Flatmate Searching on Badi
Relational dissatisfaction among flatmates negatively affects their quality of life. I aimed to prevent flatmate dissatisfaction by matching searchers with their ideal flatmates on the Badi app, but my research advised against it.
π Duration - 3 weeks (11 - 30 Apr 2022)
π¨βπ» Role - Sole researcher in a self initiated project.
Context
Living with an incompatible flatmate is an ever present source of discomfort at the place where one needs to feel the most comfortable. Having been in that position and hearing about similar experiences from peers, exploring the possibility of a design solution for the problem was an easy choice.
Secondary Research
Effects of a bad roommate relationship are well documented, linking it to lower academic / professional performance, and poor health and social attitudes.
But a 2012 paper, "A Dialectical Approach to Rethinking Roommate Relationships" proved that higher levels of relational satisfaction ensue when a person's actual roommate relationship closely resembles their ideal roommate relationship.
Convinced by the paper, I hypothesized that helping flatmate searchers move in with their ideal flatmates will prevent relational dissatisfaction once they start flat-sharing.
Finding the Right Medium
I found Facebook / whatsapp groups and classified ad websites to be the most common destination for flatmate searchers.
However, these platforms also did not cater specifically to such users, and relevant info about the flat & lister was not always accessible without messaging or calling, making flat comparison impossible solely through the platform.
Up next, I started thoroughly testing dedicated flatmate searching apps. In Badi, I found an app that housed my target users and an infrastructure that I could build on top of.
Listings on Badi presented all flat related info as well as the flat lister's own profile. Searchers could compare their options and choose to contact the ones they deem most suitable.
I had found the final piece for my complete hypothesis.
Hypothesis
Testing the Hypothesis
To test my hypothesis I needed to ask 2 questions.
With that, I started creating research plans that would help me find the answers to both these questions.
Primary Research (Q1)
Q1. Does living with the ideal flatmate also cause relational dissatisfaction? If yes, what are the causes?
Research Plan
1. Invite participants who are currently living w/ (or recently lived w/) flatmates.
2. Determine whether their ideal flatmate relationship resembles their actual flatmate relationship.
3. Determine their level of relational satisfaction.
4. Find out the reasons for their relational dissatisfaction with their flatmate in a one-on-one interview.
I surveyed 19 participants about their ideal vs. actual flatmate relationships, out of which 11 participants joined me for a one-on-one interview.
View my research procedure, sample, questions and observations below π
Primary Research (Q2)
Q2. Are flat searchers on the current Badi app able to differentiate listers who would make for the ideal flatmate from ones who wouldn't?
Research Plan
1. Invite participants who are currently looking to move in with a flatmate.
2. Observe them using the Badi app to search for flats.
3. Out of the flats they shortlist, ask them to identify flat listers that would make for their ideal flatmate.
I conducted the usability study and stopped at 6 participants after hearing consistently repeating responses.
Insights
1. Hypothesis Disproved
Interview responses from Q1 research revealed that participants living with their ideal flatmate also experienced relational dissatisfaction.
In fact, their reasons for dissatisfaction were no different than those of participants living with non-ideal flatmates.
The problems boiled down to sharing of expenses, breach of their personal space, and the use and maintenance of their flat.
2. How Searchers Used Badi
While inspecting how actual flatmate searchers use the Badi app, I found that the info they utilized to identify a good flatmate and the info they needed to do so (as learned from Q1 research) did not match.
Images + description of the flat listing, and a description about the lister + their interests on their profile page, were the only clues that searchers could use to judge a potential flatmate - which was insufficient, and insights from Q1 research proved that.
View Q1 and Q2 research results below π
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the problems that needed solving for the prevention of flatmate dissatisfaction, were more suited to be solved during flatmates' shared stay rather than before the flat sharing begins.
For times when flatmates are having difficulty sharing expenses, a lack of boundaries, or disagreeing over chores, any potential solution will have to understand their predicament and intervene at the point of its occurrence.
As depicted in the research results document, it was clear that the solution for flatmates' conflicts could not be implemented on Badi.
Equipped with new insights and knowing which problems to solve and where to solve them, I plan to continue working within this problem space with my target outcome intact.
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