Hommy+
This is a simple tool that helps DIY(do it yourself) landlords and tenants simplify their daily renting matters and have a delightful renting experience.
My Contributions
1. Responsible for the tenants' research report. Collaborated with my teammate to create information architecture, wireframes, and user tests.
1. Responsible for the tenants' research report. Collaborated with my teammate to create information architecture, wireframes and user tests.
2. Deliver all the UI illustrations and tenants' UI. Contributed to coming up with the color palette and design style.
2. Deliver all the UI illustrations and tenants' UI. Contributed to coming up with the color palette and design style.
3. Responsible for all the UI animations with AE.
3. Responsible for all the UI animations with AE.
Team
Avery Xiong, Yiran Lee (Product Designer)
Duration
Duration
Sep 2019 - Nov 2019
Tool
Sketch. AE. AI. PS. InVision. Procreate
OVERVIEW
PROBLEM
- DIY landlords* involve responsibilities including that collect rent, handle maintenance and repair issues, respond to tenant complaints on a daily basis. Based on LSL and English Housing Survey data and reports on the level of tenant arrears, 68,000 tenants currently more than two months behind on their rent. It takes DIY landlords a considerable amount of time and effort.
- When it comes to tenants, they expect a hands-free way to make rent payments, and quick responses and service from DIY landlords when they submit a maintenance request.
- Most of roommate relationships are not as intimate as friendships, it’s purely a “financial transaction”. It's a challenging situation, live in close quarters with someone you’re unfamiliar with and manage household expenses with them.
DIY(do-it-yourself) landlords* who own single or small multi-families-rental properties always manage the renting by themselves for financial sense.
CHALLENGE
How might we create a delightful renting experience that streamlines the process of dealing with daily renting matters and take the stress out of renting?
SOLUTION
01. Log in
The first-time login requires users to choose identity, landlords or tenants. And then join your home or invite people with invite code.
Landlord
Landlord
Tenants
Tenants
Homepage
DIY Landlords and tenants can easily handle renting tasks and view the monthly renting/expenses statistics.
02. Create a rental property
DIY Landlords can create a rental property and enjoy the stress-free rent collection. It can easily be customized to fit the landlord's needs.
03. Pay rent online
The multiple rent reminders with intervals help tenants never forget the due date.
02. Create a rental property
02. Create a rental property
03. Pay rent
03. Pay rent
04. Create a split bill request
Snap a picture of the bill and Hommy+ automatically scans and extracts key information. And recurring reminders help participants never forget to pay their share.
05. Create a maintenance request
05. Create a maintenance request
06. Online chat
06. Online chat
05. Create a maintenance request
If tenants @roommates in the maintenance request, the request will appear in roommates' events.
06. Online chat
In-app messaging make communicate with ease. Emergency calls for special situations.
BRAINSTORMING
The concept of brainstorming helps us to define problems and develop more creative ideas as potential solutions for a specific problem.
RESEARCH
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
We studied current platforms that help DIY landlord and tenants deal with renting matters. There are many web applications for DIY landlords and tenants, and many mobile applications for roommates.
Avail is a complete tool that mostly caters to DIY landlords' needs, focuses on managing the rental property.
Roof is a mobile web application with the purpose of creating effortless renting for landlords and tenants, focuses on helping tenants share a home pleasantly with roommates.
USER SURVEY
To learn more about the people who involve rental houses from both sides, we conducted online surveys for DIY landlords (Landlords without the property manager) and tenants. We got 9 responses from DIY landlords and 21 responses from tenants.
1: What are the main renting matters for the DIY landlords?
DIY Landlords need to face rent collection and maintenance by themselves.
2: What difficulties are faced by during renting?
It takes DIY landlords amount of time and effort for rent collection.
3: What are the main causes of the difficulties？
From our survey, we found that the lack of effective communication seems to be the main underlying reason for the problem above.
1: What are the main renting matters for the tenants?
As the same as the landlords, The main renting matters for tenants are maintenance, rent, and utility fee.
2: What difficulties are faced by during renting?
Most of the problems come from the financial field faced by tenants. They keep track of expenses in a traditional and inefficient way. Sometimes, they need a “volunteer” to take responsibility first.
3: What are the main causes of the difficulties？
Based on the survey, we found that most roommate relationships are not as close and more than half of the participants don’t communicate with their roommates very frequently.
PERSONA
After consolidating our research, we created the tenants' persona Jane and DIY landlord's persona Amber. It helps us identify the key moments in renting experience and distill the users' pain points and requirements.
USER JOURNEY
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
WIREFRAME
USER TEST
Performed the user test for optimizing the app’s usability for the best user experience and creating a more delightful and comfortable user experience. We used InVision to create prototypes and built two small sample groups, 5 DIY landlords and 5 tenants. After the test, I picked the main questions for each flow and conducted design iterations.
How to perform user tests?
- Explain to users how the test is going to work, get them thinking out loud and relaxed.
- Describe the user scenario, give them context, ask them to perform tasks
- Ask open-ended questions that do not lead them in order to gain real insight into users’ needs.
- Take note of it and write down the reason for the confusion.
- Thank the participants for taking the time.
"What I concern most is whether hommy+ can help me encourage on-time rent payments and handle tenants who have trouble paying rent."
Solution: Multiple rent reminders with intervals and the automatic late fees encourage timely rental payments.
"I can’t find 'Scan' button easily enough."
Solution: After tap 'Add' button, give the user option whether to scan the bill or not.
"I want to get in touch with the landlord immediately when I get involved in an emergency situation instead of waiting for the landlord's reply."
Solution: There is an emergency call for a special situation.
"I feel stressed about receiving repeated maintenance requests from different tenants in a house."
Solution: If tenants @roommates, the request will appear in the roommate's event.
"The 'Event' doesn't tell me who is the receiver."
Solution: Define the payment details on homepage.
Visual Design
App icon
Color Test
The keywords that we intend to convey are efficient, convenient and reliable. The emotions that we intend to evoke are pleasant, eased.
As I explored more with color, I developed an intuitive sense for good color combinations. I came up with a pleasing and eye-catching color palette for my design.
Identity System
UI Illustrations
© 2021 AVERY XIONG, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
备案号：粤ICP备2021141994号