Roommate App
The conflict was never really about dishes in the sink. Research revealed that roommate friction starts long before move-in, in the gap between what people expect and what they never thought to say. AI-assisted prototyping helped us close that gap faster, turning research findings into high-fidelity concepts that four domain experts helped pressure-test.
Client
HCI Design Foundations
Roommate Finding
My Role
UX Researcher
Mixed Methods
Duration
5 months
2025
Inputs
Ethnographic Study
Heuristic Evaluations
I conducted in-person observations and took field notes in online communities to round out the data from interviews and surveys; developing a rich understanding of behaviors across cultures.
journey mapping
I leveraged AI synthesis tools to map themes across users, uncovering a key insight that mismatched expectations influence roommate conflict.
Influence
product requirements
feature priorities
In conversation with industry experts, I chose to prioritize the matching features of the app over geographic features. Evaluations showed a critical need for users to have long-term understanding of their living choices.
OUTCOME
The "Side" Mobile app focuses on user self-discovery; turning traits into actionable scores to help filter potential matches with. The future design of the system would include augmented lease concepts to help users identify healthy matches for the long-term.
