03
Padx
Mobile
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Reimagining The Search Experience For Rental & Roommates Through A New
iOS Mobile App System
Two mobile mockups with Padx sign-in and rental search profile screens in front of a white architectural wall backdrop.
Intro
About PadxPadx, an apartment rental search platform based in Los Angeles, is seeking a way to disrupt the industry with a new approach to serve its target audience, Gen Z & Millennials.

The ChallengeThe challenge was to create a way for today's generation of renters to take control of the search for their next roommate & place to call home as current platforms do not consider those seeking compatibility for both simultaneously.

How might we create a socially engaging experience for renters of today to not only meet their next roommate but also their next home for rent?

ToolsFigma, Google Suite, Trello, Miro, iPad & Paper, Slack
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Figma, Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Trello, Miro and Slack icons in black.
My Role
Project Manager & UX Designer
Client Liaison, Milestone Mapping, Research, Information Architecture, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping & Testing
‍TeamNaomi Suen
• Project Manager
• UX & UI Designer

Atlas Blake
• Research Lead
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Dalton Phillips
• UX & UI Design Lead

TimeSeptember 8th - 27th, 2020
Jump To Interactive Prototype
Overview
An App That Bridges The Worlds Of Home & CompanionshipThe goal of this new iOS mobile app design was to reimagine & provide today's generation of renters with matching capabilities to both homes & roommates.

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Animation of Padx mobile onboarding walkthrough.
Comprehensive Onboarding to Land You the Right PadA step-by-step process that builds a search criteria for home compatibility.
Lifestyle Questionnaires
for Careful CurationA lighting round series to get familiar with the rental seeker on a personal level with easy swipe motions for roommate compatibility.
Animation of Padx mobile questionnaires walkthrough.
Animation of Padx mobile rental listing page walkthrough.
Reimagining What Compatibility Looks LikeAside from the elevated quality of rental listings, Padx illustrates why each home is meant for the user through a match score & iconized compatibility wheel.
Don't Go It AlonePadx cultivates a network of vetted community members who not only seek a new place of living, but companions to share the space as well.
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The compatibility wheel makes a come back, illustrating what interests users have in common.
Animation of Padx mobile compatibility roommate profile and chat walkthrough.
Discover
What Renters Had To Say About Their Current Search ExperienceWe conducted user interviews with a set of people who had recent experience searching for a new place to rent. The responses helped us glean trending impressions of the rental search.
Key insights and key comments identified through user interviews.
Serving Today's Generation of Renters: Gen Z & MillennialsAfter receiving valuable feedback from the user interviews, we synthesized the insights & created a persona to help guide & model the new mobile app.
Poster featuring profiles and behaviors of a user persona.
Analysis
Challenging Competitors & ConventionsTo expand our knowledge of services in & outside of the rental search realm, we took to competitive & comparative analysis.
We looked to dating & connection apps to study online human interaction opportunities that most rental apps have not incorporated.
Competitive and comparative analysis chart against features from multiple rental and dating apps.
Define
Prioritizing Features Is The KeyConsidering the limitations with time, priority mapping helped identify the most compelling & approachable ideas that would reinforce an engaging experience for users like Aurora.
Priority map graph with features sorted within quadrants of 'low effort' vs 'high effort' and 'low value' vs 'high value'.
Thriving Where Rental Apps Fall ShortThe journey map below helped identify the pain or lacking points from the user interviews & experience through their current methods of rental search. Those pain points became the solution points for Padx.
Journey map wheel breaking down the user's potential thoughts and feelings before, during and after using the Padx Mobile app.
Develop
Bringing Ideas To PaperQuick sketches below of what I envisioned the onboarding, map, detailed listing, & user profile screens to look like. A considerable amount of attention was placed on the chunk of information per screen. Then I converged with the team for further iterations.
Onboarding
Monochromatic low fidelity wireframe sketches of the Padx Mobile onboarding screens.
Map View, Listings, & User Profile
Monochromatic low fidelity wireframe sketches of the Padx Mobile Map, Listings and User Profile screens.
Optimistic Test Results & A Laundry ListThe overall responses of the mid-fi usability test were positive, though there were some confusion points with verbiage, icons, & chapters within Onboarding.
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6 out of 6 users said they would find Padx Mobile to be very helpful for their next search.
User responses were synthesized through affinity mapping & prioritized resolving trending issues.
Sticky notes of user insights and comments sorted through affinity mapping from usability testing focusing on Onboarding, Map & Listings, and Roommates.
Prototype
ScenarioAurora lives in Hollywood & is looking to move further west within Los Angeles. With her salary, she is also looking for a roommate to share an apartment with.
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TaskComplete onboarding, search available homes for rent, & connect with a compatible potential roommate.

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Retrospective
01 Built An Immersive Onboarding Process

02 Paralleled Home & Roommate Matching

03 Collaboration Between Users For Potential Rooming

04 Elevated Rental Listing & Roommate Screens

05 Enhanced Possibilities With Map Visuals, For Rent Signs & Pre-Verification Process
Reflections The designs & prototype have been used to present to investors of Padx. The design & research materials have also been submitted for development. Padx's business transition is expected to spring beginning of 2021.
Forthcoming
What's NextThe next big focus will be to ideate & iterate on the listing aspect through landlords & tenants. Our brains are brewing with ideas on how Padx can create a community of quality & transparency for all users to benefit.
01
Further Research On Social Aspects & Promote Diversity

02
Incorporate More Interactive Map Features

03
Expand on Pre-Verification, Reviews / Ratings & Adding More To User Profile Features

04
Incorporate Visual & Interactive Accessibility Of App

05
Develop Landlord / Tenant Listing Management Functions & Features Of App
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Other Work
Two mobile mockups with Identity Guard sign-in and onboarding screens on above gradient wall background.Two laptop mockups with ARCH Supplies detailed product page and home screens above monochromatic architectural background.
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Designed by Naomi Suen, 2023.