My Role
Product & Branding Desinger
Timeline
4 Weeks
Task
User Research & Testing, UI Design,
Design Strategy & Content.
Finding a roommate is more than just splitting rent, it’s about sharing space, values, and everyday life. Coliv makes it easy to find like-minded people and suitable living spaces without relying on random Facebook groups, unreliable listings, or word-of-mouth.
People visiting or moving to a new city often struggle to find compatible flatmates. Traditional methods like Facebook groups or word of mouth are unreliable, inefficient, and lack trust. Users need a better way to discover and connect with flatmates based on shared interests, lifestyle preferences, and housing needs.
As a student, I’ve seen many of my friends struggle to find flatmates who match their lifestyle. Some ended up sharing space with people much older or very different from them leading to discomfort and communication issues.
This is especially common among students and working professionals who move to unfamiliar cities for college or jobs. They often rely on PGs or Facebook groups where there's little trust, no compatibility filtering, and limited transparency.
These experiences shaped my understanding of the problem and motivated me to create a more thoughtful solution.
🔍 Research
To understand the real challenges people face when searching for compatible flatmates, I used a combination of user interviews, secondary research, and competitive analysis.
💡 Key Insights Gained from Research
To understand users better, I created an empathy map to capture what they say, think, do, and feel. This revealed emotional pain points like trust issues and discomfort. Based on these, I framed “How Might We” questions to guide solutions around trust, compatibility, and simplicity.
Since my primary audience is students and working professionals, I chose a layout inspired by apps like Swiggy, Blinkit, and Zepto like platforms this tech-savvy generation uses daily.
Top section: Location selector for quick relevance
Next: Search bar to narrow down listings instantly
Below: Scrollable cards for easy browsing
Familiarity = faster adoption + smoother experience
This screen solves key user pain points by making the roommate visible first, adding filters for compatibility, and keeping information clear and accessible, all aimed at helping users make faster and more confident decisions.
This flow shows how users can easily browse listings, view roommate details, send a message, and confirm their interest, ensuring a trustworthy and smooth experience.
Seamless navigation to messages, wishlist, and alerts helps users manage their interactions and saved flats effortlessly.
Easy login with smooth user flow, ensuring users can get started in seconds with secure access.
To make the app sustainable, I designed a simple yet realistic business model.
Why Business Model Matters
Without revenue, even the best products fail. A strong business model ensures the app can scale, serve more users, and stay alive.
Future Add-Ons
In-app ID verification
Promoted listings
Furniture or shifting partnerships
Helps users narrow down results based on budget, property type (PG, 1BHK, 2BHK), location, and roommate preferences, making it faster to find the right match.
Allows users to list their room or flat by adding rent, property type, roommate preferences, and photos. This gives them control and boosts visibility.
Building Coliv helped me design a product grounded in real-world needs. Instead of creating features just for aesthetics, I focused on what actually solves problems: compatibility, trust, and transparency in finding flatmates.
Key Learnings:
Designing for sustainability matters because no product works without a viable business model.
Always prioritize user context since a clean UI means little if it doesn’t reflect what users value.
Realism over perfection means not every feature needs to be flashy, just purposeful and scalable.
Small interactions (like filters, verifications, and profile tags) make a big difference in user trust.