01 / Background

Roomie is an all-in-one support app for roommates who don't know each other well. It helps roommates plan a chore chart, split groceries, book rooms in their home, and schedule times to spend time together.This was a semester-long project for my Interaction Design 1 class. I was asked to come up with an idea and design it to a finished, working prototype. Dealing with roommates can be difficult, so I wanted to create an app to make the process easier.

I attempted to answer one simple question through this project:

What issues do people face with their roommates, and how can they be resolved?

02 / User Research

To start the design process, I conducted user research to gain insight into the needs and goals of my target audience: 18-30 year olds who have recently started college, or graduated and moved to a new city, and are looking for roommates. After conducting informational interviews, I identified two major communication issues roommates face: when they are friends, it can be difficult to ask them to do things; and when they are strangers, it can be uncomfortable to talk to each other. This highlighted the need for an experience that could tackle this communication issue.

The interviews also helped highlight information about the challenges these roommates faced when it came to managing household tasks and communication. Some common issues included difficulty coordinating chores, disagreement over grocery purchases, and a lack of private space.

I created personas to represent the different types of roommates who might use the Roomie app. These included a college student, a young professional, and a retiree:

03 / Design

Sketching

The first stage of this project was to brainstorm ideas and concepts. This early phase involved both individual and group sketching. During group sketching, I explained my goals for each screen, and a team of my classmates drew what they thought the experience should look like. This process was incredibly useful for seeing all the different interpretations of a single experience.

Sitemap

Next, I created a sitemap to outline the overall structure of the app. This included the main navigation, as well as the various screens and features. After considering all the possible layouts from the group brainstorm, I determined that the most effective layout was a top-level navigation with each page as an individual tab.

Wireframes

From there, I created wireframes to define the layout and functionality of each screen. I considered both mobile and desktop experiences, and laid out the content in a rough way. The final product changed significantly, but this was a great starting point for thinking about the screens.

Branding

Once the wireframes were finished, the next step was to select colors, typeface, and create an identity mark for the app. I aimed for a friendly, approachable feel, so I chose a typeface and color scheme that reflected this.

04 / Hi Fis & Prototype

With the visual design finalized, I created a high fidelity clickable prototype using Figma. This allowed us to test the app and gather feedback from potential users.

I had the opportunity to conduct user testing sessions with a small group of roommates to gather insights about the app's usability and functionality. The feedback was mostly positive, but there were a few notable points:

• The money tab was very similar to Splitwise, and people were more comfortable using that app instead.
  
• It would be useful to have the ability to add which grocery stores roomies prefer to get certain produce from, as people can be particular about it.
  
• The room request feature was only beneficial to roomies who didn't know each other well; roomie groups that were close friends didn't find use in this feature.
  
• There was no use for the chat feature, but instead add in a roomie contact section with their phone number, email and relevant social media handles

I am still working on incorporating all of the feedback I have received for version one of the project.

Prototype

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05 / Conclusion

Through user research, design, and prototyping, I was able to create a user-friendly app that helps roommates manage household tasks and communicate effectively. The Roomie app provides a convenient and organized solution for roommates looking to collaborate and get along in their shared living space.