a Better Way to Find Home
It all started with a problem I knew too well: apartment hunting. Endless tabs, scattered listings, unanswered messages, and the constant fear of scams made the process feel more like a job than a journey. I thought, what if this didn’t have to be so hard?
What if you had a tool that felt like having your own personal real estate agent, right in your pocket?
The Spark: Listening First
Before sketching a single screen, I sat down with the people at the heart of the problem renters. I spoke with new grads, city hoppers, and folks burned by flaky landlords and shady listings. Everyone echoed the same frustrations:
Listings disappeared too fast
Filters didn’t match real needs
Trust was shaky
Most were juggling five or more apps just to come up short
These stories became my blueprint. Dwellr would be more than just another rental app. It would be a calm, intuitive space designed to meet renters where they are.
Features
In-App Messaging
No more switching between apps or losing conversations in a sea of notifications. With Dwellr, all your chats live in one place. It’s clean, simple, and stress-free. Send docs, ask questions, and revisit past convos with ease. It’s like texting your landlord without the chaos.
INTERACTIVE MAP
Why scroll when you can explore? Dwellr’s map transforms apartment hunting into a digital neighborhood walk. Tap pins to see cafés, parks, prices, and photos. It feels like Google Maps and Zillow combined, but it’s cuter and way easier to use.
filtered searches
Forget filters that don’t get you. Dwellr’s filters think like a real person. Whether it's natural light, pet-friendly spaces, wheelchair accessibility, or in-unit laundry, you set the vibe and Dwellr delivers listings that truly fit your lifestyle.
Understanding the Problem
Research
To ensure Dwellr addressed real user needs, I began by analyzing popular platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Zillow, and WhatsApp. Each had its strengths: Facebook Marketplace allowed quick communication but overwhelmed users with options; Zillow offered detailed listings but suffered from complex navigation; WhatsApp facilitated reliable messaging but lacked a structured setup for real estate interactions.
Complementing this analysis, I conducted user interviews. Participants consistently highlighted the need for:
Relevant Listings: A desire for fewer, more pertinent options to avoid decision fatigue.
Integrated Communication: In-app messaging to facilitate immediate and convenient interactions with landlords or agents.
High-Quality Visuals: Detailed images to assess properties effectively before scheduling visits.
These insights underscored the necessity for a platform that offers curated listings, seamless communication, and rich visual content
I spoke with renters new grads, city hoppers, and folks tired of scams and ghost landlords. Their stories echoed the same pain points: listings disappeared fast, filters didn’t match real needs, and trust was shaky. Most were juggling six apps just to come up short. I turned those insights into the blueprint for Dwellr.
Next Steps: Based on these findings, we plan to simplify the user journey by refining our filtering options to help users find their ideal apartment faster, integrate real-time messaging for seamless communication, and enhance visual content quality to provide a richer view of each listing. These improvements aim to deliver a more intuitive and satisfying experience for Dwellr users, making apartment hunting easier and more enjoyable.
Wireframes
Sketches
Digital Wireframes
LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
Branding
Branding: Designed to Feel Like Home
Dwellr’s brand was designed to feel calm, personal, and visually grounded in everyday city life. Inspired by soft, cinematic moments, like golden-hour windows and handwritten apartment notes, the visual direction creates a sense of warmth and clarity.
A muted color palette, clean and approachable typography, and photo-focused layouts help users feel at ease while browsing. Language throughout the app is conversational and supportive, shaped to guide rather than direct.
The goal was to make the home search feel less transactional and more like a quiet, guided experience, thoughtful, visual, and rooted in real life.