UI / UX Design Case Study
Aisha Co-Living
UI / UX Redesign of Aisha's landing page
Aisha Comfortable Co-living is a service for women of all ages. The goal is to connect female tenants with female homeowners to create a community that supports and empowers each other.
As a Designer my goal was to improve the user experience and increase user engagement. My responsibilities included user research, wireframing, and usability testing, as well as managing stakeholders.
The project provided unique challenges due to the specific demographic. I collaborated with other designers and product managers to achieve our goals.
My Role
Research, UI/UX, Wireframing
Team
Dan ( UX Designer)
Maria & Abraham ( Product Manager)
Tools
Timeline
(3 Months) April 2022
Platform
Web App
Sneak Peek
PROBLEM
"I had 700 visitors to my website, but no one clicked to apply!"
SOLUTION
Determine the reason why there is a low conversion rate amongst users. Reserach and design a solution that engage users to learn and apply to the program.
Constraints
Timing: We had 6 weeks to present an MVP model.
Defined Demographic - The user base for this service was very niche.
Ambiguity: The mission and goals provided by the stakeholder were broad and undefined.
Design Process
We performed a UX audit on the platform to assess the current user experience and identify issues. This determined the direction for our research. We then ideated with sketches, which translated into wireframes and the final MVP.
Throughout this process, we implemented an agile approach using Jira to track progress and manage workloads.
Research Objectives
Objective #1
Define Co-Living
Did users understand what co-living was? If they did not, was there enough information to help make an informed decision?
Objective #2
The Competition
Were there any other competitors in the market? What were they doing and what are the impacts when compared to this more specialized service
Objective #3
Lack of engagement
Solve the mystery of why users were not engaging with the service and how we can begin troubleshooting
UX Audit
Partnering with another designer we conducted our audit of the platform. We identified some key issues that we believed were contributing to low engagement. Upon reviewing our notes, we created a usability issues matrix.
Interviews & Surveys
To better access why there was low engagement, we conducted user interviews and a survey to gather data.
Key Insights
Users had difficulty understanding what co-living was.
Users had trouble understanding the services offered by the website.
Users required more information before signing up.
Some users thought the home page resembled a dating platform.
Users were curious about how homeowners and tenants were matched on the platform.
Our interviews indicated that users did not understand what co-living was and the website did not clearly explain the concept or their service. Despite the lack of awareness, participants did express interest in co-living.
Current home page
Another section that confuses users
Competitor Analysis
Ryna
Positive
Clear demographic (Female)
Has brand reputation and social presence
Features include tenant and landlord matching
Negative
Main use is for website applications
Range is limited in certain locations
Coliving
Positive
Globally recognized
Has both website and mobile options
Virtual tours and guest messaging features
Flexibility in leasing for monthly stays
Negative
No landlords associated
Focus on mainly younger demographics
High barrier of entry for hosts
Our competitive analysis revealed the following:
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Competitors are based in major cities such as Vancouver and Toronto.
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The target demographic is ages 18-25.
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There is potential for growth in the Canadian market.
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There are similarities with Airbnb services, but these differences were not clearly defined.
Results
Our research validated that the main issue was how the information and service was presented. The majority of users did not understand co-living, and the website did not effectively explain what it was.
Persona
Based on our research, we identified two key personas: Tenants and Homeowners. These personas gave insight into perspectives and frustrations. We divided our team to work on each persona with Maria and I responsible for creating material for Homeowners.
Persona 1 - The Tenant
Persona 2 - The Homeowner
Experience Journey Map
Illustrating all the touchpoints of the website for each persona, we found that although both personas may seek different types of information, their journey using Aisha was similar, where they were disengaged and their frustrations.
Journey Map of the Tenant
Journey Map of the Homeowner
With our research and artifacts in hand, our team was better equipped to proceed with the project. We held one final brainstorming session to discuss how we could solve the problem and identified the following design goals:
Goal # 1
Education for Users
Educational pieces on what is Co-living
Services provided and the benefits
to tenants and homeowners
Goal # 2
Different User Experiences
Improve copywriting
Provide relevant information for both
userbase
Goal # 3
Increase Engagement
Implement a call to action
Reduction of displayed features
User Flow
Low Fidelity Wireframes
1. The top priority was providing information for users to understand what co-living is and how Aisha provides this service. The first section includes a summary and video walking users through.
2. Create a clear, step-by-step process to guide users and set expectations after signing up and what the process is for different groups, such as tenants and homeowners
3. The final step is creating a call to action, users are asked at the end to fill out an application.
By utilizing this layout, we believe it will help guide users to learn about the service, understand the step-by-step process and result in higher engagement.
High Fidelity Wireframe
Usability Testing
Conducting two rounds of usability testing our goal was to assess the effectiveness of the improved design in whether it helped users understand both co-living and the services offered by Aisha.
Key Insights
Previous users found the information they needed more quickly than before
The updated website includes a FAQ and videos explaining co-living and the services offered
80% of users indicated they would consider signing up for Aisha co-living.
Users wanted more information on requirements and processes in regard to applications for tenants and homeowners.
Reflections
What I learned
Lesson #1
Manage Stakeholder Expectations
To prevent misunderstandings and assumptions, communication is vital to stakeholders. This means communicating designs and constraints
Lesson #2
Solve the Problem
What is the research and design work for? To improve the user experience and solve a problem rather than aesthetics and additional features.
What I would do different
Changes #3
Tell the Story
When presenting to stakeholders, it is effective to utilize storytelling. In hindsight, I would focus on demonstrating the impacts of our design and research.
