Tenant App Improvements
Keyo rented apartments in NYC and the Bay Area (acquired by Zillow in 2019). We employed Scouts – gig-economy workers – who were locals in the community to facilitate on-demand apartment viewings, all while eliminating broker fees. Prospective tenants browsed listings and scheduled viewings on our website. Owners managed inventory and approved applications through our web-based dashboard.
Challenges
Keyo is a startup that rents apartments in NYC with an app tenants use to apply for apartments and pay rent.
The rental journey can be broken in to four steps: tour an apartment, submit an application, pay a deposit, and sign a lease. Unfortunately, the current Keyo app does not map to this journey. It allows tenants to apply and pay rent but as isolated features, they are incongruent when considering the renter persona. The current activity feed in the app quickly becomes a historical ledger littered with event activity, offering no direction or status visibility.
This project takes a different approach to the renter experience. The hypothesis is that with a user-centered design, the app should map directly to the rental journey by providing only the tools and information needed at each step. The objective is to create a minimum viable product, with a design system library to implement the simplest tools that are useful immediately.
Solutions
STEP 1
Schedule a Viewing
From the moment a prospective tenant opens the app, they are greeted with step-by-step instructions that update throughout their journey: schedule a viewing, complete their application, and submit their application after viewing an apartment. Below these instructions are cards prompting them to fill out their application and schedule viewings.
Once they begin filling out their application, the card changes to include a progress bar, and the order of the activity feed shifts. They can continue to browse apartments in the app and any scheduled viewings appear as reminders in the feed.
STEP 2
Submit an Application
Whether Upcoming viewings or Applications sits at the top of the screen depends on if the tenant has completed a viewing or not.
Upcoming viewings is placed on top until they apply to encourage them to find an apartment they like. Once they complete a viewing, they are automatically linked to that apartment to submit their application, which takes the spot at the top of the feed.
STEP 3
Provide a Good Faith Deposit
A Good Faith Deposit secures an apartment and takes it “off market”, ensuring applicants’ intent to follow through. The status of their Applications card changes from “submitted” to “under review”. A temporary update that their application and GFD was submitted appears on top, respectively.
STEP 4
Application Approval
Applying for apartments is competitive and personal so we need to celebrate how amazing it is to be approved for a new home! The Applications card updates with an enthusiastic illustration, leading the tenant to schedule a time to visit our office. Upcoming viewings has been removed and after they sign their lease, the only visible cards are a renter perk and the ability to make their first rent payment. That’s all – simple as it needs to be.
FULL SCHEMATIC
CARD STATES
DESIGN SYSTEM LIBRARY
Learnings
Finding a home is a stressful process. It affects every aspect of life yet it is a beautiful opportunity for new beginnings. Distilling this process with clear instructions and visibility throughout the journey helps remove frustrations we experience. To digitize these steps in an app, context is critical. Viewing apartments is important at the beginning of the journey but irrelevant when a tenant gets approved for a lease. Providing support by understanding the wants and needs of the user is where innovation comes into the design process. If we can reduce the clutter and distractions while improving insight and direction at every step, we’re one step closer to achieving our goal to create a rewarding renter experience.