Low Fidelity Screens
Resident App
Research
We have conducted comprehensive surveys and interviews with property managers and residents to deeply understand the current landscape of amenity management and scheduling within residential communities. We conducted IN-Person interviews with 8 residents and 4 property managers: Our major finding from the surveys and interviews are:
85%
of the resident in a multifamily apartment complex utilize the amenities at least once a week.
70%
of residents felt the current booking system was inefficient.
60%
showed a slight preference emerged for a mobile app over a web portal.
3/4
Multifamily property managers find the ability of smart door locks to minimize key replacement costs “very appealing.”
1/3
Multifamily property managers report that their residents are demanding the ability to enable remote access to apartment units.
User Flows
Amenities
Clubhouse
Booking Trend Charts
Laundry
Reviews
Usage Chart
Gym
Swimming Pool
Maintenance
Report
Contact
Settings
Logout
Resident
Management
Dashboard
Sign In
Resident App
Sign In
Notifications
Clubhouse
Select slot availability
Choose Washers/Dryers based on availability
Select date & time
Laundry
Swimming Pool
Select date and time
Check Availability
Gym
Select Slot
Amenities
Profile
Add Guest
Enter Contact Details
Select payment method
Add payment method
Make payment
Confirm Booking
Confirm Booking
Confirm Booking
ABOUT
PRODUCT MANAGER
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
SINGLE
32
LOCATION
STATUS
AGE
JOB TITLE
Sarah
Sarah, a 32-year-old urban resident, prioritizes safety, ease, and technology in her modern apartment. She values real-time alerts, mobile app access, and temporary guest entry options, finding peace in a robust access system. However, she faces connectivity hiccups and desires standardized locks, suggesting secure phone keys and an offline app mode for improved living.
NEEDS
A user-friendly app that makes finding and reserving amenities simple..
Looks for clear information on how busy amenities are and the best times to use them.
Pain points
Frustrated by complex or glitchy booking processes in the amenity tracking system.
Annoyed when amenities are overbooked, poorly maintained, or unavailable without prior notice.
Concerned about how her booking data and usage patterns of amenities are stored and used.
TECH-SAVY
SECURITY CONSCIOUS
CONVENIENCE SEEKER
USER PERSONA
Expects amenities to be accessible as per the booking schedule without any hiccups.
"I love the convenience of quickly booking a workout session or a BBQ area right from my phone. What I need is a simple, reliable app that keeps me updated and respects my privacy."
Wants
Wants instant notifications on the status and availability of amenities.
Desires an effortless way to check the availability of and book apartment amenities.
Wants a mobile app access
ABOUT
Julian places a high value on the safety and security of the property and its residents. Seeks efficient solutions that streamline administration and access control processes. He pays close attention to every detail, especially in matters concerning security and access management and values technology but exercises caution, prioritizing security over rapid adoption.
Julian
AGE
38
JOB TITLE
Property Manager
STATUS
Married
LOCATION
Indianapolis, IN
RESPONSIBLE
HANDS ON
RELIABLE
EXPERIENCED
“I need a system that not only tracks amenity usage but also makes my job easier by automating routine tasks and providing insightful data. It's all about enhancing efficiency and security without overwhelming our team.”
Needs
A reliable and easy-to-use system for managing amenity reservations and access.
Technology to minimize costs associated with physical key replacements.
Solutions that enable remote access for residents to their apartment units.
Tools to track amenity usage and maintain a clear record of bookings and entries.
Goals
To optimize the usage of amenities and reduce downtime.
To enhance resident satisfaction by improving the booking system.
To introduce efficient operational processes that save time and reduce manual tasks.
To implement a technology solution that aligns with the preferences of a majority of the residents for mobile app interaction.
Pain Points
Manual amenity management and scheduling are time-consuming and error-prone, leading to inefficiencies.
Current amenity booking systems are seen as inefficient by a significant portion of residents.
Managing physical keys for apartments and amenities is costly due to replacements.
Challenges in accommodating the residents' demand for remote access to apartment units.
Balancing the need for a reliable record of entries with the residents’ satisfaction.
User Personas
Resident
Privacy and Security Concerns: Concerns about privacy and data security are prominent, suggesting that these should be key considerations in the system's development.
Flexibility in Booking is a Must: The need for flexible booking options, including easy cancellation and rescheduling, is important for residents, emphasizing the need for a user-centric design approach.
Property Manager
Demand for Streamlined Operations: There's a clear need for a system that simplifies and streamlines the monitoring and management of amenities, indicating that ease of use and efficient functionality are paramount.
Security and Accountability are Central: Maintaining accurate records of amenity usage for security purposes is a top priority, highlighting the importance of reliable tracking features.
Empathize
Test
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Why Is It Worth It
Amenity Valuation: Amenities contribute 5% to rent, up to 9% in high-rises.
Optimized Revenue: Amenities management solution crucial for revenue management for overall optimization.
Increased monthly rent: Well-managed amenities add value, justifying higher rents, increasing revenue.
Analysis and Improvement: Data on maintenance activities, costs over time, highlights improvement areas, optimizes processes.
Preventive Maintenance: Predictive maintenance (PdM) cuts planning time by 20-50%, boosts equipment uptime by 10-20%, lowers maintenance costs by 5-10%.
Affinity Mapping
Website for property managers
The property manager dashboard helps the property manager to view th amenity usage, booking trends, resident nd guests review and issues raised, contacting the maintenance and reporting regarding the issues, et.
Mobile app for residents
The app offers a straightforward amenity booking feature for residents, enabling them to reserve the amenities like Laundry, Swimming pool, Gym, Clubhouse, etc. and invite guests directly from their smartphones. It provides instant visibility of availability and includes alert notifications for full slots to improve usage and inform managers of demand trends.
Solutions
Problem Statement
As a property manager, When faced with manual amenity management and scheduling, I want to address inefficiencies and enhance resident satisfaction while maintaining a reliable record of entries, So I can optimize ameity usage and improve operational processes. But current methods result in amenity downtime and potential resident dissatisfaction”
Project Partner
Zentra's solution suite enhances property management by offering a unified system for complete property access, including mobile authentication and real-time cloud-supported perimeter management. Its capabilities extend beyond access control with API integrations for various property technologies and easy upgrades from mechanical to smart locks. Additionally, Zentra ensures customer satisfaction with a dedicated customer success team.
Team Members:
Keerti Hegde
Sandy Tawfik
Zaid Parker
Adarsh Devineni
Project Summary
The modern residential living experience has evolved, with tenants and property managers seeking more efficient, secure, and user-friendly ways to manage and utilize property amenities. AmeniSync was developed as a solution to this evolving need, focusing on enhancing the management and experience of property amenities through a smart, intuitive app and website. The primary goal of AmeniSync is to streamline the booking and management of property amenities for both residents and property managers. The project aims to create a user-centric platform that ensures easy booking of amenities, transparent management, and a cohesive community experience, while also providing property managers with detailed insights and control over facility usage and maintenance.
Project Details
Role :
UX Researcher, UX Designer
Duration :
August - October 2023 (8 Weeks)
Tools :
Figma, Miro
AmeniSync
An amenity booking app for residents and amenity usage tracker for property manager in a community
Test the product in few more properties
Gather feedback and understand the users needs
Iterate and improve based on the feedback
Cost Efficiency: By automating amenity management and maintenance scheduling, the platform can help reduce operational costs.
Revenue Generation: Multiple revenue streams such as subscription fees and booking fees create a sustainable financial model.
Strategic Partnerships: Partnerships with maintenance service providers or other third-party services could open up additional revenue channels and provide value-added services to users.
Scalable Digital Platform: The technical framework allows for scalability to accommodate growing user bases and additional features.
Integration Capability: The platform’s ability to integrate with other property management systems and smart building technologies facilitates smooth operations and enhances functionality. operations and enhances functionality.
Data-Driven Decision Making: The centralized dashboard provides valuable insights for property managers to make informed decisions regarding amenity management and maintenance.
Real-time Availability: Customers value real-time information on amenity availability which enhances their experience and satisfaction.
Efficient Booking Process: A streamlined booking process reduces friction, making it easier for residents to use amenities.
Predictive Maintenance: Proactive maintenance scheduling ensures amenities are in good working order, increasing trust and satisfaction.
Evaluation and Validation
We conducted usability testing involving four residents and two property managers.
Learnings From Usability Testing With Residents
Real-time availability check was highly valued by users, enhancing their booking experience and we tried to bring that in focus when the first land on the page.
The calendar being on the screen all the time made the user feel overwhelmed with choices and left them confused in our first prototype. We also notice that the calendar was priority feature as only few of them wanted to access it.
Users found the booking process cumbersome or confusing, which was indicating a need for simplification or clearer instructions.
In our laundry usage screen while doing the usability testing; user were more interested in the current active cycles and when certain machines would be free. So that they could plan their laundry accordingly
Learnings From Usability Testing With Property Manager
Property managers desired a streamlined way to receive, process, and act upon feedback from residents regarding amenity bookings through the dashboard.
Property managers wanted to see how many people users are using the amenity out of the total number of residents rather than the popularity of the amenity .
The ability to schedule maintenance and indicate when amenities are unavailable could be seen as a vital feature for efficient operations but the manager found it as a hinderance when given on the dashboard directly.
Property managers can monitor amenity usage by both residents and guests.
Property managers have the ability to modify and announce available amenity time slots.
Property managers can access and review feedback on amenities provided by residents and guests.
Residents have the flexibility to book community amenities based on their schedule and the amenities availability.
Residents can pre-pay for amenity usage where applicable.
Residents can monitor their remaining amenity usage time, such as checking the time left for laundry cycles.
Residents can grant amenity access to guests, simplifying usage tracking for property managers and supervisors.
Final Designs
Resident App
Resident App
Desirability
Operationality
Financials
Property Manager Website
Property Manager Website
Features
Features
Summary
Next Steps
Thanks for Scrolling!!
S.W.O.T Analysis
Property Manager Website
Storyboarding
John is a resident of a multi-family building unhappy because he is not able to use Pool as it will be crowded whenever he wants to use.
Unhappy John complains about unavailability of amenities to property manager.
Property Manager installed Smart lock which collect data who is using the pool for how long.
Sam who wants to use swimming pool gets notified about details of his plan of use.
John checks when the pool is free and comes for swimming
Property Manager, cleans the pool when no one is using. So that no tenant faces inconvenience caused
The Process
Insights
Property Manager
Demand for Streamlined Operations: There's a clear need for a system that simplifies and streamlines the monitoring and management of amenities, indicating that ease of use and efficient functionality are paramount.
Security and Accountability are Central: Maintaining accurate records of amenity usage for security purposes is a top priority, highlighting the importance of reliable tracking features.
Resident
Privacy and Security Concerns: Concerns about privacy and data security are prominent, suggesting that these should be key considerations in the system's development.
Flexibility in Booking is a Must: The need for flexible booking options, including easy cancellation and rescheduling, is important for residents, emphasizing the need for a user-centric design approach.
Research
We have conducted comprehensive surveys and interviews with property managers and residents to deeply understand the current landscape of amenity management and scheduling within residential communities. We conducted IN-Person interviews with 8 residents and 4 property managers: Our major finding from the surveys and interviews are:
85%
of the resident in a multifamily apartment complex utilize the amenities at least once a week.
70%
of residents felt the current booking system was inefficient.
60%
showed a slight preference emerged for a mobile app over a web portal.
The Process
Why Is It Worth It
Amenity Valuation: Amenities contribute 5% to rent, up to 9% in high-rises.
Optimized Revenue: Amenities management solution crucial for revenue management for overall optimization.
Increased monthly rent: Well-managed amenities add value, justifying higher rents, increasing revenue.
Analysis and Improvement: Data on maintenance activities, costs over time, highlights improvement areas, optimizes processes.
Preventive Maintenance: Predictive maintenance (PdM) cuts planning time by 20-50%, boosts equipment uptime by 10-20%, lowers maintenance costs by 5-10%.
Website for property managers
The property manager dashboard helps the property manager to view th amenity usage, booking trends, resident nd guests review and issues raised, contacting the maintenance and reporting regarding the issues, et.
Property Manager Website
STRENGTH
WEAKNESS
THREAT
OPPORTUNITIES
S
W
T
O
Digital Efficiency
Real-Time Availability
Predictive Maintenance
Centralized Dashboard
Growing Digital Adoption
Smart Building Integrations
Expanding Market
Partnerships
Competitive Market
Regulatory Compliance
Technological Changes
Economic Uncertainties
Market Awareness
Integration Challenges
User Adoption
Data Privacy Concerns
