Case Study

Name(s): Apurva Singh, Sarthak Gupta, Anuvrat Bhansali

Email id(s): apurva_sam@yahoo.co.in, sarthakg8@gmail.com, anuvrat.bhansali@yahoo.com

Submission Date: 19/May/2021

Part 1: User Research

Question 1: Identify the target audience for the roommate/flatmate finding service.
Target (Word limit: 100 words)
Audience

The target audience can be achieved using Guesstimates and/or Facebook/Instagram Ads
manager.
• Considering the target audience is living in Tier 1 & 2 cities (also known as
Response Employment Hubs) like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi - NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata &
Mumbai.
• Assuming the age of the target audience to be between 24 -32 and who are single
& working (Students currently scoped out)
• Target audience gender considered — Both male and female.

With the above assumptions and by using the Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager the
total population size is 7,600,000

Considering the 40% of total population are living with their families, now population size
will be - 7600000 - ((7600000*40)/100) = 4560000

So, our population size is 45,60,000

Question 2: Prepare an interview questionnaire (write down the questions here) suiting your objectives
Interview & hypothesis. (Word limit: 500 words)
Questionnaire

Objective 1

To understand the user’s need/demand for a shared flat.

Hypothesis

1. Most people prefer to get a shared flat near the workplace with a shorter
commute to work, social and physical infrastructure such as gym, bus
Response stands, swimming pools, saloon, etc. are easily accessible from there.

2. People who have slightly high incomes prefer to stay in fully- furnished

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spaces that have Wi-Fi, housekeeping services, and other modern amenities.

3. Low-income groups prefer flexible deposit, low entry costs, and affordable rentals.

Objective 2

To understand user’s motivation while sharing their living space with a stranger.

Hypothesis

1. Minimizing the expenditures or avoiding boredom are the primary motivation of the
people to stay in a shared living space.

2. Majority of the people prefer to have flatmates of the same age group and gender.

3. People like to share living space with a person having common interests.

4. Many people prefer to share the living space with their colleagues instead of strangers to
have a healthy relationship.

Objective 3

To identify the users’ pain points while searching for a new shared flat or flatmate.

Hypothesis

1. People find difficulty in visiting many houses and check them before finalizing one.
Instead they prefer pictorial information along with interlinked building addresses with
Google Maps as well as the detailed information of the person and amenities available in
the flat.

2. People find it difficult to trust landlords, flatmates, or online apps because of their
previous experience.

3. Most people like to avoid giving brokerage fees.

Interview Questions

1. AGE

2. GENDER

3. EDUCATION

4. PROFESSION

5. INCOME RANGE

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 6. CITY OF WORK

7. LEISURE TIME HOBBIES

8. WINDOWS/MAC OR ANDROID/IOS (GADGETS)

9. MOST USED APPS ON MOBILE?

10. WHAT TYPE OF ACCOMODATION YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?

11. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WHILE FINDING AN ACCOMODATION IN

THE CITY?

12. HOW DO YOU SEARCH FOR NEW HOUSES?

13. WHAT’S THE LEVEL OF HOME FURNISHING DO YOU PREFER? (FULL, SEMI, NO)

14. WHAT ARE YOUR MUST HAVE APPLICANCES AT HOME?

15. WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL PROXIMITY TO WORK?

16. DO YOU NEED A PARKING SPOT?

17. WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL RANGE OF MONTHLY RENT?

18. HOW MUCH SECURITY DEPOSIT ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY?

19. WOULD YOU BE OKAY TO PAY EXTRA FOR SERVICES LIKE FULL POWER BACKUP,
LIFT, SECURITY?

20. ARE YOU OKAY LIVING WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER GENDERS?

21. WHAT IS YOUR MUST-DOs FOR HOME HYGIENE?

22. WHAT KIND OF INFO DO YOU NEED BEFORE AGREEING TO BE A ROOMMATE

WITH SOMEONE?

23. WHO’S YOUR IDEAL ROOMMATE?

24. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH ROOMMATES WHO SMOKE/DRINK & HAVE
OTHER PEOPLE OVER SOMETIMES?

25. WOULD YOU FREQUENTLY HAVE FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES COMING OVER?

26. WOULD YOU BE OKAY TO CLEAN IF YOUR ROOMMATE COOKS OR VICE-VERSA?

27. WOULD YOU BE OKAY TO SHARE COSTS FOR MAIDS OR HOUSE HELPER WHO
CAN COOK AND CLEAN?

Question 3:

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Insights from Analyse the data you gathered from interviews. Draw insights out of the collected data. You
User Research can segregate your insights basis the objectives of conducting user research: users pain
points, motivations, personality, goals, demographics. (Word Limit: 600 Words)

Below is the link of questionnaire and recorded responses with analysis.

Link to excel sheet

Validation of Hypothesis

Hypothesis 1

Most people prefer to get a shared flat near the workplace with a shorter commute to
work, and social and physical infrastructure such as gym, bus stands, swimming pools,
beauty parlour, etc. are easily accessible from there. By looking at the responses to the
Response below questions

1. Do you consider location as an important element while looking for a flat?

2. What is the proximity range you look for?

We can conclude that most of the users consider the location as an important constraint
and most of them prefer to stay within the radius of not more than 10 kms from their
workplace.

Chart:

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Hypothesis 2

People who have slightly high incomes prefer to stay in fully- furnished spaces that have
Wi-Fi, housekeeping services, and other modern amenities. By looking at the response to
the questions

1. What types of flats do you prefer? Full/Semi - furnished?

2. What household utilities would you love to have in a flat?

We can conclude that most of the people need basic amenities such as WIFI, Gas, Water
Heater, Cupboards etc. and the people with above average income prefer fully furnished
flats and along with bed, sofa, kitchen items, AC, Washing machine, Oven, fridge,
dishwasher etc, as well.

Chart:

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Hypothesis 3

Low-income groups prefer flexible deposit, low entry costs, and affordable
rentals.

By looking the responses to the questions

1. What is your income range?

2. How much security deposit you are willing to pay and in how many instalments?

We can conclude that most of the users prefer not to spend more than 10K per month for
rent and are willing to pay a deposit for not more than 2 months.

Chart:

RANGE OF MONTHLY SECURITY DEPOSIT

RENT

42%
42%
58%
58%

<10k 10k+ Upto 1 month rent Upto 2 months rent

For most of them who are ready to pay 2 months’ rent as advance prefer flexibility in
paying.

Hypothesis 4

Minimizing the expenditures or avoiding boredom are the primary motivation

of the people to stay in a shared living space.

By looking at the responses to the question

1. What type of accommodation do you look for? PG/flat/hostel/flat sharing etc.?

We can conclude that Majority of them prefer sharing a flat to minimize rent,

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expenditures and socialize.

Hypothesis 5

Majority of the people prefer to have flatmates of the same age group and gender.

By looking at the responses to the questions

1. Are you willing to share living space with the opposite gender?

We can conclude that most of them prefer sharing the flat with people of the same gender.

Chart:

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Hypothesis 6

People like to share living space with a person having common interests.

By looking at the responses to the questions

1. Are you happy to accept a flatmate that smokes or drinks

2. What are your personal hygiene habits?
3. Do you have any Friends / Family visiting the place frequently?

We can conclude from the responses that most of them are similar choices and one of the
major concerns for them is Cleanliness. People are willing to adjust with shift timings, food
preferences and other habits.

Chart:

Drinking & Smoking 50%= Yes; 41.67%= No; 8.33%= Drinking is fine
choice
Hygiene & 83.33% = Cleaning on daily basis; 16.67% = Cleaning on
Cleanliness weekend
Friends/family 58.33%=Frequently; 33. 33%= Rarely; 8.33%= Once a month
visiting the place

Hypothesis 7

Many people prefer to share the living space with their colleagues instead of
strangers to have a healthy relationship.

By looking at the response to the question

1. Do you like living and sharing space with the people with whom you're working or are
okay to stay with strangers?

We can say that for most of them, it doesn’t matter whether they are strangers, colleagues,
or friends while coming to flat sharing.

Hypothesis 8

People find difficulty in visiting many houses and check them before finalizing one instead
they prefer pictorial information along with interlinked building addresses with Google
Maps as well as the detailed information of the person and amenities available in the flat.

Hypothesis 9

People find it difficult to trust landlords, flatmates, or online apps because of experience.

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Hypothesis 10

Most people like to avoid giving brokerage fees

By looking at the responses to the questions

1. What are the challenges you have faced while finding/staying in Room/Flat when you
move into a new city?
2. What are the sources or how do you look for accommodation? Like ads or apps or
portals.

We can say that

• Majority of them find it difficult to trust online apps and prefer asking friends to find
about flats when relocated

• Majority of them faces issues with landlords

• Most of them find it difficult to find a roommate with their desired preferences
such as common language, region.

• Most of them find “language” and “brokerage involvement” as one of the major
challenges.

• None of them pointed “find difficulty in visiting many houses and check them
before finalizing” as a major challenge.

Chart:

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 Part 2: Product Artifacts

Question 4: Create a persona for from the user research data. Use the template given below.

Response:
NAME: Vineeth R

AGE: 29 MOTIVATIONS PERSONALITY

LOCATION: Gurgaon • Staying close to the workplace

to avoid traffic.
OCCUPATION: • Does not prefer people’s
Product Manager interference in personal life.
• Find a roommate/flatmate to
MARITAL STATUS: share the expenses towards
Unmarried rent, house maintenance and
other basic amenities.
INCOME: 15 LPA • Friends
• Family
• Social media
• Technical blogs

GOALS TECHNOLOGY

• To find a flatmate who is • Uses a smartphone, laptop,

trustworthy and cooperative in-
house activities and expenses
• To decrease the cost of living
particularly which can be
shared like rent, maid,
maintenance etc.
• To stay nearby friends or make
new friends to enjoy on the
weekends
and a smartwatch.
• MacBook for his professional
work.
• Android smartphone for
personal communication,
social media access and
browsing.
• Smartwatch to take care of his
fitness regime.
• Mostly used apps: WhatsApp,
Microsoft Teams, Skype,
Outlook, Paytm and
Instagram

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 PAIN POINTS

• Finding a flat near to the

workplace
• The high rent and security
deposits makes it difficult to
rent an independent flat.
• Finding a fully furnished flat
with basic amenities and
affordable at the same time.
• Finding a flatmate who is
flexible in term of expenditure
• Flatmates don’t respect others’
privacy
• Flatmates don’t actively
participate in daily house
chores and are not willing to
share miscellaneous
expenditures.

BIO BRANDS

Vineeth is a Product Manager,

belongs to Kanpur (UP) but is
currently residing in Gurgaon (HR)
for his professional career.

He is an active social media user and

likes to make new friends, doesn’t
entertain someone interfering into
his personal space.

He is tech savvy and is very much

concerned about his fitness and
hygiene.

QUOTE: “”

Questions 5: Create a user journey map for the given user goals:

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 (a) Find a shared accommodation space that satisfies my logistical constraints

• Proximity to Workplace, Recreation, Utilities

• Amenities e.g. Gym, Swimming Pool, Parking

• Support ecosystem e.g. Cook/Maid, furniture, laundry etc.

• Cost

(b) Find roommates with whom I share preferences in terms of:

• Food habit

• Timings

• Visitors

Use the templates given below.

Response:

User Journey Map 1

User Goal (a) Find a shared accommodation space that satisfies my logistical
constraints

• Proximity to Workplace, Recreation, Utilities

• Amenities e.g. Gym, Swimming Pool, Parking

• Support ecosystem e.g. Cook/Maid, furniture, laundry etc

• Cost

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 • Finding a flat on a sharing basis with basic amenities
User Expectations • Finding a flat within the expected price range
• Proximity to the workplace needs to be less than 10km
• Safety and trustworthy flatmates are desirable
• Having amenities like Gym, Swimming pool, maid is an added
advantage while finding a flat
• Searching nearby flats in Google and filter based on needs
Process • Enquiring with Colleagues/friends/relatives for any reliable flat in
nearby areas
• Shortlist flat based on rating/review and feedback criteria
• Visit the selected flat and check whether it is meeting all
expectations as promised by the app
• Bad experience in the past with landlord regarding security
Experience deposit
• Flat not as expected as shown in the app or website
• Amenities are not available in the property but in the same range
we can get a flat with all the amenities
• Become expensive even if one of the flatmates vacates and the
rent has to be shared among others
• Colleagues/Relatives/Friends
Touchpoints • Social media groups
• Website and apps
• Brokers

• Budget constraints
Pain-points • No basic amenities available at the property Too far from
workplace
• Local language and heavy brokerage Finalizing on the rental
agreement T&C
• To design and build a platform for users to check for flats in any
Ideas tier 1 and 2 cities, and to fulfil their search based on the given
requirements

• The user can able to filter the huge variety of options in a

particular city with specific requirements and showcase a finite
search result

• Choose a flat and check out all the amenities provides, and the
exact location of the property is provided

• Verified details of owner and flatmates can be provided for better

reliability for the user

• Book an appointment with the owner, visit the property, and

make a decision.

• Provide facility to make payment via the app and auto deduction
feature for rent payment

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 • In case of any future help, providing 24/7 support

User Journey Map 2

(b) Find roommates with whom I share preferences in terms of:

User Goal
• Food habit

• Timings

• Visitors

• Flatmate should be flexible with his/her type of diet.

User Expectations • In and out timing restrictions should not be there by the flatmate.
• Frequent visits by friends/colleagues/family should not be a
problem to other flatmates.
• Flatmate/ Roommate should be adjustable by nature.
• Filter the flat search with his/her choice and choose wisely
Process • Referred by colleagues/ friends
• Open for visitors
• Diet shouldn’t be a constraint for others

• In the past, couldn’t adjust with flatmates due to dietary

Experience restrictions and irregular shift timing

• Too much owner interference disrupting personal space

• Too much frustration when the flatmates are not willing to share
the flat expenses and household chores
• Colleagues/Relatives/Friends
Touchpoints • Social media groups
• Website and apps
• Brokers
• Office groups
• Flatmates have issues with shift timings and are unable to adjust.
Pain-points • Restrictions like visitors not allowed
• Adjusting with a flatmate in terms of food habits if he/she is only
vegetarian.
• Problem with flatmate if he/she smokes/drinks regularly

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Ideas • The app should have verified details of tenants and owners in a
more transparent and genuine way.
• The app developed should support both 10S and Android
Platforms

Filters provide more accurate search results to the user regarding:

• Required property type

• Rent range
• Diet choice by flatmates
• Flexible timings
• Entry of visitors
• Available amenities
• In case of any future help, providing 24/7 support

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