Streamlining off-campus housing with group search and roommate matching

Role

Product design lead

Prototype developer

Timeline

June - July

2025

6 weeks project

Team

2 product designers

Skills

Interaction design

UX Research

Why RentBlue?

Off-campus housing in Ann Arbor is expensive and hard to find.

With limited on-campus housing, U of M students are expected to find their accommodation from their freshmen year.

On-campus housing is limited, especially for graduate students.

Information about rentals was scattered across websites, social media groups, and word-of-mouth.

Lack of transparency, consistency, and reliable communication tools made the process daunting,

The challenge

“How might we streamline the housing search experience to improve communication processes between students, roommates, and landlords ?”

Problem 1

The current Umich off-housing website design features a side-by-side layout of listings and a map view.

While this location-focused approach enables users to easily see property locations, it comes with limitations:

• Insufficient space for detailed property information, causing difficulty to focus on individual listings.

• No specialized search bar for listings search, making it harder to change and personalize searches.

Solution

Optimized Search and Multiple view Listings

Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

• Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

Filter by travel time to main destinations on campus.

• Filter by travel time to main destinations on campus.

Listings Search

Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ + ‘Map’

• Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ ‘Map’

• Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ + ‘Map’

Easy to navigate tags

• Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

Listing Details

Cross platform data pulling and AI-generated reviews

• Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ ‘Map’

• Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ + ‘Map’

Problem 2

Roommates search lack personal touch, making the process rigid and unfriendly.

• Profile pictures are too small and difficult to see other students as somebody you would want to live with

• Impossible to scan though living preferences to identify potential matches

• Information prompts are unhelpful; some students had to put room details as their screen name for visibility

Solution

Roommate preference matching and group search

We included a side filter menu, cards with introductions and feature tags in the Roommate list view to make the it easer for roommate seekers to scan through potential matches. The size of the profile pictures are also increased to make connecting with other users on the website more friendly and approachable.

Roommates List

Roommates Details

Saved Listings with ’Add members’ Option

• Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

Listing Details

Slider switching between your likes and others’ likes for easy option management

• Multiple view options with ‘List’ + Grid’ + ‘Map’

As our User Research indicated that some students prefer to look for accommodation together, we added a “group likes” section in the “Saved Listings” page. By adding others to see the properties they have liked and viewing others’ preferred properties, users can look for property as a group and narrow down their search more easily.

Problem 3

Communications are carried out through email prompts, making it difficult to reach out and maintain contact.

Solution

Integrated communication system with Call and Tour Request Options

In order to address the limitations of email-only communication, we realized the importance of an in-app messaging system to reduce delays and improve response times.

The Call feature allows for real-time conversations, fostering clearer communication and building stronger relationships.

The Tour Request option enables users to schedule visits effortlessly through an intuitive interface.

-> ensure consistent engagement and efficient follow-ups, ultimately enhancing overall communication effectiveness

• Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

In order to address the limitations of email-only communication, we realized the importance of an in-app messaging system to reduce delays and improve response times.

The Call feature allows for real-time conversations, while the Tour Request option enables users to schedule visits based on availability.

Ensure consistent engagement and efficient follow-ups, ultimately enhancing overall communication effectiveness

Direct messages

Problem 4

Requests must be made to via messages before creating a listing or sublease, making the process burdensome.

Solution

Friction-Free ‘Add New Property’ Process

We simplified and accelerated the experience of creating listings or subleases by removing the need for preliminary message-based requests. This streamlined approach allows users to directly input property details through an intuitive interface, reducing unnecessary back-and-forth communication and saving time. s

• Horizontal Search Bar + Vertical Filter Side Bar

Add new property

What I learned

Collaborating in a big design team 👥👥

Incorporating creativity within design conventions 🎨🖌️🌿✨🎧

Well-structured usability testing 🏗️

Thank you for stopping by!

I’m proud to say I still have a long way ahead as a product designer, but any of my projects sparks your interest, or if you have any question about my journey so far, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message on Linkedin or email me at lammy@umich.edu :)

About me

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Thank you for stopping by!

About me

Resume

Thank you for stopping by!

About me

Resume