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Innovating Germany's property market
Livings is a platform designed to help users rent apartments, whether shared or individual, for short or long durations. The goal was to redesign the platform to enhance usability and accessibility, making it easier for tenants to manage their rental information and documents.
An end-to-end project
This is a project that I'm very proud to have worked on and which is still in constant development. Over the course of many months, we started from the initial ideas and discussions with brainstorming to the deliveries for the development of the MVP.
Challenge
The main challenge was to modernize the interface while ensuring it remained intuitive and user-friendly. The platform needed to facilitate easy access to rental information, documents, support, and personal data management.
Market Desk Research Summary
The German rental market has shown a significant increase in rental prices due to high demand and limited new construction. From 2021 to 2022, the population of Germany grew by approximately 1.1 million, primarily due to the influx of refugees from Ukraine, leading to increased housing demand. This trend is expected to continue, with the population stabilizing at around 85 million by 2030. The decrease in vacancy rates and the shortage of new residential buildings further underline the growing demand for rental properties in Germany . ( " ) ( " )
Competitive Landscape:
The major players in the German residential real estate market include Vonovia SE, Deutsche Wohnen SE, LEG Immobilien SE, and Consus Real Estate. These companies dominate the market with large portfolios and significant investments in residential properties. For instance, Vonovia, one of the largest real estate companies, recently invested in developing ecological dwellings, highlighting the competitive and innovative nature of the market . ( " )
User personas
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Shared Rental Tenants:
These users share apartments with multiple roommates and require a platform that simplifies accessing rental agreements, communicating with roommates and landlords, and managing shared expenses and responsibilities efficiently.
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Individual/Couple Tenants:
These users, either living alone or with a partner, need streamlined management of personal rental documents, quick access to maintenance support, and easy handling of payments and lease terms.
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Individual Property Owners:
These users own multiple rental units and seek a solution for efficiently listing and managing properties, tracking rental income, and maintaining effective communication with tenants.
Livings’ Differentiation
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Comprehensive Tenant Portal
Livings provides an integrated platform where tenants can easily access all rental documents, information, and support services in one place. This reduces the hassle of managing multiple platforms and ensures all essential information is readily available.
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Catering to Diverse Tenant Needs
The platform is tailored to meet the needs of different types of tenants, including those sharing apartments, individual renters, and property owners looking to list their properties. This versatility enhances its appeal across various user segments.
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Proactive Communication
Livings ensures effective communication between tenants and landlords, facilitating smoother interactions and quicker resolution of issues. This proactive approach helps in maintaining high tenant satisfaction and retention rates.
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User-Friendly Design
The interface is designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind, featuring modern aesthetics and intuitive navigation. This makes it particularly appealing to users who may not be tech-savvy, such as older tenants.
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Personalized Support
Livings offers robust support features, including categorized contact forms and direct phone support, ensuring that tenants can get help quickly and efficiently when needed.
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Proactive Communication
Livings ensures effective communication between tenants and landlords, facilitating smoother interactions and quicker resolution of issues. This proactive approach helps in maintaining high tenant satisfaction and retention rates.
Web Platform
Tenant Portal
This is the final representation of the tenant portal screens, where the tenant can access all the information about the property, talk to the landlord, consult documentation or seek support for claims.
Homepage
• Visual Update: Applied a modern color scheme and typography for a fresh look.
• Simplified Navigation: Introduced clear, large icons and a straightforward layout to enhance accessibility.
Rental Information Page
• Enhanced Layout: Organized rental details clearly with responsive design elements.
• Visual Appeal: Added high-quality images and structured information for easy comprehension.
Customer Support
• Simplified Contact Forms: Made it easy for users to submit support requests with categorized forms.
• Direct Contact Options: Included clear options for direct contact via phone for urgent issues.
Documents Management
• Streamlined Access: Provided easy access to all rental documents with a clear download option.
• Consistent Layout: Maintained a consistent design for document viewing and management.
FAQ Section
• Improved Searchability: Categorized FAQs for easier navigation and quicker access to answers.
• Responsive Design: Ensured the section is fully responsive for all devices.
Personal Data Management
• User-Friendly Forms: Redesigned forms for personal data entry with better input validation.
• Privacy Assurance: Ensured data security and privacy with clear callouts for sensitive information.
Strategy
1. Design Goals:
Conducted workshops with stakeholders to gather insights and define design goals.
2. User Validation:
Conducted validation sessions with a select group of tenants to gather feedback on the redesign.
3. Iterative Design:
Used an iterative approach to refine the UI based on continuous feedback.
Final Lessons
• UI Focus: Emphasized the importance of a clean, modern interface in improving user engagement.
• Continuous Feedback: Highlighted the value of continuous user and stakeholder feedback in the design process.
• Iterative Improvements: Reinforced the need for iterative design to address usability issues promptly.
Recent results *Mai/24
1. Conversion rate: Increased from 3% to 7%, resulting in 60 additional registrations.
2. Bounce rate: Average of 35%, indicating a good engagement and interest.
3. Average session duration: Improved from 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes 15 seconds over the last 3 months.
4. Click-through rate (CTR): Maintained an average of 3% in the main CTAs.
Source: Wix and Google Analytics
