Overview

What is Mystic Village Apartments?

Problem

Why design a website for Mystic Village Apartments?

Mystic Village Apartments does not currently have a website that will attract new tenants. 

In the future they would also like to add features such as making it easier for tenants to pay their rent. 

Project Goal

Create a website design that attracts new tenants. When they go to the website, they should be able to immediately see the information and find exactly what they’re looking for very easily. 

Initial Research

UX Requirements

What is needed to ensure the implementation of the redesign will enhance the user experience?

• Must Have

  • Prominent Call-to-Action (CTA) (e.g., "Schedule a Tour," "Apply Now")

  • Easy-to-use menu with Floor Plans, Amenities, Gallery, Contact sections

  • Filters for different unit types (Studio, 1-Bed, 2-Bed, etc.)

• Should Have

  • Answers to common questions about leasing, parking, pet policies, etc.

  • Embedded 3D virtual tours or video walkthroughs of units and amenities

• Nice to Have

  • Allows users to compare different floor plans side by side

  • Automated chatbot or live chat for instant inquiries

Iterative Design & User Testing

Sketches

Wanted to make sure to include a big picture in the middle of the homepage with a carousel. And have the navigation tabs as what the client wants.

Iteration 1

User Testing

To make sure our design meets the needs and expectations of its target audience, we conducted our 1st round of user testing with 6 users who fit the following profile:

• Age 25-60 years old

• In the process of finding an apartment/ airbnb

This test was completed with the intent to gather qualitative data regarding:

• Users’ navigational and functionality preferences when looking for leasing options.

• Identifying the prototype’s areas of success and/or areas of opportunity

Main Findings

• Overall people had a relatively positive reaction and response to the prototype and thought that it was easy to navigate.

• 80% of users mentioned that they really liked the minimalistic design as well.

• Main recommendation from users was to have more icons and visuals on the website so it looks more appealing.

Feedback from Stakeholders

Before confirming which final design changes to move forward with, I presented our designs to the Software Engineer and Property Leasing Managers.
We held weekly meetings over Zoom to go over some of the design changes I made and confirm what to do moving forward. These were very helpful because sometimes ideas discussed in meetings look different on prototype mode and they would want to move in a different direction.

One of the things I had to change from the first iteration was the ‘Schedule a Tour’ feature with the calendar. The software engineer discussed with me that this feature was out of scope for the project, and that we could try to implement something like that in the future but that currently it would not be in scope for the website launch date. Although I was a bit disappointed that the design feature was out of scope, I knew that it was best to focus on the prioritized features and pages.

Key Takeaways

• I realized that it was very important to have constant communication with the software engineer in the beginning, throughout, and towards the end of the project. I always knew this was important but during this project it proved to be essential in making sure the project would be finished in time. If I didn’t show the software engineer the ‘Schedule a Tour’ feature on my mockup, I probably would’ve made a full finished interactive prototype of that page just to show the engineer in the end and him let me know that it wasn’t in scope for the project. I’m very glad that I made sure to show him the mockups in the early stages before taking my time in making all the interactions and final touchups.