WEBSITE DESIGN
Fully furnished apartment for mid-term stays (30+ days) in major cities around the world.
Urban Furnished
INTRODUCTION
Mid-Term Renters Are Overlooked
Many people need housing for one to three months — long enough to settle, but too short for a traditional lease. Yet most existing options don’t fit this in-between need. Hotels are expensive and feel temporary, while short-term rental platforms focus on vacation experiences rather than everyday living.
INTRODUCTION
Current Situation
People needing housing for one to three months, such as professionals on assignments, interns, families relocating, or patients receiving treatment.
Hotels offer convenience but not the warmth or affordability of a home.
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Short-term Rental Platform emphasizes lifestyle over reliability, leaving users uncertain about quality, pricing, and availability.
INTRODUCTION
Ecosystem
Renters need clear pricing, policies, and accurate details to make quick, confident choices—relying on trustworthy visuals and a streamlined process to find suitable housing within minutes.
Property Managers and Owners need a structured way to manage listings without worrying about formatting—keeping property details consistent while minimizing repetitive tasks.
Customer Support and Operations need a structured way to manage listings without worrying about formatting—keeping property details consistent while minimizing repetitive tasks.
PROCESS
User Research
Transparency & Trust
“People always ask for a clear price breakdown. They see one price on the search result but get surprised later with cleaning or utility fees.”
We conducted indirect user research through 5 interviews with the customer service team, who interact daily with clients.
Remote Decision Difficulty
“Many clients book before moving from another city or country. They can’t visit in person, so they want to know what’s nearby — like if there’s a grocery store or subway station.”
Decision Fatigue Under Time Pressure
“Some users tell us they had to check 10 or more listings just to understand what’s included. They get overwhelmed and sometimes just give up.”
PROCESS
Persona
Business Travelers
Professionals on short contracts need housing near work or transit, with Wi-Fi and quiet workspaces, and easy company-funded booking.
Relocating Family
Relocating families need ready-to-move-in housing with multiple rooms and a kitchen, close to schools and community services to ease moving stress.
Students on Internships
Students and interns need affordable, furnished housing near work for short stays without leases or deposits.
Patients and Caregivers
Patients and families need accessible, clean housing near hospitals to reduce stress during treatment or recovery.
Pain Point 1: Lack of Transparency and Trust
Mid-term rental listings often lack transparent information about prices, cancellation policies, or utility coverage, leaving users unsure of total costs and hesitant to book.
Solution 1: Transparent Pricing and Policy
Show complete pricing, duration requirements, and policies upfront in the first step of the booking journey. Users can decide confidently with no hidden fees or surprises.
Pain Point 2: Insufficient Context for Remote Decision Making
Users searching from another city struggle to assess livability because listings lack visuals, amenities, and details about local surroundings.
Solution 2: Context-Rich Visualization
Provide verified photos and integrated maps showing neighborhood features like transit, groceries, and cafes. Focus the design on everyday livability and comfort, not vacation appeal.
Pain Point 3: Time Pressure and Choice Overload
Users need to secure housing quickly. They often face hundreds of similar listings that look alike but differ in unclear ways. Under time pressure, this abundance of choices becomes overwhelming.
Solution 3: Streamlined Decision Interface
Urban Furnished introduces a step-by-step narrowing process — from location to price to amenities — that filters out unnecessary options and reach manageable choices without endless scrolling.
PROCESS
Brainstorming
Wireframe
USER'S VIEW OF THE WEBSITE
Result and Data
My design approach for the Urban Furnished website directly addresses both user and business goals. By aligning content strategy and visual elements, I aimed to simplify navigation, make critical information more accessible, and clearly convey the benefits of booking directly.
Enhanced Usability and Clarity
The redesigned structure and content organization ensure that essential information, such as apartment features, location, and amenities, is presented in a concise and easy-to-scan format. Users can immediately grasp key details, enhancing their decision-making process.
Consistent Branding and User-Friendly Content
The unified visual style and concise content improve the brand’s professionalism and readability, appealing to users from various demographics. By incorporating relevant SEO keywords and ensuring clear communication of booking limitations, the design further attracts the target audience while setting clear expectations.
Improved Direct Booking Rate
With support from the SEO team, direct bookings increased gradually from 30% at the beginning of summer to 50% by the season’s end—and continue to grow.
