80% reduction in roommate conflicts: A shared-living app designed to simplify communication and cut down on daily friction.
Home
Ease
- Role:
- Research, UI/UX Design, Interaction Design
- Team:
- 4 UI/UX designers
- Tools:
- Figma, FigJam
- Duration:
- 4 Months
Project Overview
Problem
Living with roommates often starts out exciting but over time, small things like unclear responsibilities, forgotten payments, or mismatched habits can build frustration. Miscommunication quickly turns simple coordination into conflict, making what should be a comfortable home feel tense and disorganized.
Goal
After experiencing the ups and downs of shared living ourselves, our goal was to understand why small misunderstandings turn into bigger issues and to find ways to make co-living feel more balanced, open, and stress-free.
Outcomes
- 80%
of users liked the recurring tasks feature for long–term coordination.
- 90%
found the expense tracking system more convenient for cost-splitting.
- 85%
appreciated the announcements feature for improved communication.
- 80%
found the mood update feature helpful for reducing conflicts.
User Research
Qualitative Research Insights
We interviewed 9 students living with roommates to learn about their everyday challenges, from communication struggles to managing shared chores and expenses.
- 89%
of students didn’t prioritize roommate compatibility when choosing housing.
- 56%
reported that mismatched roommates negatively impacted their mental health and study time.
- 100%
expressed they did not want to switch roommates, or couldn’t switch because they had signed a lease.
Pain Points
Based on the interviews, we categorized the roommate issues into five core themes for clarity:
Lack of Ground Rules
No shared expectations or house guidelines
Uneven Responsibilities
Unbalanced chores and task distribution
Personality Clashes
Conflicting habits, routines, and values
Unshared Interests
Minimal common ground or social connection
Communication Gaps
Little to no discussion about problems/needs
User Personas
As a graduate student living with roommates, I want to share chores and expenses fairly so that I can focus on my studies without unnecessary conflicts or distractions.
As a social and organized roommate, I want everyone to communicate and participate in household decisions so that our home feels cooperative, balanced, and positive.
Ideating Features
Based on insights from our personas and their everyday challenges, we proposed six key features designed to simplify shared living, improve communication, and create a more balanced household experience.
Mood Sharing
Simple feature that lets roommates express how they feel each day, helping others understand their mood, avoid tension, and build empathy without needing long conversations.
Announcements
A way to share important updates like guests, repairs, or house plans in one place, helping everyone stay informed and on the same page.
Tasks
A shared system that makes it easy to divide responsibilities, set due dates, and track recurring chores, ensuring everyone contributes fairly and stays organized.
Expenses
An expense tracker that simplifies logging purchases, splitting costs, and viewing balances, making money matters clear and avoiding awkward conversations.
Groceries
A collaborative grocery list allows roommates to add and track items in one place, making shopping more efficient and avoiding duplicate purchases or forgotten essentials.
Notifications
Timely alerts that keep everyone updated on house activities, whether it's a new task assigned, an announcement posted, or a shared expense added, making coordination effortless and reducing miscommunication.
Information Architecture
To bring clarity to every interaction, we mapped out the information architecture to define how roommates navigate, access, and connect with each feature seamlessly.
Sketching Solutions
We began sketching early concepts to explore different ways roommates could interact with key features.
Low -Fidelity Designs
We translated our sketches into low-fidelity wireframes to visualize the core layout and user flow, allowing us to test structure and functionality before refining the visuals.
Design System
We created a lightweight design system with reusable components, consistent typography, and colour pallet to keep the app cohesive and speed up iterations.
Typography and Color
Reusable Components
Design Solutions
Quick Mood Updates: Let roommates know how you’re feeling without needing a conversation.
Roommates often don’t know when someone is stressed, unwell, or not in the mood to socialize. Mood updates make emotions visible, preventing conflicts like unexpected parties or tension at home.
Pain Points Targeted: Personality Clashes, Communication Gaps
Smart Task Management: Keep chores fair with clear schedules and automated reminders.
Chores pile up when nobody remembers who’s responsible. Task management assigns names, schedules, and reminders—keeping responsibilities clear and fair for everyone.
Pain Points Targeted: Uneven Responsibilities, Lack of Ground Rules
Instant Announcements: Share updates in one place and know who’s seen them.
Important updates get lost in chats. Announcements create a central hub with read receipts so everyone knows what’s happening and nothing slips through the cracks.
Pain Points Targeted: Communication Gaps, Lack of Ground Rules
Collaborative Grocery Management: Shop together in real time and avoid duplicate purchases.
Roommates often buy the same items twice or forget essentials. Shared lists update in real time and show who added what, making shopping efficient and transparent.
Pain Points Targeted: Uneven Responsibilities, Unshared Interests
Timely Notifications: Get alerts for tasks, expenses, and updates so nothing is missed.
Even if tasks or groceries are tracked, people forget to check the app. Smart notifications keep everyone on top of updates, reducing slips and delays.
Pain Points Targeted: Communication Gaps
Transparent Expense Tracker: Log, split, and track costs to prevent money disputes.
Money often causes friction. Expense tracker logs payments, splits fairly, and shows balances clearly—building accountability and reducing financial tension.
Pain Points Targeted: Uneven Responsibilities, Personality Clashes
Usability Testing
To validate HomeEase’s core features and ensure our design flows were intuitive, we conducted four usability tests , one by each team member. Our goal was to observe how new users interact with the app, identify pain points, and evaluate whether the intended use of each feature was understood.
Preparing the Usability Test
Before creating the script, we identified the main features that needed testing. We then developed scenarios and task lists around these features, ensuring tasks reflected realistic roommate situations. To maintain consistency across sessions, we created a script with a greeting, study brief, instructions, and consent for recording. Method
Method
Usability tests were conducted in person and over Zoom, with participants thinking out loud as they completed tasks. Each task was rated on a 1–5 scale, and feedback was documented in a shared Excel sheet for analysis.
Participants
Scenarios
Tasks
Pilot Testing
Through this process, we identified and fixed 7 design inconsistencies, including prototyping bugs, inconsistent title bars, missing pop-ups, non-functional buttons, and disabled mood updates. Addressing these early ensured that the actual usability testing could focus on user experience rather than technical glitches.
Outcomes
- 80%
of users liked the recurring tasks feature for long–term coordination.
- 90%
found the expense tracking system more convenient for cost-splitting.
- 85%
appreciated the announcements feature for improved communication.
- 80%
found the mood update feature helpful for reducing conflicts.
Future Goals
Gamification & Motivation
Introduce reward systems or progress tracking to make chores and shared responsibilities more engaging and enjoyable.
Visual Customization
Allow small personalization options like color themes, avatars, or icons, to make each household feel unique.
Shared Calendar View
Create a visual calendar that combines chores, bills, and announcements making it easy to see what’s happening in the house at a glance.
Learnings
Empathy in Design
Understanding the emotional side of shared living was key to designing features that foster respect and cooperation, not just efficiency.
Clarity Over Complexity
Simple, transparent systems build trust among users and reduce friction — especially in shared environments.
Iterative Thinking
Testing early and often helped us make better design decisions and align the product closely with real user needs.
