible at first
• On what basis will the application be able to connect with social media portals
• What functionalities should the application have for an unregistered user
• Application monetization - possibly on which screens would ads be displayed
• How and when will we evaluate/verify apartments
• How to solve the way of filling in the user profile so that editing is not abandoned during it and so that it is not too monotonous and long, while ensuring effective matching
• When and on what basis will the premium version offer appear
• What will the profile filling forms look like and what information should be visible at first
• On what basis will the application be able to connect with social media portals
Prototyping (Prototype)
Touchpoint 1 - application
The application is our main point of contact with the recipient. The prototype consists of screens necessary to perform task scenarios such as:
• Searching for a roommate and a room to rent
• Searching for a roommate for your current apartment
• Browsing, filtering, and adding ads to favorites
• Adding and viewing reviews about users and rooms/apartments
• Viewing the apartment live • Chatting within the application
• Adding, editing, and activating an ad
The application is our main point of contact with the recipient. The prototype consists of screens necessary to perform task scenarios such as:
• Searching for a roommate and a room to rent
• Searching for a roommate for your current apartment
• Browsing, filtering, and adding ads to favorites
• Adding and viewing reviews about users and rooms/apartments
• Viewing the apartment live • Chatting within the application
• Adding, editing, and activating an ad
Touchpoint 2 - WWW
The WWW page is our additional point of contact with the recipient. The prototype consists of screens necessary to perform task scenarios such as:
• Adding, editing, and activating an ad
• Chatting via messages on the website
• Browsing ads
The WWW page is our additional point of contact with the recipient. The prototype consists of screens necessary to perform task scenarios such as:
• Adding, editing, and activating an ad
• Chatting via messages on the website
• Browsing ads
Usability Tests
Methods:
Test tasks, mini survey summarizing each one, SUS survey, IDIs (in-depth interviews).
Context: home, outdoors, cafe
Software: iOS, Android, Windows
Touchpoints: Mobile, Desktop
Duration: 40 min (mobile), 20 min (desktop)
Additionally: camera, dictaphone, notebook, UX recorder app on iOS, Camtasia on PC
Recruitment criteria: 14 respondents (9 for the mobile, 5 for the desktop):
• 20-50 years old, women and men
• people who have looked for a room in the last 6 months
• people who have rented a room in the last 12 months
Test tasks, mini survey summarizing each one, SUS survey, IDIs (in-depth interviews).
Context: home, outdoors, cafe
Software: iOS, Android, Windows
Touchpoints: Mobile, Desktop
Duration: 40 min (mobile), 20 min (desktop)
Additionally: camera, dictaphone, notebook, UX recorder app on iOS, Camtasia on PC
Recruitment criteria: 14 respondents (9 for the mobile, 5 for the desktop):
• 20-50 years old, women and men
• people who have looked for a room in the last 6 months
• people who have rented a room in the last 12 months
Research Scenario:
In-depth interview:
• Did the application meet your expectations?
• How would you rate the intuitiveness of the application? (1-5)
• Did the long registration process discourage you?
• Were the questions in the registration process clear to you?
• Is there anything you think is missing from the application? What?
• Do you have any ideas that could improve the functionality of the application?
• What are your overall impressions after testing the application?
• What emotions did you experience while testing the application?
• What do you like most about the application? • What bothered you the most about using the application?
• Did the application meet your expectations?
• How would you rate the intuitiveness of the application? (1-5)
• Did the long registration process discourage you?
• Were the questions in the registration process clear to you?
• Is there anything you think is missing from the application? What?
• Do you have any ideas that could improve the functionality of the application?
• What are your overall impressions after testing the application?
• What emotions did you experience while testing the application?
• What do you like most about the application? • What bothered you the most about using the application?
SUS Questionnaire (3 questions summarizing the performance of each task):
• How do you rate the difficulty of the task?
• How do you rate the usability of this functionality?
• How do you rate the path taken to achieve the goal?
• How do you rate the difficulty of the task?
• How do you rate the usability of this functionality?
• How do you rate the path taken to achieve the goal?
Conclusions:
Mobile - IDI:
• The application met the expectations of all users.
• On a scale of 1 to 5, most users rate the intuitiveness of the application as 4.
• The questions in the registration process are understood correctly. Despite this, the registration is too long for most users, users do not know the benefits of it at the beginning, they get impatient and discouraged easily.
• Users suggest new functionalities: for specifying lifestyle preferences of the roommate - option "mark 'like mine'" and "specify".
• Users liked the idea itself the most, the usability of the application, the intuitiveness of use, simple navigation, clarity and interface design, the LiveView function.
• Users complained the most about the incomprehensible goal (benefits) and the overly long registration process.
• Overall impressions of using the application: very useful, "will definitely help you find the perfect roommate and apartment", user-friendly and intuitive to use, the LiveView function will help avoid misinterpretations about the conditions in the apartment. Advanced ad selection will help save time by eliminating some apartments before deciding to view them.
• On a scale of 1 to 5, most users rate the intuitiveness of the application as 4.
• The questions in the registration process are understood correctly. Despite this, the registration is too long for most users, users do not know the benefits of it at the beginning, they get impatient and discouraged easily.
• Users suggest new functionalities: for specifying lifestyle preferences of the roommate - option "mark 'like mine'" and "specify".
• Users liked the idea itself the most, the usability of the application, the intuitiveness of use, simple navigation, clarity and interface design, the LiveView function.
• Users complained the most about the incomprehensible goal (benefits) and the overly long registration process.
• Overall impressions of using the application: very useful, "will definitely help you find the perfect roommate and apartment", user-friendly and intuitive to use, the LiveView function will help avoid misinterpretations about the conditions in the apartment. Advanced ad selection will help save time by eliminating some apartments before deciding to view them.
Desktop - IDI:
• The website is clear and intuitive for all users.
• The information contained in it easily leads to the achievement of goals.
• The user does not make any significant errors or abandon the page at any point.
• The ad form is readable, although it lacks the option to add information about the next room.
• The information contained in it easily leads to the achievement of goals.
• The user does not make any significant errors or abandon the page at any point.
• The ad form is readable, although it lacks the option to add information about the next room.
Summary:
The greatest advantage of our solution is its focus on the human factor, which is so important when choosing a room/apartment. We believe that thanks to our solution, searching for a room and a roommate will cease to be a process that causes so many difficulties and stress. Information about both the apartment/room and the roommate will be exhaustive, which will save a lot of time on unnecessary phone calls with questions about the details of the advertisement.
By specifying preferences for the apartment and for the roommate, the user will have access only to apartments that most closely match their preferences.
We have created an application that aims to facilitate the search for a roommate, change of apartment, contact with the advertiser and access only to verified, active advertisements.
