RentRight

A project that addresses the search for a living space at the University of Michigan.

Prototype

Designed in Figma

Filter Listings

Choose various amenities, lease types, prices, and property size easily.

Likes

See all liked listings in one place and compare them to each other or see them on a map

Listing Details

See relevant information like amenities, distance from campus or bus stops, and reviews from people who have seen the property

Community

An open forum for students to post about and discuss anything related to housing in the area

Map

Choose filters like amenities, property size, and bus routes to find housing

Contextualizing the problem

Students at U-M:

75% LIVE OFF CAMPUS

25% FAMILIES MAKE <$100K

19% RECEIVE PELL GRANTS

60% RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID

There is a clear, demonstrated need for affordable housing in Ann Arbor
U-M “does not guarantee on-campus housing beyond… freshman year”
Various property management companies around Ann Arbor all have different listings
Searching these sites is time-consuming, difficult, and overwhelming

There are currently no available services that are all-encompassing of listings from all of these different sites
The university maintains a site, but it does not aggregate all listings from different property management companies
RentRight would be able to bridge this gap

RentRight:

Takes aggregated data from different property management companies and present it simply and easily for U-M students looking for affordable housing

Reaches out to individual landlords and property managers in the area to obtain information on their affordable housing properties

Saves time and energy that would be spent going through a plethora of other sites, searching through the incomplete university off-campus housing offering website, and looking at outdated property listings

Uses data from local housing authorities and real estate websites to provide users with a comprehensive list of available affordable housing options in the city

Style Guide

I wanted to keep the design light, with pops of bright color to bring more delight and satisfaction when engaging in the normally arduous task of house hunting.

Page Flow

Based on research from existing rental and property search apps, and to facilitate connections between prospective tenants more easily, I made this flow chart.

Lofi Wireframes

Designs inspired by real estate and rental apps like Zillow and Realtor.com

Original Prototype

Designed winter semester, 2023

Reflection

2023 vs 2024

I created my first iteration of the RentRight app design exactly one year ago. That was also my first time using Figma to prototype a design. I would say my abilities have improved a lot, though there is always room to get better. If I were to revisit this yet again in one year, I would see even more changes. I hope to make this more of a collaborative project if I do come back to it, as I always find both user feedback and peer critique helpful.