OUGD504- Design for Screen - Idea's 01

To attack the problem I need to learn from the weaknesses of the previous websites. I want to find a way of solving these niggly little issues, whilst adding an emotional value to connect with the audience. First and second hand research have been carried out (on-goingly) to 

The problems within the competition are:

- They are confusing and daunting to use, especially in a hurry
- They are clearly profit focused, rather than helping the customer as much as possible.
- The customer's stress levels rocket due to the complexity of some websites.
- SpareRoom.com/ FindaFlat.com are both exceptional websites in what they can provide, yet all of this is useless if the user does not know these features are there.

The top issues I found with competitors websites are

- How to distinguish what has been done, and who still needs to be contacted
- How to remember at a quick thumbnail glance which property was what
- Navigation around the website. Often you had to go back (loosing what you were looking at), or even open a new tab/close the tab and restart. 

Despite not being a housing searching tool, lastminuite.com caters to people in a similarly stressful situation. Planning anything last minuet suggests a spontaneity and excitement- exactly the same as the potential of moving. It is interesting to observe how they initially engage with their audience, whilst being clear about what is on offer. A Menu (hide) icon is used to maintain a clean overview, and un-cluttered aesthetic. This tab system had been proven in research to have a better response than those without, with the removal of icons therapeutic and allows you to focus on the one aspect you want to look more into.

Again, not an official letting agents website, but Gumtree. This is now a popular way of advertising rooms, flats to let and house shares, both locally and countrywide. This is easily shareable on social media, prompting interest from social circles, and reaching a larger audience than it may do before. Gumtree have not tailored their design to suit this individual need here. They have not used icons, only words. This does give an clear (and un-confusing) way of narrowing down the search, yet no immediate recognition is made like it would be with icons or symbols. Gumtree is also featuring a blue, grey, black and white colour scheme. In Simons lecture it was interesting to note that Blue was the most popular colour, BY FAR on the internet today, which is again interesting as Gumtree's brand colours are Black and Green. By including this blue, they are almost wanting to see more trusted and official, as this is a core value needed when shopping for properties. I do not feel Gumtree have been successful in their execution of a full website as their client is not getting a 'property searching' experience. If anything, Gumtree have simply modified their current page layout and grid system to cater for the inclusion of properties to broaden their own range. I want to make no mistake that the interface is designed for property searching, rather than anything.

Initial Ideas to solve this

- Implement a star rating system (or other personal way of distinguishing between properties).
- A home icon, allowing you to get back to the homepage in as quicker time as possible.
^ However, would the homepage really be the place people want to get back to? Often not. The homepage is generally an overview of the website in terms of property hunting, or even more aesthetics orientated that giving you listings. To solve this, perhaps ask the viewer "Save as My Homepage?" when they search for an area or postcode. This will reduce the steps it takes to successfully navigate around the home page.
- Do not over clutter pages

Soloutions to the problem include:

- A website
- An app
- A browser


Design Thoughts

When considering emotion, the main feeling the user should feel is excitement. 

This can be done through a progressive 'My Properties' section perhaps- giving an overview of saved properties, properties you have contacted the agent of and even viewed properties.

When conducting the focus group, it was clear users got confused which property was which. Often, when we are viewing lots of properties at a time we create alternative names to help us distinguish between them easier. For example, when you're first viewing a house seldom would you refer to it as '54 Queens Road, LS6 1KF'.. you'd say 'The one with the nice garden'. These personal touches are tapping into subconscious emotive qualities by itself. 


Breakdown so far
Target Audience

Young professionals moving around frequently, on a relatively low income. Time is precious and minimising stress and time searching is high on their priorities. 

What is the age range? 

My age range is young professionals and students typically between the ages of 20 - 32. Also a secondary target audience of 45-55, also professionals moving around with work and parents.

Will your interface appeal more to men or women?

Equally male and female-  gender neutral is imperative to appeal to everyone. 

Is you interface specific to a country?

Yes, England. The preposed company would start in England, where it is possible to access people for R&D and also testing. By focusing on England this means a more thorough job can be done, with room for expansion in the future.

Are the target audience based in urban or rural areas?

Mainly Urban area's and cities such as Leeds, Manchester and London. They will need to go where the demand for their profession/jobs are, alternatively amongst one area specifically to best suit student requirements. 

What is the average income of the target audience?

Savings, Employment (full time), Government grants/Students loans, part time jobs (students). Putting down a big deposit (or a large first sum of rent) could be hard for a Graduate who has spent the past few years studying.   

What is their occupation?

Students, recent Graduates, Post-graduates and Young professionals

How often do they use interfaces?

The majority of the day. Generally use technology and interfaces hourly- connect social media up to share found searches for friends?

What devices do they use?

Smartphones (mainly Apple iPhone and Android), laptops, iPads, self service machines, cashpoints. 

The direction the research is heading in at the moment, shows that no current Interface is successfully navigating the challenge of simplicity. Many companies researched such as Park Lane properties, Find A Flat, Spare room.com or Let Leeds have little interaction with other housing issues outside of their 'bubble'. Alternatively, blogs look solely into what to do in situations of re-housing, rather than giving feasible options right there.

With this in mind, I intend to create a new interface, exploring the most successful parts of the others to negate stress. To do this I could either redesign an existing company, or start a fresh. Starting a fresh would allow the brief to go in the most appropriate direction, rather than adding too much focus to meet the stylistic needs of another company. 

Who will be using the interface? 

The future tenant, for themselves and possibly for housemates too.  Concerned parents or

Why would users visit your interface?

To efficiently and quickly find accommodation, whether for long term or short term periods. All the access 

Access a personal service, where they can tailor everything towards them 

Ease of use will be paramount so to speed up the time on the interface

What are the most important features of what you are offering?

Simple- straight to the point, quite impartial