HōM
Team of 3
Spring 2019
HōM is an app for landlords and tenants who want to work together for a better property management experience. Developed for the first project in the second semester IPD studio class, Problem Framing, myself and two teammates conducted contextual research, synthesized and analyzed the resulting stakeholder needs, ideated in our chosen problem space and created both a tenant and landlord interface for the application we conceptualized. I participated in each part of this process, from interviewing stakeholders, to insight analysis, problem definition, ideation, feature scoping on the selected idea, and competitive landscape research. I had input in and provided feedback on the final app UI design, which was developed by one of my teammates.
Contextual Research
We interviewed a number of young people living with roommates, asking them about the conflicts they experience and the process of resolving those tensions. We spoke to several 20-somethings around Philadelphia and New Jersey, and we heard about a few nightmare roommate stories. But our key insight was actually around a stakeholder we hadn't previously considered: the landlord.
Journey Mapping & Ideation
We heard a surprising story from an interviewee who had trouble getting in touch with her landlord to get her dishwasher fixed. Only once her parents called the property manager was she able to get the property manager to send a technician. While the situation was eventually resolved, it was clear that there was lingering dissatisfaction with how long the process took and the lack of transparency during the process.
We also ideated around possible solutions from our other insights, and performed an effort versus impact assessment. This confirmed that the best idea we could pursue was centered on the landlord-tenant interface.
