Problem space

The exacerbation of student housing has left 300,000 Canadian students homeless and paying 25% more than Canadian renters

The cost of living in major cities has been steadily increasing, making finding affordable student housing challenging. 45% of students said they were not aware of any supports or services related to off-campus housing at their school and are using countless non-postsecondary websites that are not regularly monitored for anti-fraud.

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Goals

Democratize the off-campus student housing search process to mitigate deceitful contracts

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Research

Not enough dedicated online platforms because student housing is too niche and a localized demand

Why is it that students never mention Airbnb or Kijiji for housing search? They are simply not built for it (literally). Unlike the housing market, the demand for student housing is comparatively lower, more localized, and the management companies have more stringent regulations which isn't enticing for profitable businesses. A lot of the current student housing platforms are obsolete because of their antiquated design and unmoderated posts that don't fit the transient nature of student housing.

More than 90% of students find housing by word of mouth

Through our user research, students find housing through mutual connections or recommendations from peers who have already lived in certain places. Many students favor informal networks more than formalized online platforms because of their quick response times and unfiltered anecdotes.

Please note the research was a sample size of the population

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Insights

Students hold opinions made by friends, family, upper years, and peers at a high esteem

Students place a great value on other people's reviews and their own housing experiences because they are more frank and offer insightful information about the accommodations. Using reliable networks can help foster trust and raise the possibility of discovering acceptable housing options. In the case of finding roommates, everyone's needs and preferences need to be met so their considerations are very important for a more satisfying living arrangement.

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Solution

Manage housing social media groups using a web browser extension to aggregate the best options

Finding housing can be warfare. You could have over 100 saved posts and/or messages asking if it's still available, keeping track of each places anecdotes and reviews, all while trying to stay organized using spreadsheets. Students want volume and variety in postings which is apparent in social groups, but that'll require coordination across different platforms. By having a plugin running in the background that'll scan and aggregate postings of your preference across different platforms and collating into one place will be a game-changer.

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Top 3 optimizing features

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Setbacks

Not gaining a technical background of the products attainability

Without a developer on site, the product may suffer due to unanticipated technical limitations, which obstructs a seamless integration and may result in delays, higher expenses, and a weakened user experience.

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Intermissions

Creating a separate tab for group findings

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Illuminating quick action items in the popup extension

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Removing the welcome card

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Final Design

Design system

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Prototype

The prototype is cooking... hold your excitement for a bit longer

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