Facebook Rental Marketplace Case Study

Timeline

July - October 2018

Role

UX Design, UX Research

Supervisor

Saloni Borar

Methods

Survey, Interview, Usability Testing

Tools

Google Form, Optimal Workshop, Proto.io

This study was conducted as a project for Springboard UX Bootcamp

Overview

Facebook Marketplace is an online platform integrated into the Facebook social network that allows users to buy, sell, and trade items with others in their local area. It has become a popular platform for not only buying and selling items but also finding and renting out properties. It offers a convenient way to connect with potential renters or landlords in your local area.

To gain a deeper understanding of user needs and preferences, I conducted a comprehensive research process. This included collecting survey responses, conducting in-depth interviews, and developing detailed personas and user stories. To further refine my understanding of feature prioritization, I conducted a card-sorting activity with participants. Based on these insights, I created mockups and prototypes that propose improvements to the existing Facebook rental marketplace design, aligning with the identified user needs and preferences.

The Problem

Many users seeking rental properties are likely experiencing significant life changes, such as relocating for a new job or starting a new chapter in their lives. These transitions can be emotionally taxing, and the added stress of finding a suitable place to live can exacerbate these feelings.

Facebook Marketplace's mobile app rental feature falls short in providing an efficient and comprehensive user experience. The current design lacks essential features for effective property searching, such as detailed filters and a user-friendly map view. This, combined with the potential for scams, creates a frustrating and risky experience for users seeking rental accommodations.

Discovery Research

Understanding the problem.

Survey

To gain a deeper understanding of the current rental market and identify the specific needs and preferences of Facebook Marketplace Rental users, I conducted comprehensive surveys designed to collect demographic data from both existing and potential users.

Interview

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the rental market, I conducted follow-up interviews with a select group of survey respondents. These in-depth interviews allowed me to delve deeper into their rental preferences, past experiences, and specific needs, providing valuable insights for our rental feature development.

Competitive Analysis

I conducted a thorough competitive analysis of Facebook Marketplace Rental against similar platforms like Craigslist, Padmapper, and Zillow. This analysis allowed me to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points, informing our strategy for differentiating Facebook Marketplace and enhancing its appeal to renters.

Findings from the discovery research

Surveys

Facebook Marketplace is primarily used by full-time employed individuals, with a significant majority (70%) having prior experience with the platform. While 66% of users actively browse local listings, rental listings are less popular, with only 33% exploring this category.

Despite its user base, Facebook Marketplace faces competition from specialized rental marketplaces like Airbnb, Craigslist, Trulia, Zillow, and Padmapper. The platform's average rating of 3.47 out of 6 stars, with most ratings concentrated at 3 stars, suggests that while it's a convenient option for many, it may fall short of user expectations in certain areas.

Interviews

Facebook Marketplace rental users are primarily young professionals without dependents, actively searching for rental properties at least annually to advance their careers or improve their living conditions. When considering rental options, price is their top priority, followed by factors like transportation accessibility, neighborhood amenities, nearby activities, and proximity to loved ones.

Users appreciate the overall design and functionality of Facebook Marketplace's rental feature, particularly its ability to filter searches by location radius. A sense of security is fostered by the option to view profiles of rental property posters. To enhance the user experience further, features like keyword search for more targeted searches and a map view for visual comparison of listing locations would be valuable additions.

Competitive Analysis

Who are our users?

Through in-depth survey and interview analysis, I identified key characteristics of Facebook Marketplace Rental users. This data enabled me to develop comprehensive user personas, providing valuable insights into user stories and pain points.

Ben, 21

Intern in NYC

From Ohio.

Ben got offered an internship in New York for the summer and is super excited about it. He wants to explore as much as he can while he's there. Ben likes being out and hanging out with friends. He plans on using public transport during his internship to save costs.

Jane, 29

Software Engineer in San Francisco

Lives in the Mission in SF.

Jane works from home a lot. She has a dog, Lucy. Jane likes having friends over for dinner parties and will sometimes have friends spend the night. She is looking for an upgrade from her current living situation which is small and cramped. Jane currently lives close to her workplace and hopes to still live within the same radius from her workplace.

Emily, 23

New job in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From St. Paul, Minnesota

Emily is moving to a neighboring state for a new job. She hopes to find a cool and chill roommate and has had experience with bad roommates. She owns a car and will be bringing her car along to her new place in Minnesota. She hopes to find a nice safe place to stay because her new job will require her to work evening shifts.

Card Sort

During the card-sorting activity, participants were given a set of 16 cards and were asked to group them into categories that they deemed appropriate. This unmoderated, open card sort was conducted online with 6 participants to gather insights into how users organize and prioritize rental listing features.

On average, participants created four categories each, which highlights the diversity in how users approach the task of categorizing rental listing features. The results of the similarity matrix analysis revealed interesting relationships between various features. For instance, "Pet-Friendly," "Furnished," "Room Type," "Price Slider," and "Map Radius" were commonly grouped together, suggesting that these features are closely related and may be important factors that users consider when searching for rental listings.

On the other hand, "Favorite a Listing," "Share Rental Listing," "Back to Search Results," "Report Rental Listing," and "Rental Listing Description" were also commonly grouped together, indicating that these features may be more focused on user actions and interaction with the rental listings.

Overall, the insights gained from the card-sorting activity can help inform the design of the Facebook Rental Marketplace and improve the user experience. By understanding how users categorize and prioritize rental listing features, designers can create more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that align with user expectations and needs.

Prototyping

Added a search function on the top of the page which will allow users to search for rental listings by keywords

Filters added on the top which will allow users to narrow down their preferences

A map view toggle is added to show the location of the rental listings so users can get a sense of the areas the listings are in.

Rental listing page without the map view toggle activated

Users can see the price for individual listings on the rental listings page.

Users have the ability to save, share, report, and message the rental poster from the individual rental listing.

Favorited/Saved listings can be accessed from the toggle at the top of the page. This makes it easier for users to see if they have viewed a listing and are taking it into consideration.

Usability Testing

Four users were selected to participate in the testing. These users were selected based on their diverse backgrounds in psychology, engineering, and finance, as well as their heavy usage of Facebook. Two of the users had previously used the rental marketplace feature, while the other two were new users.

The testing process went smoothly, with all users successfully completing the given tasks and navigating the redesigned interface. However, there were some limitations with the prototype that caused confusion for some users, leading to feedback about certain UI features and filters. Additionally, users suggested adding more information to the listing page, even though this is actually up to the seller to provide.

Despite these challenges, the users were cooperative and vocal in their opinions, which proved to be invaluable for the iteration process. Using their feedback, the focus will be on improving the map interaction UI, implementing an advanced filter system, and adding a "sort by" feature to enhance the user experience of the Facebook Rental Marketplace Mobile redesign.

Final thoughts

This project was incredibly fulfilling. By deeply understanding the needs of the users I interviewed (having recently searched for rentals myself), I was able to empathize and design a solution that truly resonated with them.

With additional time, I would have further iterated on the design based on user feedback, potentially exploring additional features or refinements to enhance the overall experience.

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