Casacio
During Coursera’s immersive Google UX Design course, I developed a Responsive Website for Finding Vacation Rental Homes using the design thinking framework, Figma, and workflow developments.
Project Type
UX/UI | Product Design
Role
UX/UI Designer
Tools
Adobe XD
Project Overview
CASACIO is a website that assists renters in finding vacation rental homes that match their preferences and interests.
Guests can use the website to filter vacation rental homes based on their lifestyle, housing type, communities, guests, and activities they want to engage in with themselves and others.
Challenge
- Guests do not adhere to house and guest rules set by the hosts for liability reasons.
- The need for better communication between guests and hosts.
- Users are frustrated with reentering filter preferences.
Solution
- Users can reserve a vacation rental home that fits their needs and understand the host’s housing rules before booking.
- Users can save filter preferences and past searches to avoid entering the info multiple times.
- Have a messaging system within the website where hosts and guests can communicate without providing private contact info.
Responsibilities
User Research, UX/UI Design, Interaction Design, Usability Testing
Understanding the User
Through research, reviewing feedback from users and hosts from competitors, and deveeloping user personas, I gained insight into addressing users’ needs for both guests and hosts.
Pain Points
- Hosts want guests to be fully aware of their home’s rules, criteria, and conditions before booking to avoid attracting the wrong type of guests who will not respect the rental home and its rules.
- Guests frustrated with re-entering extensive filter options.
- Not being able to communicate with one another related to hosting.
Personas
Antonio Martinez
“I’m a landlord, and I get how important it is to make sure everyone living in my building feels comfortable and happy. I’ve got this well-furnished condo in a neighborhood where many folks like having fun and socializing. So, I’ve set up a rule that asks short-term renters to be careful with the furnishings and not throw wild parties. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love parties. But I want people to take care of my place as if it were theirs while enjoying their time there.”
Age
31
Occupation
Real Estate Agent
Education
Bachelor’s Degree
Hometown
Santa Monica, CA
Problem Statement
Antonio Martinez is a resident who takes pride in renting his high-end condominium to guests.
Antonio understands that his condo’s location may appeal to party animals due to the adjacent fun attractions that draw people to the area to go crazy and party.
He wants guests to follow his house policy and be aware of them before booking his place so that he can avoid future conflicts and tension with guests.
Goals
- Have a peace of mind whenever his home is rented by guests.
- Easy contact with guests when needed.
Frustrations
- Unable to contact guests when necessary.
- Guests make excuses or lie about “reading house policies” after breaking the host’s home policy.
- Guests not taking care of place during their stay.
Bella Jace
“I love taking vacations where my friends and I can let loose and do things we enjoy. So, it’d be amazing if we could find a vacation rental home that puts us right in the middle of all the places my friends and I want to see and have fun in!”
Age
22
Occupation
Student & Intern
Education
3rd year college student
Hometown
Sheffield, England, UK
Problem Statement
Bella Jace is a tourist who is excited to explore the United States. She and her friends hope to find the perfect vacation home adjacent to her places of interest to socialize with others who share her same hobbies.
Goals
- Book a vacation rental home in Los Angeles for her and her friends.
- Filter the search results to find the rental home that matches her interests.
Frustrations
- The struggle of re-entering filter info to find the best rental home.
- Guests do not want to give out personal contact info when contacting the host.
User Journey Map
Mapping Bella’s user journey shows how helpful it would be for users to reserve a rental home.
Starting the Design
Paper Wireframes
Wireframe sketches were created to come up with ideas addressing user pain points.
The stars on the wireframe represent elements used for the vacation rental booking app homepage.
Digital Wireframes
Search filter
Search filters allow users to browse properties that best match what the users are looking for by selecting the filter options that closely align with their dream rental home.
Home Policy not hidden
The house policies are conveniently visible above the fold to users upon viewing the listing, so potential guests are well-informed of the home policy and determine if users can comply with them before moving forward with booking the rental home.
Built-in messaging
Hosts and guests can communicate securely using built-in messaging within the website without sharing personal contact information. This feature ensures privacy and prevents any potential misuse of data and not relying on third-party apps.
The text messaging feature is designed to intentionally look familiar with other messaging services so that users feel comfortable and have a sense of familiarity.
Low Fidelity Prototype - Mobile
Low Fidelity Prototype - Desktop
Usability Study
Findings
- There is no acknowledgment that guests read and checked house rules during the booking process.
- Users have to scroll down within the filter options to save filter preferences.
Refining the Design
Mockups
Filter Call-To-Action Buttons Placement
The homepage features two call-to-action buttons in a single color, making it easy for users to identify them as buttons and take action. The text is brief and straightforward, helping users easily understand how the app can assist them in reaching their goals.
Home Policy
Users need to review the host’s house rules before finalizing their booking to ensure they understand them clearly. This helps prevent hosting guests who may not be a good fit and avoids the risk of conflicts between guests and hosts.
High-Fidelity Prototype | Mobile
High-Fidelity Prototype | Desktop
Accessibility Considerations
On a desktop, website pages can be navigated efficiently using a keyboard.
Limit visual effects and animations To avoid distracting users from their tasks and causing disorientation.
Have a strong color contrast, large font sizes, and line heights to enhance readability.
Going Forward
Impact
The vacation rental home website will positively impact both guests and hosts by ensuring great rapport between them, guests book rooms that fit their needs, and rentals are suited for the right guests.
What I've Learned
One of the primary obstacles in this process is the risk of guest dishonesty during the booking process and the need to find a balance that satisfies both parties involved.