OVERVIEW
Unlocking the Next Home
RentCafe is an apartment and house renting website that helps individuals find their next home. However, it struggled with popularity due to poor information architecture, a simplistic design, and lower functionality, making it challenging for users to trust and efficiently navigate the platform.2
My Role
In this project, I contributed by assisting with the proposal, developing the sitemap structure, and creating user personas and scenarios. I also set up testing, including card sorting and first-click tests, and analyzed the results to guide design improvements. Additionally, I helped create the final presentation to communicate our findings and recommendations.
Time Frame
Completed in 2 months (2024)
Methodology
Content Inventory, User Persona, Card Sorting, IA Testing, and First-Click Testing
Tools
Optimal Workshop, Figma, and G-suite
Objective
Provide comprehensive legal documentation, diverse rental options, and detailed apartment features.
Reorganize the website to ensure smoother navigation and more intuitive access to content.
Focus on the needs of international students and young professionals
Outcomes
↑ 25% Task Success Rate
Improved user success rates for key tasks such as finding apartments and verifying landlord credibility, increasing from 60% to 85% and from 62% to 92%, respectively.
↓ 59% Unsorted Content
Reduced confusion in content categorization, dropping the number of unsorted items by 59%, from 17 to 7, and decreasing reliance on "I Don’t Know" categories by 41%.
↑ 33% CTA Engagement
Enhanced CTA placement and labeling increased user interaction by 33%, with key tasks achieving a 95% success rate on first-click tests.
The Challenge
01
Diverse User Needs
Balancing the needs of international students and young professionals required flexible content organization to accommodate both groups' preferences.
02
Lack of Legal Transparency
Many users found it hard to trust listings due to insufficient legal documentation and unclear landlord verification, leading to skepticism about property legitimacy.
03
Unclear Content Categorization
Misleading labels and poor organization caused confusion, forcing users to create their own mental models during searches.
04
Missing/Weak Call to Actions
With users clicking in non-intuitive areas, the lack of clear CTAs lowered engagement and made navigation frustrating.
How might we improve RentCafe's design to enhance user navigation?
Research & Discovery
Unlocking User Insights
The journey began by deeply understanding what users want and where they face challenges.
01
Renters want options that fit their budgets and preferences, including access to amenities like public transport or proximity to their workplace or university.
02
Users, particularly international students, expect clear details about rental properties, including costs, amenities, and most importantly, verified landlord credibility.
03
Users needed reassurance that the listings were reliable. Safety concerns over unverified landlords or fake listings were major pain points.
04
Users prefer a simplified, organized search process that helps them filter and navigate through a large number of listings without feeling overwhelmed.
Testing
Uncovering the Path to a Seamless Renting Experience
#1 Restructuring the User Journey Through Card Sorting
Conducted multiple rounds of card sorting with 9 participants to restructure the content organization and determine the best-fit categories for user navigation.
First Card Sort Breakdown
(Self Made Categories or I Don’t Know Category)
17
Unsorted Cards
Participants initially struggled to organize cards in existing categories and made their own
Final Card Sort Breakdown
(Self Made Categories or I Don’t Know Category)
7
Unsorted Cards
On average participant usage of “I Don’t Know” category decreased
Key Takeaways
01
Participants struggled with the initial content categories, often creating their own labels for clarity.
02
Categories such “Search” were removed and replace with actionable items such as “View Listings” & “Find Resources” to fit with the structure of RentCafe’s content.
03
Content such as “Know Your Renters’ Rights” and “Explore Your Neighborhood” were added to address the gaps current present in RentCafe’s information architecture.
#2 How Tree Testing Shaped a More Intuitive User Experience
Tree testing was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly proposed navigation structure. Tasks were designed to simulate common actions, such as finding an apartment or verifying a landlord.
Key Takeaways
01
Success rates increased from 60% to 85% for the "Find an Apartment" task.
02
Lower success rates (<75%) in some tasks indicated that users still faced challenges navigating the website’s deeper layers, particularly with search filters and listings.
#3 Guiding Users to the Right Click
Two rounds of first-click testing were conducted to determine where users expected to find key features, such as rental listings and landlord verification.
Key Takeaways
01
Users demonstrated a strong preference for multiple CTAs on the homepage, resulting in a 33% increase in task completion speed.
02
The majority of users clicked somewhere on the homepage instead of reaching for the menu.
Design
Streamlining RentCafe’s User Paths
#1 Sitemap
The previous RentCafe site had a disorganized structure, making it challenging for users to navigate quickly and access key rental information.
The redesigned sitemap was developed to simplify the user experience, providing clear, intuitive pathways to critical features.
Check Listings
Direct access to new listings, featured apartments, and various rental types (apartments, houses, townhomes, etc.).
View Property Manager
A dedicated space for property managers, including search results and manager profiles.
Find Resources
Includes calculators (rental, cost of living), renting tips, and moving guides, providing essential tools for prospective renters.
Get Help
Provides customer support, contact forms, FAQs, and general information about the platform.
Learn More About Chicago
Details about Chicago’s average rent, cost of living, and cultural highlights for those interested in the city.
Explore Your Neighborhood
Features neighborhood-specific details such as nearby schools, restaurants, and shopping centers.
This simplified sitemap is designed to improve the RentCafe user journey, making it easier for renters to access relevant information and complete key tasks efficiently.
#2 Wireframe
The wireframes for RentCafe were designed with mobile-first principles in mind, focusing on delivering a seamless user experience across devices.
The wireframes are designed to guide users through each stage of their rental journey, ensuring they can complete tasks (such as contacting a landlord or requesting a tour) efficiently and with minimal confusion.
Key Takeaways
01
The redesigned RentCafe website significantly enhanced navigation, task completion, and content accessibility based on user feedback.
02
Well-placed, multiple CTAs led to a 33% increase in task completion efficiency, demonstrating the importance of direct user paths.
03
Through testing and user input, the site's information architecture became more intuitive, improving success rates for key tasks by 25%.
Lessons Learned
Retrospective
01
Understanding and selecting the right research methods
Looking back, selecting more targeted research methods from the start would have uncovered user pain points earlier. For example, an additional round of card sorting could have resolved early content categorization issues more effectively.
02
Targeted Recruiting
Recruiting a wider variety of users (e.g., more international students) would have provided valuable feedback earlier, particularly in addressing content hierarchy issues during the sitemap development phase.
03
CTA Quicklinks Are Effective
One of the most impactful insights from this project was how well-placed CTAs improved task efficiency. Users greatly appreciated having multiple, clear options for taking action, significantly speeding up their ability to complete key tasks.