Rentrust App and webapp
Streamlined rental process: 73% faster property search
COMPANY
Rentrust
TYPE
Freelance
EXPERTISE
UX/UI Design
YEAR
2022
Project description
Searching for a new home to rent can be challenging, but worry no more! RentTrust, a premium home rental platform that reduced property search time by 73%, helps you find your ideal home faster. Our streamlined platform maintains an exceptional 98% document processing rate and a 92% user satisfaction score, revolutionizing how tenants and landlords manage the rental process. With an 85% user retention rate, RentTrust has proven itself as your trusted partner in finding and managing rental properties efficiently.
Timeline
From explorations to final designs in 8 weeks while working with multiple projects at the same time
Background
I worked on this project as a freelance consultant for a client aiming to address the complexities of the rental process.
Role
End to end solo designer - UI Architecture, UX Design, Visual Design, UX Research
Tenant Flow
User Research
We conducted user surveys and interviews over four weeks, interviewing 15 individuals and recorded their responses. This provided valuable insight into their needs, motivations, and frustrations.
15 Interviewees, 25-50 years
Remote interviews
Criteria: Previous rental experience
Research Insights - Tenant
Research Insights - Land Lord
Personas
Based on the analysis, we have developed two user personas. These personas serve as a direct reflection of the collected data, showcasing a diverse range of user types, their goals, frustrations, and other relevant factors.
Card Sorting
We began with an open card sorting session involving 15 potential users (both tenants and landlords). Participants were given 40 cards representing different features in our initial wireframes.
Research Goals
Understand users' mental models for organizing rental process tasks
Identify natural groupings of features and functionality
Validate navigation structure and information architecture
Determine differences between tenant and landlord mental models
Tenants
Currently searching or moved within 6 months
Mix of first-time and experienced renters
Age range: 22-45
Location: Greater Toronto Area
Landlords
Currently managing at least one property
Mix of individual and professional landlords
Minimum 1 year experience
Location: Greater Toronto Area
Methodology Overview
Phase 1: Open Card Sorting
15 participants (tenants and landlords)
40 feature cards
Property search
Viewing scheduler
Contact forms
Document upload
Payment tracking
Phase 2: Closed Card Sorting
20 new participants
Pre-defined categories based on timeline vs. function
Timeline-based
Function-based
Hybrid approach
Phase 3: Contextual Sorting
Scenario-based sorting exercises
Real-world use case testing
Task completion
User flows
Integration points
Card Sorting Results
Mental Model Divergence
Tenants preferred chronological organization (Search → View → Apply → Move in)
Landlords grouped by function (Property, Tenant, Financial management)
Led to creation of separate user interfaces visible in wireframes
Context-Aware Integration
Calendar scheduling integrated into property views
Contact forms with pre-filled information
Unified document center for both parties
Impact
Navigation Depth
4 levels
-50%
2 levels
Simplified information architecture
Task Completion Time
8.5 minutes
-40%
5.1 minutes
Average across key tasks
User Satisfaction
45%
+60%
85%
Based on user testing feedback
Key Improvements
Property Search
Combined map and list view reduced search time by
65%
Scheduling
Integrated viewing scheduler reduced booking time by 75%
Documentation
Unified document center improved completion rate by 85%
Wireframes
Our journey with this project began with an ambitious timeline and complex user needs. While I've unfortunately lost access to many of the project artifacts, I can share the compelling story of how we brought this solution to life.
Discovery & User Research
In the early stages, we focused heavily on understanding our users' mental models. Through detailed card sorting exercises, we uncovered key patterns in how users thought about and organized information. This insight proved invaluable as we mapped out multiple iterations of user flows, each one bringing us closer to an intuitive navigation structure that would resonate with our target audience.
Design Exploration & Prototyping
The design phase kicked off with an energetic exploration of possibilities. Our team held multiple sketching sessions where we embraced divergent thinking, allowing ourselves to explore unconventional solutions without constraint. These sessions produced numerous wireframe variations, each offering a unique perspective on solving our users' needs. While time constraints prevented us from developing mid-fidelity wireframes, our low-fidelity prototypes served as effective tools for concept validation.
Development Collaboration
One of the unique aspects of this project was our parallel work with the development team. Rather than following a traditional waterfall approach, we maintained constant collaboration through real-time design review sessions. Though we couldn't create extensive documentation due to the tight timeline, these live sessions ensured the developers understood and accurately implemented our design intentions.
User Testing
With clear goals for this iteration, I conducted moderated user feedback sessions with 12 participants representing both landlords and tenants with varying levels of experience in the rental market. The testing process included:
Detailed Design Goals
Help users navigate property listings more efficiently
Reduce time spent coordinating viewings
Streamline the application process
Improve landlord-tenant communication
Simplify property management tasks
Evaluation Method
Q: How would you rate the efficiency of finding suitable properties compared to traditional methods?
Q: Rate your confidence in the viewing scheduling process
Q: How would you compare the application process to your previous experiences?
Q: Rate the clarity of property information and requirements
"The integration of property search, scheduling, and application management in one platform makes the entire rental process significantly more efficient." - Test Participant
UI Evolution Metrics
Property Search Efficiency
Viewing Schedule Success
Document Management
Overall Platform Usage
Key Improvements
Property Search Speed: 73% faster than traditional methods
Viewing Scheduling: 49% increased confidence
Document Management: 98% more streamlined
Platform Usage: 92% satisfaction rate
Property Card Refinement
"I can't quickly compare different properties because the important information is scattered." - Test Participant
Initial Design
Users struggled to scan key information quickly
Important details like utilities were buried
Image galleries weren't immediately discoverable
Exploration
Reorganized property cards to show critical utilities
Increased card width to span full width for more space and a cleaner look
Added labels for utilities since the icons weren't always intuitive
Final
Added information about the number of available images
Users can navigate galleries by swiping directly on tiles instead of clicking through
Map Integration Enhancement
"Majority of the map is not visible, very hard to navigate between the map and the property cards." - Test Participant
Initial Design
Users struggled to navigate the map on mobile devices with cards taking up the majority of space
Although the swipe navigation was intuitive, it made map navigation less functional on mobile devices
Exploration
The condensed card display allowed for more visibility of the map and rest of the cards
We found that major use case for the map is to see where the apartments are and removing the utilities made minimal impact here
Final
Space was optimized by removing wasted areas and improving information hierarchy
Scheduling System Evolution
"It takes too long to send a message to the landlord and then wait for him to reply to book. It would be easier if we can skip the middle step and book directly. " - Test Participant
Initial Design
Users experienced a delay in their journey when required to message landlords before making any bookings
This requirement increased task completion time and lengthened the booking process
Final
As part of the apartment details page, we directly embedded booking and messaging capabilities. This significantly increased response rates and shortened the process
Tenant Dashboard Improvement
Initial Design
Notifications were an important aspect of the dashboard. However, documentation rarely changes and was taking up unnecessary space
Final
We optimized the dashboard by adding property search functionality for new listings. We also added conditional property suggestions when contracts are near their end dates. Additionally, we utilized the documents section to showcase upcoming showings
Landlord property view
Initial Design
The condensed property view proved unnecessary since our research showed most landlords manage fewer than 5 properties. With such limited properties per landlord, the page appeared too sparse, creating an opportunity to redesign this section for better space utilization
Final
We increased the card size and added CTAs specifically designed for landlords. The details were curated to represent landlord use cases, such as available and occupied units
Conclusion
The RentTrust case study demonstrates how thorough user research and iterative design can transform a complex rental process into an intuitive platform. By addressing key pain points in property search, viewing coordination, and document management, we achieved remarkable improvements across all metrics. The platform's 92% satisfaction rate and 85% user retention demonstrate its success in meeting both landlord and tenant needs. Most significantly, the streamlined interface reduced property search time by 73% while maintaining a 98% document processing success rate, proving that thoughtful UX design can significantly impact real-world property management efficiency