Roominate
Finding a roommate made simple, easy and fun
The product Roominate, is an app that allows users to find a roommate near them that matches their preferences and standards in what they would like to see in a potential roommate. The challenge of finding a roommate was an issue that has plagued many, including myself, and is usually a very stressful issue. The Roominate app is designed to make finding a roommate simple and easy. The potential user is able to sift through multiple profiles of potential roommates and filter through individuals with preferences set to what the user would like to see in a future roommate.
The Problem
The goal for this project was to make the process of finding a roommate easy, simple and stress free. The original goal remains the same as the current goal: swipe through a filtered list of individuals until you find a match with your potential future roommate.
These were my goals:
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Simplify the way people find roommates, anywhere they go.
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Make the process of finding a roommate less stressful overall.
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Have a single platform where users are able to search for roommates, rather than promote the self on multiple different platforms.
Users & Audience
Roominate was designed with a younger group in mind. Generally, a younger, lower income group typically are looking for a roommate to help with finances, such as college students or new grads with an entry level position with an entry level wage.
Roles & Responsibilities
I was the sole UI and UX designer for this capstone project. I received guidance from my mentor, but other than that, I was responsible for all of the wireframes, the mockups, the low and high fidelity frames, the research, the testing, the prototype, and anything else that was necessary for this capstone to function.
Scope & Constraints
Restrictions that this capstone faced were those of financial means. There was no funding, and a limitation to how far and wide the testing was able to be done. With very little resources other than outside of my own social circle, the testing is incredibly localized and specific to those close in proximity to me.
Process & What I Did
Research
The idea for this capstone began with my own frustrations when it came to trying to find a roommate. The struggle to find someone so that I can afford rent has been a reoccurring challenge each time I find myself in a situation where I need a roommate. So I set out to create a solution to my problem, which I found was not unique to myself.
The initial step began with research. It's completely reasonable to think, why go through the hassle of creating an entire app to help people find a roommate, when people do it even without. In user surveys, a lot of users just find their roommates through friends of friends, or just through posts on Reddit. So, why?
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The answer is shown in research. Research strongly suggests that having a good roommate greatly improves quality of life. So much so, that students with good roommates that they chose themselves, had better grades and overall better social life in university settings.
"Finally, the researchers found that students were more positive about campus housing and their 15 roommate relationship when they identified as having more control over the process of selecting roommates"
In my own research through user survey and interview, many users expressed frustrations with the overcomplication of the process of finding a roommate. There are so many simplified ways of doing finding a romantic relationship or friends or even when it comes to networking, why not one for roommates? My research showed that users were using different, unreliable platforms with low yield in their search for a roommate. Most of them were finding roommates simply through word of mouth.
83.3%
word of mouth
The majority of users have previously found their roommates through this method
55.6%
A little more than half of users have found a roommate using this method
5.6%
Only a few users have successfully found a roommate using this method
5.6%
Only a few users have successfully found a roommate using this method
Wireframing
From the beginning I had already had an idea of what I wanted this app to look like. I wanted it to be familiar to most users and a pretty normalized platform style because I wanted to simplify the process of finding a roommate. My goal was and is to make the process as simple and easy to understand as possible. My sketches are a refleciton of my goal. Other than minor cosmetic differences, the core concept and functionality of the app did not differ much from the initial sketches to the later finished product.
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Because I already had a general idea of what I wanted this app to look like from the beginning, there wasn't much iteration between the sketches, the wireframing and then the actual finalized product. However, the sketches were definitely backed by the research I had done prior.
After the sketches, I created a site map, and then following that I created wireframes. The sitemap was useful in helping me visualize what all I would need to create and make sure to design out for the app to be functionable and easily understandable to the user. Another important aspect that the sitemap provided was allowing me to understand what was necessary to include in the app and what would be better kept off the app to prevent any kind of confusion or misunderstanding for the user.
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As for the wireframes, due to the fact that my initial sketches were already for the low fidelity screens, I used the wireframes as a chance to make it into a wireflow to have a better understanding of how the app would move and function for the user. It also helped me visualize which buttons I would need to later prototype, and if those buttons were necessary or better to not include.
Mood Board & Style Guide
After the bones of the app, I created a mood board and put together a style guide for the app. I wanted to do a color palette that seemed light, easy, friendly, and approachable. I didn't want the app to have a "too cool" feel, but I also didn't want it to feel dated. I wanted to create an ambiance that felt calming and soothing and even looking at the app created a sense of calm during such a taxing process that is roommate searching.
Following the mood board, I put together a color palette, gathered some reference photos that I considered including in the app and picked a font. Each element that was added was thoroughly thought out to create the simplest visual experience for the user while still being interesting and engaging.
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Keeping my goal in mind at all times, to create a simple and easy flow for the individual searching for a roommate, these colors and overall aesthetic was chosen. Consistency was incredibly important since that adds to the overall flow and ease of the app, and that was addressed later with further testing.
First Round of High Fidelity
Finally, the first round of high fidelity screens was created. This is where we begin to see a lot of the changes that were made throughout the process and where most of the testing affected the overall design, the functionality and the sizing of the elements on the app.
In the cosmetic sense, I drew a lot of inspiration from a pre-existing dating app that I personally really liked the designs and layout of. My app and that specific app had a lot of similarities.
After these initial high fidelity screens, a round of testing was done. The overall feedback was quite well received. Users were already pretty familiar with the setup from experience with other apps that had a similar layout. There wasn't anything difficult that the user found when navigating throughout the app. Some of the concerning comments made had to do with the consistency in the visuals throughout the app. The mix of the illustrations and the start screen with the photo rather than an illustration confused some users. They liked the photo, and they also liked the illustrations, but they just expressed some disconnect from one visual to the other. Another area of concern was that the buttons and font just seemed a little small for the user. The content on the screen didn't have enough presence on the screen and the white space seemed to swallow the screen whole.
High Fidelity Round Two
Following the feedback, I went back and recreated an app that felt more true to my own design style and created this second round of high fidelity screens that I am very proud of.
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Drawing from the onboarding screens' design, I incorporated the same design in a slightly different way using a darker color from the color palette to create consistency while still drawing a line between the actual main content of the app and the onboarding process of the app.
A major change other than the overall color and aesthetic of Roominate, was the formatting of the information at the bottom of each of the profiles.
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The formatting of the information was simplified and designed in a way where the blocking of the information made sense and provided the 'flow' in the visual sense for the user.
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Another change that was made was carrying over the stylized font from the onboarding process to the main app content in small areas such as the names or the headers of certain areas of the screen: ie. "About Bora".
The rest of the app went through the cosmetic change, simplifying while elevating all of the aesthetics within and throughout the app. The illustrations on the onboarding screens were switched out with photos that helped tie the entire app together and provide a sense of consistency and unity throughout the app. The colors were more heavily implemented in the core applications while still keeping the same design style and really diving deeper into the goal and logo: "simple, easy, smart".
The previous concerns of small buttons and small font were taken into consideration and altered and changed accordingly. Another major change worth noting was the use of the space throughout the app. Previously, the first draft had a lot of empty space that was left unused and untouched. Users had commented how it felt a little barren and the app felt like it didn't have a lot of content, contrary to fact. So the information was spaced out in a more even manner and organized in a way that would be easily digestable for the user when viewing the screen.
The second round of usability testing went better with testers having no troubles reading the text, no comments about inconsistency, lack of space and no issues reading the text.
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Testers felt the theme throughout the app was well implemented and found the app to be easily navigable and were pleased with the formatting of the app.
Outcomes & Results
Testing really helped shape and reform Roominate. From the technical functions of the app to even the aesthetics of the app, user testing really structured and greatly influenced the end product.
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I strongly believe I was able to create a simple, easy to use app to help individuals find a roommate.
Clickable Prototype
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