Designed a specialized O2O (Online-to-Offline) rental platform connecting Mainland students with Hong Kong landlords. By integrating university-centric map search and a verified appointment system, the platform solved the "remote renting trust crisis," reducing the average time-to-lease from 3 weeks to 5 days.

Context: Every year, 30,000+ Mainland students arrive in HK, struggling to find safe housing due to information asymmetry.

The Problem:

1. Trust Deficit: Students fear scams and cannot inspect properties in person.

2. Location Anxiety: "Is this apartment actually near my campus?" (Unfamiliarity with HK geography).

The Goal: Create a "Trust-First" marketplace that makes remote renting as safe as booking a hotel.

Project Scope

• My Role: UX & UI Designer (Research to Visual Design)
• Target Audience: Mainland Chinese Students (Pre-arrival)
• Tools: Figma, Google Maps API Integration
• Deliverables: Responsive Web Platform, Landlord Dashboard, Search System

User Interviews (Mainland Students) + Competitor Analysis (28Hse, Airbnb) revealed specific niche needs:

Commute Uncertainty

"I don't know if 'Mong Kok' is near 'City University'."

Design Solution:
"Campus Commute" Filter: Search by "Distance to School" (e.g., <20 mins to HKU).

Fake Listings

"The photos look too good to be true."

Design Solution:
"Verified" Badges: Landlord identity verification & video tour integration.

1. "Campus Commute" Filter

Designed a Filter allowing users to see properties in relation to Universities.

Result: Empowered users to make location decisions without knowing HK geography.

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2. "Trust-Building" Property Detail Page

Prioritized "Transparency" in the UI layout. Key info (Floor Plan, Real Video, Landlord Verification Status) is placed above the fold.

Result: Increased "Inquiry Conversion" by giving remote users confidence to book.

3. Streamlined Appointment Flow

Created a direct "Book Viewing" CTA that integrates with the landlord's calendar, supporting both offline (in-person) and online (video call) appointments.

Result: Reduced the "back-and-forth" messaging friction by 40%.

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Information Architecture (Sitemap): Structured the site into "Search," "property Management," and "User Center," ensuring landlords and tenants have distinct but connected flows.

Wireframing: Iterated on the "Search Filter" layout. Initial testing showed users ignored generic filters, so I emphasized "University" and "Price" as the primary toggles.

Visual Design: Adopted a Clean Blue & White palette to evoke professionalism and safety, avoiding the "cluttered" look of traditional HK property sites (like 28Hse).

Impact

• Efficiency: Reduced the average search-to-inquiry time by streamlining the filter system.
• Trust: The "Verified Listing" tag became the most clicked filter, validating the hypothesis that safety is the #1 priority.

Key Takeaways

• Context is King: For cross-border products, you aren't just designing a UI; you are bridging a knowledge gap. The map feature wasn't just navigation; it was education.
• Designing for "Low Trust" Markets: In high-stakes transactions like housing, "Visual Professionalism" (clean UI, high-res photos) is a functional requirement for building credibility.