CRAIGSLIST

Rental Homepage and Specific Rental Page Redesign Challenge

Role: Individual, UX/UI Designer

Timeline: 1 week

Tools: Figma

Role: Individual, UX/UI Designer

Timeline: 1 week

Tools: Figma

Problem

Craigslist is a classified ad website widely used by home renters looking to find a place to live and connect with potential roommates. While it is a great resource to find rental options, there can be many improvements made to its design which would also build trust and credibility among its users.

Competitive Analysis

I started this project with a competitive analysis of similar companies to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses and get a better understanding of the rental market. I was able to gather ideas of important features that would help Craigslist's users have a better experience finding a home.

Interviews

I conducted 1:1 interviews with 3 participants between the ages of 27-37. They all have experience with renting and/or buying homes using websites like Zillow, Redfin, and Craigslist. Below are the main questions I asked along with a task I had them complete:

What requirements did you look for when searching for your home?
Which websites or apps did you use to find your place? Why did you use those websites?
What issues have you run into while looking for homes to buy or rent?
Complete a task on Craigslist: Find your ideal rental property starting from clicking on apts/housing under housing. Please explain your steps. Follow up questions: What do you feel like could be improved to meet your goals? Which filters are most important? Which filters are unnecessary?

What requirements did you look for when searching for your home?
Which websites or apps did you use to find your place? Why did you use those websites?
What issues have you run into while looking for homes to buy or rent?
Complete a task on Craigslist: Find your ideal rental property starting from clicking on apts/housing under housing. Please explain your steps. Follow up questions: What do you feel like could be improved to meet your goals? Which filters are most important? Which filters are unnecessary?

What requirements did you look for when searching for your home?
Which websites or apps did you use to find your place? Why did you use those websites?
What issues have you run into while looking for homes to buy or rent?
Complete a task on Craigslist: Find your ideal rental property starting from clicking on apts/housing under housing. Please explain your steps. Follow up questions: What do you feel like could be improved to meet your goals? Which filters are most important? Which filters are unnecessary?

What requirements did you look for when searching for your home?
Which websites or apps did you use to find your place? Why did you use those websites?
What issues have you run into while looking for homes to buy or rent?
Complete a task on Craigslist: Find your ideal rental property starting from clicking on apts/housing under housing. Please explain your steps. Follow up questions: What do you feel like could be improved to meet your goals? Which filters are most important? Which filters are unnecessary?

The interviews revealed the users' values, experiences, and insights into the challenges they faced while looking for places to buy or rent. Below are the main needs and wants of users in order to find their ideal home.

Searched for these requirements: number of stories, housing type, limited shared walls, location (if near freeway or plaza, distance from a specific location), if home has good amenities like a pool or jacuzzi, # of bedrooms (min and max), # of bathrooms, backyard, quiet and safe neighborhood, sq. footage, sale history, price (min and max), washer and dryer in unit, central air vs ac unit, parking, length of rental term
Be able to specify a location like city or county
Clear and accurate photos and description of home and neighborhood
Esther used the search filters for price, county location, # of bedrooms, and in-unit washer/dryer.
Joseph used the search filters for miles from zip, price, # of bedrooms/bathrooms, availability, parking, in-unit washer/dryer, and housing type.
Billy used the search filters for miles from zip, price, no smoking, and in-unit washer and dryer.
Description of place on Craigslist could be formatted better with labels to make it easier to read
Shared room/private room filter option
Street view option to see neighborhood
Schools in neighborhood
Quick overview of home in listings page before clicking (i.e. # of bedrooms, price, city, and good photos); need consistency
Critical info at the top of listing description so that users don’t have to read through everything
Easy to understand filters with all the options clearly laid out so it’s easier to search; combine similar options and remove unnecessary filters
Description of roommate(s) and what kind of roommate they’re searching for (i.e. no smoker or no pets)

Searched for these requirements: number of stories, housing type, limited shared walls, location (if near freeway or plaza, distance from a specific location), if it has good amenities like a pool or jacuzzi, # of bedrooms (min and max), # of bathrooms, backyard, quiet and safe neighborhood, sq. footage, sale history, price (min and max), washer and dryer in unit, central air vs ac unit, parking, length of rental term
Be able to specify a location like city or county
Clear and accurate photos of home and neighborhood and description of place and neighborhood
Esther used the search options for price, county location, # of bedrooms, and in-unit washer/dryer.
Joseph used the search options for miles from zip, price, # of bedrooms/bathrooms, availability, parking, in-unit washer and dryer, and housing type.
Billy used the search options for miles from zip, price, no smoking, and in-unit washer and dryer.
Description of place on Craigslist could be formatted better with labels to make it easier to read
Shared room/private room filter option
Street view option to see neighborhood
Schools in neighborhood
Quick overview of home in listings page before clicking (i.e. # of bedrooms, price, city, and good photos); need consistency
Critical info at the top of listing description so that users don’t have to read through everything
Easy to understand filters with all the options clearly laid out so it’s easier to search; combine similar options and remove unnecessary filters
Description of landlord/roommate and what kind of person they’re searching for (i.e. no smoker or no pets)

Persona

I redesigned the user experience targeted around the following user. I made sure to keep in mind that Rosie needs to find good roommates and a home close to work but is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.

"I'm Rosie, I'm moving to DC for the first time and I'm looking for a place to live. I'm 26 and open to living with roommates since I don't know anyone in DC (men and/or women). My new job is two blocks from Gallery Place, but I have no idea the best neighborhood to live in. My budget is $1500 per month and I would like to keep my commute under 30 minutes."

I redesigned the user experience targeted around the following user. I made sure to keep in mind that Rosie needs to find good roommates and a home close to work but is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.

"I'm Rosie, I'm moving to DC for the first time and I'm looking for a place to live. I'm 26 and open to living with roommates since I don't know anyone in DC (men and/or women). My new job is two blocks from Gallery Place, but I have no idea the best neighborhood to live in. My budget is $1500 per month and I would like to keep my commute under 30 minutes."

I redesigned the user experience targeted around the following user. I made sure to keep in mind that Rosie needs to find good roommates and a home close to work but is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.

"Im Rosie, I'm moving to DC for the first time and I'm looking for a place to live. I'm 26 and open to living with roommates since I don't know anyone in DC (men and/or women). My new job is two blocks from Gallery Place, but I have no idea the best neighborhood to live in. My budget is $1,500 per month and I would like to keep my commute under 30 minutes."

High Fidelity Mockups

After getting design inspiration and doing some quick sketches, I put together high fidelity mockups of the rental homepage and specific rental page.

Key Takeaways

1. A frame in Figma is a type of group that can have constraints for the objects inside. A shape can be changed into a frame with autolayout or selecting frame selection.