RENT OUI
RentOui is a platform that provides an online forum for users to advertise, lend, and rent luxury handbags. As the first product design hire, I revamped the MVP to improve usability based on a variety of factors including accessibility and user feedback. I worked directly with the founder and sole engineer of RentOui throughout this project.
My Role
UX/UI Design | Visual Design
OVERVIEW
After being laid off, I wanted to find a project to work on while job hunting. I recalled a friend of mine was building out RentOui, a peer-to-peer luxury purse rental service. The company seemed exciting to me, with many interesting problems to solve, so I gave my friend a call and began working on upgrading her MVP.
OPPORTUNITY
By streamlining the user experience across RentOui and addressing key user journeys, we have the opportunity to not only drive users to rent more purses, but also encourage users to lend their bags to earn a commission. Ensuring a seamless and intuitive nature of functionalities such as messaging, search, and product listing was proven to be critical in accomplishing the aforementioned tasks.Given the nature of the dual sided market place, there is also an opportunity to provide a social media element to the user’s experience.
CONTRAINTS
COST
Cost played a large constraint in this project as it was completely unfunded. I joined the founder of RentOui in this endeavor before she began fundraising and ultimately built out her product to appeal to both investors and users alike.
TIME
We wanted to get the new designs in front of investors and users as soon as possible and were constrained under the time limit of 3 months. While we leveraged some existing elements, most of the experience was overhauled in this time frame including the UX and visual design.
TEAM
Our team was comprised of 1 engineer, 1 founder, and 1 designer (me).
RESEARCH INPUTS
Most of our initial research was done by myself and close friends. The research component of this project was most definitely limited due to lack of time, money, and bandwidth, but I look forward to expanding these efforts in the future.
RESEARCH METHOD 1: THINKING ALOUD
To begin the redesign process, I performed several iterations of thinking aloud exercises where I had individuals complete specific tasks on the existing interface while continuously verbalizing their thoughts while using the system. This allowed me to understand key pain points in journeys such as listing a handbag for rental and renting a handbag.
TASK: LISTING A BAG
TASK: RENTING A BAG
RESEARCH METHOD 2: OPEN CARD SORTING
At first glance, the management experience of one’s user profile seemed a bit fragmented and confusing. To see if users felt the same way, I performed card sorting exercises to better understand the users’ mental models of categories that were existing on the site (in relation to profile management).
TASK: MANAGING THE USER PROFILE
I used an open card sort to better understand the users’ mental models of the renter/lender profile and how they would naturally grouped certain items together. It was interesting to see that the user separated lending actions from renting actions as these were grouped together on the existing site. It seems like users group together the information that was once grouped under PROFILE SETTINGS and ACCOUNT SETTINGS into a single category, MY PROFILE.
THE PROBLEMS
User research proved that the existing experience on Rent Oui was both fragmented and lacked intuitive interfaces.
USER PROFILE
There was no clear way to view and edit one’s profile. Upon clicking/hovering over your profile icon, you were led to the following options: ‘YOUR CLOSET’, ‘ACCOUNT SETTINGS’, and ‘PROFILE SETTINGS’. It was only after visiting ‘PROFILE SETTINGS’ and clicking the small ‘VIEW PROFILE’ link, that you were led to view your own profile. Additionally, the user profile was lacking a ‘social media’ element that the founder was hoping to provide her users.
PRODUCT SEARCH
The product search was limited by available filtering and sorting options. Users were only able to filter by designer, condition, date, price, and color. Competitive research revealed these filters were lacking and weren’t helping our customers find their desired bags. Sorting was limited to the options of newest, oldest, highest price, and lowest price. These options were also missing key metrics such as ‘most rented’ and ‘highest rated.’
RENTING A BAG
The process of renting a bag required a laborious effort from both the renter and the founder of RentOui herself. After confirming to pay the rental fee, it was unclear how exactly the user would receive their bag (whether it would be shipped or was required to be picked up). The lack of information regarding bag receipt prevented users from following through with their purchase/booking. Additionally, rental pricing and requirements (such as minimum rental periods and deposits) were unclear throughout the booking process, leaving users frustrated and confused.
LENDING A BAG
Listing a bag for rental consisted of several forms with unclear messaging and requirements. Helper text needed to be more precise to guide the lender in filling our critical details about their handbags. Forms within each section of the listing journey contained duplicative information - leading to user error and, ultimately, renter confusion.
MAPPING THE SITE
Given the magnitude of this design undertaking, I decided it would be helpful to begin my overhaul using a sitemap. This would allow me to better understand the user journeys in the context of the entire site. This sitemap served as a foundation and source of truth for future design decisions. It aided in my understanding and development of the site hierarchy and taxonomy, allowing me to create more streamlined experiences for our users. Developing the sitemap as I’ve done below, was critical in identifying patterns through which I could use to build reusable page templates
RESEARCH METHOD 3: closed card sorting
Once I had gained a better idea of the updated site structure (using findings from my research), I performed a closed card sort that would either confirm or contradict the new model I had designed for the user profile. I specified the categories: MY PROFILE, EDIT PROFILE, SETTINGS, MY HANDBAGS, and MY RENTALS. Each of these categories existed on the site prior, but were either siloed or nested under one another. For cards, I used the same entries as I did for the open sort exercise. Results are shown below.
improving THE USER PROFILE
Redesigning the user profile experience was critical in transforming the end to end experience for the Rent Oui users. The updated design streamlined the once fragmented experience of viewing and editing the user’s profile. Now, users are able to view their closet, track their statistics, edit their profile, and adjust their account settings all from the same page - resulting in less clicks and a more intuitive experience. Card sorting exercises revealed a more natural hierarchy for this page, encouraging its use as a hub for profile and social network management.
IMPROVING LENDING A BAG
I addressed the lack of information available in the previous design, leading lenders to be confused why listing their bags. Fields are more explicit regarding their purpose, most importantly - the pricing fields. Users now have the ability to add discounted rates and the site automatically calculates values the user may be unsure of (such as a deposit rate). Delivery options are made more explicit, answering any questions the user may have regarding shipping cost and rental pickup. The availability section is made much more clear, allowing users to see a high level picture of when their bags are available or unavailable. Availability exceptions are grouped in a separate section, allowing the user to more easily track and edit them. Because Rent Oui suggests a certain photo type for the first product image, we’ve separated this upload area from the rest - minimizing the user’s need to delete and reupload pictures. Confirmation of a successful listing results in the lender being directed to the final listing page that renters will see.
IMPROVING RENTING A BAG
Searching for a bag has become much more clear with explicit labels indicating search terms, and more accessible buttons to select filters and toggle between map/list views. The listing page is more explicit and compact, allowing users to find information on the handbag more easily. Users are guided through the rental process, building trust between the renter and the platform. A summary of prices is always available for the user to refer to and pricing options are explicitly stated, preventing the user to be shocked by a final total. Users hand select their exchange method: delivery, pickup, or courier - with an understanding of the implications for each of these options. Before submitting payment, the user has a chance to review their information to ensure a successful rental.
A CLOSER LOOK: THE LISTING PAGE
I wanted to highlight the improvements made to the handbag listing page itself. This is where users will ultimately decide whether or not they will rent a handbag based on a number of factors including: price, condition, availability and reviews. The updated design not only consolidated the previous design but also includes more information allowing the user to make a better informed decision when renting a bag. Pricing details for varying rental periods are detailed clearly so that renters do not experience any shock regarding pricing throughout the rental process.
INSTANT MESSAGING
As an improvement to both the lender and renter experience, I took a second look at the existing messaging platform to make improvements based on customer feedback and user research. There was no clear way to track the bags a user was either renting or lending and the purpose of conversation with either a lender or renter wasn’t immediately clear. Upon confirming a rental request, the user will now be directed to the messaging interface where they will see an automated message from RentOui outlining next steps. At this time, the lender would simultaneously receive a notification in their inbox with a corresponding automated message. Automated assistance from RentOui gives both the lender and renter confidence when corresponding with other users. Iconography in the inbox makes it easier for both renters and lenders to see the status of their handbag.
