Bringing Location Rentals to Life Through Intuitive Design
Who Said Finding a Home Would Be Easy?
ROLE
Lead UI/UX Designer
DESIGN DURATION
6 Weeks
READ TIME
8 minutes
Project Overview
Lively Rentals started as a simple Squarespace site with basic information and limited functionality. As the platform grew, it needed a more dynamic and user-friendly experience — one that would allow people to easily explore rental locations and get a true feel for each space.
I led the redesign from start to finish, transforming the site into a modern, responsive platform built on WordPress. The goal was to improve the user journey, add essential features like search and filtering, and showcase each location in a way that felt both functional and inspiring.
Chapter 1:
We Have a Problem
The original Lively Rentals site had the basics in place, but it wasn’t built to support real user exploration. With limited functionality and a static layout, it was hard for visitors to browse available locations or get a feel for what made each space unique.
As interest in the platform started to grow, it became clear that the site needed to do more. It wasn’t just about making things look nicer — it was about helping users find the right space more easily and giving the brand room to grow.
Chapter 2:
The Research
With limited user data from the original site, I focused on competitive analysis to understand what worked well in the rental space. I looked closely at platforms like Zillow and StreetEasy to study how they structure information, guide users through search flows, and highlight properties in a visually engaging way. These insights helped identify both opportunities and gaps for Lively’s redesign.
Key Questions I Asked:
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What do users need in order to confidently browse and compare rental locations?
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Zillow and StreetEasy use strong filtering, maps, and photo galleries.
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How can we make each space feel unique and appealing without overwhelming the user?
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Explored how to use imagery and layout to strike a balance between inspiration and clarity.
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What do other rental platforms do well and what can we improve on for a more seamless experience?
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From overcomplicated interfaces to cluttered search results, I pinpointed what to avoid and what to simplify.
Chapter 3:
Smarter search and filtering
Users can easily search for properties based on location, price, number of beds and baths, and availability, making it quicker to find the right match
Listing-friendly property pages
Each property now has clear, accessible information, and users can save listings to their personal dashboard for future reference or to schedule a tour.
User-friendly tenant dashboard
Tenants can easily view their upcoming rent payments and request maintenance or service work directly through the platform.
Admin-friendly dashboard
Admins can quickly access tenant and property details to assist users with any inquiries or issues, streamlining support and management.
Chapter 4:
Collaboration & Challenges
I collaborated closely with the development team and my mentor to bring the Lively Rentals platform to life. One of the main challenges we faced was a project pause due to unforeseen issues, but we quickly regrouped and pushed through to meet our deadlines.
Additionally, coordinating multiple meetings with the development team helped ensure all features were functioning as planned. This collaborative effort and constant communication was key to getting the project back on track and smoothly launched.
The redesigned Lively Rentals platform successfully launched, offering users a seamless browsing experience with enhanced search features, an intuitive booking flow, and a user-friendly dashboard. Tenants and admins both appreciated the ease of finding and saving properties, managing rent payments, and requesting maintenance. The mobile-first design ensured accessibility across all devices, and user feedback has been positive, especially around the platform's improved functionality. The project not only addressed key user needs but also laid the foundation for future growth and new features as Lively Rentals continues to expand.
