HomeQuest • Dialexa EDU

This project was a part of Dialexa EDU, a mentorship program for students near the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. My team consisted of eight UT Dallas design students, and we met regularly with five mentors from Dialexa.

Roles
Project Manager, Designer

Tools
Figma

Timeline
9 Weeks

Client
Dialexa

Timeline

We worked in Agile teams and split our work into three sprints. We communicated through Slack, Zoom, in-person workshops and daily stand-ups. Feb — April 2023.

My Role

I served as a Project Manager and a designer.

Tasks included:

  • Lead team to deliver high-quality, on-time designs

  • User research through interviews and usability testing

  • Develop competitive analyses

  • Wireframing

Sprint 1 🏃‍♀️
Empathy Mapping, User Research, Product Identification

Sprint 2 🏃‍♀️
Persona Interviews, HMWs & Crazy 8s, Feature Prioritization, User Flows

Sprint 3 🏃‍♀️
Wireframes, Usability Testing, Applied Designs

Final Week 🏁
Review and rehearse stakeholder presentation

Background

Today’s work environment looks far different than a few years ago. As transplants move and make Dallas their home, deciding on housing presents new challenges.

The Ask

In Dallas’ melting pot community of both locals and transplants, how might we connect folks to housing and co-working opportunities that correspond with broader work arrangements and lifestyles.

Personas 👥

We were assigned two real-life personas, Helen and Eric, to interview and contribute to our product identification.

We gauged their experience with relocation and online housing platforms by asking them questions such as:

  • What are the three most important things in your life right now?

  • When looking for housing, what sites do you use?

  • How do you commute to work?

We conducted a workshop of HMWs and Crazy 8s to ideate our product.

Our results determined that a housing platform would be our product, and we came up with the following as potential features:

  • Anonymous Review System

  • Architectural Filter

  • Safety Gauge

  • To-Do List

Ideation

Final User Flow

This user flow demonstrates the path that our persona can take to fulfill their needs.

Wireframes

We went through several designs before deciding on our main one. These are some early iterations.

We reached out to our target audience to conduct usability testing over Zoom and Maze. We then took the feedback under consideration as we polished our final prototype.

Usability Testing 👩‍💻

  • The Local Explorer feature was not noticeable

  • Coworking options were not clear

  • User suggested additional elements to Key Info tab such as listing date, previous tenants, and amenities

Insights

  • Make the Local Explorer appear clickable and prominent

  • Change “Coworking” to “Coworking Spaces

  • Add property construction date and amenities such as pets, garage, and in- unit laundry onto Key Info tab

Next Steps…

Local Explorer

The Local Explorer is our star feature.
It gives Questers the ability to find their home by the standards of the Safety, Coworking Spaces, and Connections around them:

  • Safety: Discover the safety of an area around a property through crime and emergency services nearby

  • Coworking Spaces: Discover local spaces to work from that aren’t your bedroom

  • Connection: When your co-workers live on the other side of the country, discover new places to find friends and hangout with

We tackled Eric’s main concern for safety by implementing a system that makes users aware of reported crimes taken place in the area, up to three months back.

Style Guide

We chose Electric Violet as our primary color because it represents the creativity of new graduates entering the workforce, while also symbolizing the luxury they will find in their home searching experience.

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Retrospective ⏪

  • Met user needs of Eric persona

  • UI and prototype was clean and responsive

  • We maintained communication despite conflicting schedules

What went well?

What could have been better?

  • Facilitate usability tests much earlier to gain more widespread results

  • Use planning strategies such as ABC prioritization, premortem analysis, and scenario planning earlier to prevent planning fallacy

  • Ideate more extensively to highlight design concerns earlier

What would I do differently?

  • Fully meet both persona needs

  • Dedicate time to discussing the voice of the brand to reflect the values of our product

  • Conduct multiple rounds of HMWs and Crazy 8s to develop wider variety of ideas