Creating the best experience for renters
Rooney Property Management Website Redesign
Synopsis:
Our team was presented with the issue of a low-converting website. The apartment market is a saturated playing field, our client requested a website and branding that went above and beyond their competitors. The website appeal to the renter and nudge them towards applying to rent with RPM.
Through user analysis, research, and customizing a plan that worked perfectly for Rooney Property Management, we arrived on a final solution that the stakeholders are proud of and their users enjoy.
Role:
UX Designer
Contributions:
Analyzed the research findings
Constructed Information Architecture
Created strong brand elements
Designed and prototyped using Adobe Xd
Participated in the QA process until finalized site
1: Problem Statements Overview
1: 01
“The user is a young professional who has recently graduated college and is looking for an apartment that fits their busy and flexible lifestyle because they are not ready to purchase a home.”
1: 02
“The user is a retired individual looking for a downsized living space. They need an apartment that feels inviting and a property manager that can offer them the best customer service because they may need additional accommodations due to age or other disabilities.”
2: The Users
2: 01 | Research Summary
The UX lead on this project created a brand report and user journey map to pin point exactly who are users are and how they may find their way to the website. These research strategies were able to help in the information architecture of the site, the site map, and diagnosing what was going to stylistically stand out to the target audience.
2: 02 | Personas
James & Ashley
Age: 27
Job Title: Both work in the tech industry
Education: Bachelors Degrees
Income: 65k Household Income
Family: Long-term relationship, two cats
We are not sure if we’re ready to settle in and buy a house yet – that feels like a big step, but we can live well in the meantime as we figure out what we’re going to do for the rest of our careers. We’re starting a family and are probably looking for a house once the market’s in a better place but for now it’s nice to have a neighborhood we enjoy.
Job Title: Both are retired
Education: Bachelors Degrees
Income: 70k Household Income
Family: Married, 2 adult children, one dog
Wherever we land, it’s going to be well-considered, and the right long-term move for us.
2: 02 | User Pain Points
James & Ashley | Young Professionals | 25-34 years old
- It’s tough to find an apartment that’s near where I want to be, has the features I want, and is also in the right price range.
- I can’t find a place that will let me have my pets, and I won’t rent from places that don’t allow pets.
- I also care a lot about the parking situation. At minimum I need a parking space, if not a garage.
- It takes a long time to see all these different places and figure out what’s the right place to move.
- A responsive, friendly staff is a must. I haven’t had the greatest experience with my landlord in the past, they took a long time to get back to me and didn’t take me seriously when I was a student.
- I need a good space with a parking garage.
- The property HAS TO be well maintained, with a responsive staff. I care a lot about the cleanliness and how quickly my concerns are addressed.
- It’s not the most important thing, but having my pets here is still very important.
- It takes a long time to see all these different places and figure out what’s the right place to move – and I’ll spend a lot of time looking for exactly the right place.
- I haven’t rented in a long time and I’m not entirely sure what to expect.
- Rooney’s rent feels a bit high at first, but once I get a look around and have a chance to see other prices it feels OK.
2: 03 | User Journey Map
3: Design Process
3: 01 | Inspiration
The first step in this process was to create branding that reflected what the user would resonate with. These style scapes were created by the UX project lead. They helped me visualize potential layouts for the ideation stage.
3: 02 | Ideation
Using a site map created by the UX project lead, I was able to build the information architecture into the wireframes. These wireframes were a base for the next step, creating high-fidelity prototypes. Sketching out ideas before opening Adobe XD saves time and typically creates better end products for the user.
3: 03 | High-fidelity Prototype [First Draft]
Typically after the hand-drawn wireframes, my team would create a low-fidelity to test that all the functions are working correctly. But because of time restraints we went ahead and umped to high-fidelity prototypes to speed up the process.
The goal of this first draft is to see how the design feels structure wise going from a wire-frame to a digital design. Branding begins to be introduced. The construction of the first page in the user journey (for this instance the homepage) is used to create the visual characteristics that will be carried throughout the website. This typically includes colors, buttons, branding elements, header and footer, and other components that may be used on other pages.
3: 04 | High-fidelity Prototype [Finalized Draft]
4: Post-Development QA Process
Our developers translate the prototype into a functional WordPress staging website. Next step is to comb through the site to check all functionalities of the prototype were successfully translated into code. This process is critical since the last thing we want is for a user to find a break or user obstacle. Content entry and usability testing occurs during this phase of production. I worked with the client and our in-house content creator to fill in the areas of the site that were missing images or content. This process typically takes a few months depending on the clients responsiveness. The staging site of Rooney Property Management was approved in July 2022.
5: Reflection & Growth Areas
The impact of this redesign generated positive feedback for the client and boosted their online performance. They loved the results so much that they hired us again to redesign one of their parking websites to match the look and feel of their new website.
It is apparent that my team improved the user experience by providing features specific to resolving user pain points. To summarize we:
- Packed in the imagery. This helped showcase the high-class aesthetics the users were looking for.
- Created high-contrast focus areas for company selling points.
- Offered an apartment finder on the website to easily view all the properties.
- Boosted the branding throughout the site.
- Carefully placed CTAs to help users navigate the site to find exactly what they are looking for.
