UniShack

UniShack

UniShack

reinventing housing search for students

reinventing housing search for students

Currently at UniShack, I’m leading the design of a new sublet feature on our platform, creating a reliable way for students to find short-term housing while expanding UniShack’s mission to make finding a home in college easier and more accessible.

Here’s how I approached this challenge—from research to design to impact.



THE CHALLENGE

Students Needed Sublets, But Had No Reliable Platform








Currently at UniShack, I’m leading the design of a new sublet feature on our platform, creating a reliable way for students to find short-term housing while expanding UniShack’s mission to make finding a home in college easier and more accessible.

Here’s how I approached this challenge—from research to design to impact.



THE CHALLENGE

Students Needed Sublets, But Had No Reliable Platform

Through one-on-one interviews and a survey offering a gift card incentive, I discovered a major gap:

Through one-on-one interviews and a survey offering a gift card incentive, I discovered a major gap:

Students loved UniShack for year-long housing but had no way to find verified sublets.

Students loved UniShack for year-long housing but had no way to find verified sublets.

Current solutions (Facebook groups, Craigslist, and Apartments.com) were unreliable, filled with scams, and lacked student-specific filtering.

Current solutions were unreliable, filled with scams, and lacked student-specific filtering.

Students wanted sublets in one trusted, centralized platform, one they already relied on for their housing needs.

Students wanted sublets in one trusted, centralized platform, one they already relied on for their housing needs.


So I defined the goal: Introduce a sublet feature within UniShack to provide a safe, seamless experience for students looking for short-term housing.


So I defined the goal: Introduce a sublet feature within UniShack to provide a safe, seamless experience for students looking for short-term housing.

THE RESEARCH

Identifying the Core User Needs

To create a student-friendly sublet feature, I analyzed:

  • Competitor Platforms: Facebook, Apartments.com, and Sublet.com.

  • User Feedback: Surveys and one-on-one interviews with our users highlighting trust and searchability as key concerns.

Here is what I found:

  • Trust was a major barrier. Students wanted verified listings to avoid scams.

  • Search experience needed improvements. Filters for price, location, and lease duration were a priority.

  • Sublet listings had to be seamless. A fast, simple listing process was essential to get more students to participate.



THE PROCESS

Feature Prioritization: What We Built First

Given the impact and feasibility, I led the team to prioritize:

  • Student Verification: University email authentication for safety.

  • Search & Filtering: Adding new filters: type, duration, budget, and distance filters tailored for students.

  • Listing Process: A five-minute form for students to create verified sublet listings.

  • Messaging System: Secure in-platform messaging and subletting user messaging for direct inquiries.

These core features are prepared to be launched together to ensure sublets are immediately useful and fully functional, and in time for the upcoming summer housing search.


Wireframes: Iterating on the User Experience

The first iterations focused on:

  • Optimizing the layout to ensure listings and the map view were easy to scan and navigate.

  • Refining search usability by making filters intuitive for students who needed fast results.

  • Enhancing trust by adding clear verification markers to listings.

User testing led to key refinements in layout clarity, typography, and mobile responsiveness.

THE RESEARCH

Identifying the Core User Needs

To create a student-friendly sublet feature, I analyzed:

  • Competitor Platforms: Facebook, Apartments.com, and Sublet.com.

  • User Feedback: Surveys and one-on-one interviews with our users highlighting trust and searchability as key concerns.

Here is what I found:

  • Trust was a major barrier. Students wanted verified listings to avoid scams.

  • Search experience needed improvements. Filters for price, location, and lease duration were a priority.

  • Sublet listings had to be seamless. A fast, simple listing process was essential to get more students to participate.



THE PROCESS

Feature Prioritization: What We Built First

Given the impact and feasibility, I led the team to prioritize:

  • Student Verification: University email authentication for safety.

  • Search & Filtering: Adding new filters: type, duration, budget, and distance filters tailored for students.

  • Listing Process: A five-minute form for students to create verified sublet listings.

  • Messaging System: Secure in-platform messaging and subletting user messaging for direct inquiries.

These core features are prepared to be launched together to ensure sublets are immediately useful and fully functional, and in time for the upcoming summer housing search.


Wireframes: Iterating on the User Experience

The first iterations focused on:

  • Optimizing the layout to ensure listings and the map view were easy to scan and navigate.

  • Refining search usability by making filters intuitive for students who needed fast results.

  • Enhancing trust by adding clear verification markers to listings.

User testing led to key refinements in layout clarity, typography, and mobile responsiveness.

🖊️ Wireframe Version 1 Notes

  • focuses on structuring the sublet listing layout so users can quickly scan for relevant details

  • includes a list-view layout with basic information but needs more polished UI.

  • at this stage, I was testing how students interact with the listings and what information they prioritize.

🖊️ Wireframe Version 2 Notes

  • introduces information in different formats (e.g. availability dates, room type, etc.)

  • adjusted text hierarchy to emphasize price and availability more clearly.

  • aims for clearer, more scannable UI but needs clearer room type display

🖊️ Wireframe Version 3 Notes

  • offering a variation of information hierarchy to prioritize key information

  • adjusted spacing and typography to make it easier to scan listings at a glance.

  • a bit scattered, could use more centralized hierarchy of the info.

🖊️ Final Wireframe Notes

  • offering a variation of information hierarchy in a clearer layout

  • adjusted spacing and typography and information hierarchy to make it easier to scan listings at a glance.

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Digital Strategy

Holistic, organic digital strategies that unlock the full potential of new and existing channels—bringing your communities and platforms together.

To create a student-friendly sublet feature, I analyzed:

  • Competitor Platforms: Facebook, Apartments.com, and Sublet.com.

  • User Feedback: Surveys and one-on-one interviews with our users highlighting trust and searchability as key concerns.

Here is what I found:

  • Trust was a major barrier. Students wanted verified listings to avoid scams.

  • Search experience needed improvements. Filters for price, location, and lease duration were a priority.

  • Sublet listings had to be seamless. A fast, simple listing process was essential to get more students to participate.