ResMan
Easy Lease
Making it easy to find an apartment and apply from your mobile phone
Background
ResMan had an existing white-label residential management software designed for property management companies to post available apartments, process applicants, and support tenants after they move in. They partnered with our team to update the user experience of finding and renting an apartment.
Challenges
We faced three main challenges from the outset:
- Optimizing an interface (with 100+ input options) for mobile devices
- Making the lease application form easier to digest and complete on all devices
- Updating the design system to give individual management companies control over the branded elements of their page
Narrowing searches for accurate results
One priority was allowing prospective renters to narrow their apartment search for more useful results. Using a floor plan selector, the ability to create a custom quote, and other tools, users can narrow in on properties that make sense logistically and financially before applying.
Keep it conversational
Filling out forms and inputting information is notoriously time-consuming and unpleasant. One way to mitigate this is an interactive, conversational tool that gathers information with minimal effort from the user.
Doing this for Easy Lease helped solve the challenge of too many form fields on small mobile screens. It also created a less intimidating user flow for providing information, an unavoidable aspect of applying for a property.
Indicating progress to the user
Step-by-step guidance and feedback are essential for something as complex as applying for a property, especially on mobile. "Progress bars" are an effective way to give the user insight into how far along they are, and they’re a proven psychological tool for avoiding “bounces” and keeping users within the desired flow.
Once users submit a form, they receive an email with a link to set up an account to continue tracking their application's progress.
Modernized and simplified brand customization
After handing off the app, Easy Lease falls into the hands of individual management companies listing their properties. A key goal was to provide them with the tools they needed to easily swap out fonts, primary and complementary colors, and other elements to maintain a branded presence.
8.5/10
Tested users averaged 8.5 out of 10 on the usability tests. This was a strong indication that application completion rates would improve.
