YiRental | Portfolio

OVERVIEW

Help Chinese tenants in America find apartments and houses, while simultaneously enabling landlords to effectively rent out their properties.

Chinese individuals in America often encounter difficulties in navigating the rental market due to language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliarity with local housing practices. Many face challenges in finding suitable accommodations that align with their preferences and requirements. At the same time, landlords who wish to attract Chinese tenants may struggle with effectively marketing their properties to this specific demographic. To address these issues, the YiRental project was initiated with the goal of creating a comprehensive housing rental platform that focuses on the unique needs of Chinese tenants.

TIMEFRAME

Sep 2016 - Sep 2017

MY ROLE

UX Designer

TOOLS

Sketch

Invision

DELIVERABLE

Mobile & WeChat mini app design from scratch

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Primary data is gathered through an online survey and user interviews.

Of the surveyed individuals, 41% were under 25 years old, 28% were between 25 and 30 years old, and the majority preferred using free online applications over paid ones. Only a minority of participants expressed interest in using local agencies to list their housing needs.
Landlords - Prioritize the visibility of their housing listings to reach a larger audience. Focus on selecting preferred tenants and staying informed about housing warnings and notifications.
Tenants - Require a platform to list their housing needs and increase the visibility of their search to attract potential landlords. However, there are limited options available for them to showcase their requirements.
Individuals are interested in finding roommates, yet there are no efficient means for them to do so.

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH

While certain existing products have tackled specific pain points, there hasn't been a single product that comprehensively addresses all of them.

I compared Airbnb and Coostay at the time. Airbnb is a popular global platform that caters to a wide range of users worldwide, offering short-term housing rentals as well as experiences across various categories such as culture, fashion, nature, and sports. It focuses on providing accommodations and unique local experiences for travelers and hosts from around the world. On the other hand, Coostay specifically targets Chinese people in New York, including Chinese international students and young generations. Coostay primarily focuses on housing rental services, helping users find suitable places to stay in New York City.

In summary, while both Airbnb and Coostay provide housing rental services, Airbnb has a broader global reach and offers a wider range of experiences, while Coostay is more specialized, focusing specifically on the Chinese community in New York City.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Meet the target audience.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

A user-friendly mobile application that combines housing rental listings, roommate-finding features, and community-building elements.

Our proposed solution for the housing rental app will be tailored to meet the specific needs of Chinese individuals in America, including Chinese international students and young to mid-aged people. We will initially focus on the Seattle market, leveraging our established reputation with over 5000 WeChat official account followers in the area.

The platform will offer a wide range of rental properties, including options for shared living arrangements, and could also feature housing communities located within universities or cities.

Streamlining the process of listing and renting properties to make it easy and convenient for users to find and book housing quickly.
Offering a reliable and efficient roommate matching service to help users find compatible roommates.
Building a solid sense of community by organizing events and activities that allow renters to connect with one another and the local area.
Developing a user-friendly interface allows users to easily search and filter properties based on their preferences and needs.
Providing customer support and resources to help users navigate the rental process and address any issues that may arise, such as integrating YiRental WeChat Official Account.