Product designer
Homie Mobile App
Simplifying House Searching
Overview
My Role: UX Designer
Project Type: Mobile App
Client: N/A Project Assignment
Project Date: June- August 2021 (8 weeks)
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Project Summary: In this case study, I present Homie, a smartphone application, which solves one of the problems people face in the search for a good place to call home, where to set up their businesses, B&B’s, by integrating technology and services to help people save time and money. The focus of this app is to create a delightful experience for one of the most excruciating tasks that is house searching.
The Challenge
House ‘hunting’ is dreadful and labour-intensive task, and most times, it does not yield a solution to the problem people face. Imagine a place full of houses and structures, then imagine searching this place from door to door, looking for a place to live or set up a business. It is a nightmare in the least. People get forced to travel, commute and sacrifice long hours in this task, and even that does not guarantee that they will find a place they like to live.
Suppose I told you there is an easier way to do this. I know many people will breathe a sigh of relief. In this digital age, it is crucial to find a solution and make the lives of people easier. Houses do not need to get hunted. How about a user just logging in to an app, searching through a variety of vacant homes and finding one that they like with just a click of the button. Amazing right? Now, let me show you how.
The Solution
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The Design Process
1. Understanding the User Problem
To understand the user problem, I immersed myself into the world of house searching in Nairobi. It was not just hard, it was hectic, time consuming, and physically draining. I made a lot of calls to agents and apartment owners, and made more calls to follow-up on the prospective apartments. That is why the name ‘Homie ’ fits this project well. Because for such an excruciating task, a user needs a friendly partner to help them achieve their goals
The Feed
Users can access plenty of options to choose from without breaking a sweat. It also enables users to save time and money while searching for an place that meets their preference and personal taste.
2. Research and Analysis
a. Competitors Analysis
After analysing two apps, Trovit Homes and M-keja, I learned that users needed the following
• Simple intuitive apps
• Unique features to make the app memorable
• Improved organization and layout
• More filtering options to help narrow down the search to save time
• Working links and error message page to give the user feedback
• Consistency
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b. Interviews
Findings
• People prefer simple interfaces
• People hate to deal with house agents and conmen who exploit them
• Clean and well-organized screens
• People need updated information on the app
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c. Personas
d. Desired outcomes
• Inexpensive
• Users can search remotely
• Transparency in terms of location and price
• Messaging enabled for communication with owners and agents
• No financial transactions carried out in the app
• Filters that help narrow down the search for users
• Efficient and easy to use
e. Design solutions (brainstorm/gathering ideas)
• Apply filters
• Contain maps for easy directions
• Real photos of the property minimum of three
• Notifications can be enabled
• Messaging option to contact house owners and agents
• Description of the place, the rules and place
• Price and location available
• Users can report any issues
3. Wireframes and Prototypes
a. User flow
b. Wireframes
4. Testing and iteration
After conducting usability tests, I made so many iterations. I realized that users have completely different needs from what I had assumed. The final design looks so much different from what I began with.
Reflections and Take-aways
This was my first case study and it came with a lot of challenges, all anticipated and welcomed. It was a learning process for me and I enjoyed it. In the future projects, I plan to conduct more interviews and usability tests. It is not pretty iterating hi-fi wireframes.
Thank you for reading.