Subly
Subly
Strengthening Subly’s credibility through a seamless onboarding flow
Strengthening Subly’s credibility through a seamless onboarding flow
Role
Founding UX Designer, Product Manager
Timeline & Duration
February 2025
Tools
Figma, Maze, Zoom
Skills
Product Thinking, Branding, UX Research
PROJECT Background
Scammed out of summer housing…
Last summer, my friend showed up at the front desk of an apartment complex in Chicago, excited to pick up the keys to her summer internship housing.
Only to find out once she arrived, the apartment never existed.
The listing was fake. She’d been scammed.
PROJECT SCOPE
2 in 3 students will need to find temporary off-campus housing at some point during college
Despite how common this experience is, the process to find housing has not improved or changed much in the past years, often relying on one of the following methods:
Word-of-mouth
Asking friends or friends of friends for any housing leads.
Posting on socials
Announcing on social media, hoping someone will reach out with a lease.
Joining a facebook group
ie. "girlies who need housing -NYC" or "USC housing search"
Doom scrolling on housing sites
Hours of your screen-time dedicated to Zillow and Craigslist.
The result? A process that feels overwhelming, time-consuming, and uninsured.
THE PROBLEM
How might we make the process of finding temporary student housing safer, more intuitive, and built around student needs
Sneak Peek
A quick product preview of the solution
TLDR: Onboarding flow that builds trust and makes it effortless to find your ideal student housing.
Designed to ease anxieties around subleasing while guiding users with clarity and confidence.
User Interviews
Which part of the process makes finding temporary housing so difficult?
To understand our users and the market, it was important to uncover the most prominent pain points that students have throughout this process. I conducted 4 user interviews, as well as sent out a Google Form survey, collecting 35 responses from current university students.
Key Insights from interviews:
No form of verification
Platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist offer no built-in system to verify listings or users, making it hard to know what’s legitimate.
Overstimulation
Listings are unorganized and inconsistent, making it difficult to filter by specific needs (ie. price, location…).
Communication delays
Reaching property managers or subleasers typically involves slow, back-and-forth messaging .
Time Consuming
From hunting down leads to confirming details, the entire process takes up a lot of time and mental energy.
There were two major moments of frustration during the user’s housing search journey
Using data from interviews and surveys, I created a user persona and mapped the journey to highlight key friction points. From there it was clear to note:
The most pressing issues stemmed from concerns around the validity & reliability of housing listings.
Research
Students need too feel confident & secure that listings are real & trustworthy
Through some white-paper research, I learned:
Students prefer peer-based platforms.
74% of students trust listings and recommendations more when they come from other students or university-affiliated sources.
Closed networks increase trust.
Creates trusted communities with lower risk of fraudulent activity.
The Solution
A student only subleasing application where students can post and find housing. For students by students.
subly: version 1.0
The solution seemed relatively straightforward
Subly was created as a student-only housing app where verified university students could post listings, apply for subleases, and complete the entire process within the app.
Implemented a closed network of college students through .edu signup requirements within the onboarding flow.
Student's can filter through all the listings based on their own housing priorities.
Students looking for subleasers can easily list their housing details in just a few steps
While the idea was well-received in theory, early feedback and testing revealed a key issue
"I feel like I need a quick intro or something. It kind of just drops me into listings."
Participant #1, USC Senior
"The idea is smart, but without any setup or verification, it still feels a little sketchy at first."
Participant #2, USC Sophomore
"I feel like I need a quick intro or something. It kind of just drops me into listings."
Participant #3, UCLA Senior
We had recreated the same overwhelming marketplace experience that students were actively trying to avoid.
Shifting the focus
What if trust started from the very beginning?
Rather than simply fixing scattered UI elements, I needed to rethink how the platform presents itself to the users.
THE [Revised] PROBLEM
How might we build trust & clarity into the housing experience from the very first interaction, so that students feel confident, informed, and safe using the platform?
Design decisions: SUBLY Version 2.0
I focused on setting the tone from the start with a more guided onboarding experience aiming primarily to earn trust and establish clarity.
Verification in small, focused steps
Smaller steps feel less overwhelming and more structured. Students understand what they're sharing, which makes the process feel safer and more legitimate.
Less tedious, more flexible
Instead of adding a billion more pages, I played around with expandable sections.
This allows users to feel less overwhelmed as well as gives them the ability to jump between sections , completing what they can and returning later.
Prepare them, don't scare them
Rather than jumping straight into the feed, I added an account setup section of the onboarding to better equip the students to find or post housing.
Setting the tone through clear brand identity
The neon green on a stark black-and-white background created accessibility issues and lacked the warmth or credibility users needed at first glance.
Chill Vibes
Housing should feel easy and simple, calm and approachable.
I drew inspiration from primary colors and built visual assets using basic shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles.
FINAL DESIGNS
Trust At First Sight
AKA Subly's new & improved onboarding flow.
Getting Started: Easy Sign-Ups with Verified Student Access
Breaks onboarding into bite-sized steps
University-only access through email verification
Branding that builds trust and credibility
Confirmation screen reinforces safety and credibility
Tailored Experience: Roles, Preferences & Filters
Role selection personalizes the flow
Early filters reduce irrelevant results later
Visually guided setup feels quick and low-pressure
Lays the groundwork for smarter browsing and recommendations
Streamlined Setup: Personalize Your Search or Listing
Combines multiple steps into one flexible screen
Works for both posters and seekers to set filters or preferences
Skip around if you are unsure
Final screens & close look at the components
Future Considerations
In Subly's future I would focus on …
User Reviews & Ratings
Allow users to rate subleasers or subleases to build trust and improve transparency within the community.
Verified Listings with Documentation
Add a second layer of security by requiring subleasers to upload official documents (ie. lease agreement or proof of residency) before their listing goes live.
Housing Matching Feature
Provide suggestions or "matches" for subleasers and subleases based on preferences.
Takeaways
Small UX tweaks can lead to big trust signals.
A friendly tone and gradual onboarding flow made users feel more secure and welcome.
Early personalization improves user engagement.
Letting users define roles and preferences upfront helps the platform feel more relevant and intuitive.
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting!
The final screens are coming, I promise!!
You made it so far, thank you! I'm in the process of updating the mockups to match my new portfolio format. If you can't wait feel free to email me [ jenniferminahyoon@gmail.com ] and I'll send you the prototype link.
It'll be up before you know it :)
FINAL DESIGNS
Trust At First Sight
AKA Subly's new & improved onboarding flow.
Getting Started: Easy Sign-Ups with Verified Student Access
Breaks onboarding into bite-sized steps
University-only access through email verification
Branding that builds trust and credibility
Confirmation screen reinforces safety and credibility
Tailored Experience: Roles, Preferences & Filters
Role selection personalizes the flow
Early filters reduce irrelevant results later
Visually guided setup feels quick and low-pressure
Lays the groundwork for smarter browsing and recommendations
Streamlined Setup: Personalize Your Search or Listing
Combines multiple steps into one flexible screen
Works for both posters and seekers to set filters or preferences
Skip around if you are unsure
Final screens & close look at the components
PROJECT Background
Scammed out of summer housing…
Last summer, my friend showed up at the front desk of an apartment complex in Chicago, excited to pick up the keys to her summer internship housing.
Only to find out once she arrived, the apartment never existed.
The listing was fake. She’d been scammed.
PROJECT SCOPE
2 in 3 students will need to find temporary off-campus housing at some point during college
Despite how common this experience is, the process to find housing has not improved or changed much in the past years, often relying on one of the following methods:
Word-of-mouth
Asking friends or friends of friends for any housing leads.
Posting on socials
Announcing on social media, hoping someone will reach out with a lease.
Joining a facebook group
ie. "girlies who need housing -NYC" or "USC housing search"
Doom scrolling on housing sites
Hours of your screen-time dedicated to Zillow and Craigslist.
The result? A process that feels overwhelming, time-consuming, and uninsured.
THE PROBLEM
How might we make the process of finding temporary student housing safer, more intuitive, and built around student needs
Sneak Peek
A quick product preview of the solution
TLDR: Onboarding flow that builds trust and makes it effortless to find your ideal student housing.
Designed to ease anxieties around subleasing while guiding users with clarity and confidence.
User Interviews
Which part of the process makes finding temporary housing so difficult?
To understand our users and the market, it was important to uncover the most prominent pain points that students have throughout this process. I conducted 4 user interviews, as well as sent out a Google Form survey, collecting 35 responses from current university students.
Key Insights from interviews:
No form of verification
Platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist offer no built-in system to verify listings or users, making it hard to know what’s legitimate.
Overstimulation
Listings are unorganized and inconsistent, making it difficult to filter by specific needs (ie. price, location…).
Communication delays
Reaching property managers or subleasers typically involves slow, back-and-forth messaging .
Time Consuming
From hunting down leads to confirming details, the entire process takes up a lot of time and mental energy.
There were two major moments of frustration during the user’s housing search journey
Using data from interviews and surveys, I created a user persona and mapped the journey to highlight key friction points. From there it was clear to note:
The most pressing issues stemmed from concerns around the validity & reliability of housing listings.
Research
Students need too feel confident & secure that listings are real & trustworthy
Through some white-paper research, I learned:
Students prefer peer-based platforms.
74% of students trust listings and recommendations more when they come from other students or university-affiliated sources.
Closed networks increase trust.
Creates trusted communities with lower risk of fraudulent activity.
The Solution
A student only subleasing application where students can post and find housing. For students by students.
subly: version 1.0
The solution seemed relatively straightforward
Subly was created as a student-only housing app where verified university students could post listings, apply for subleases, and complete the entire process within the app.
Implemented a closed network of college students through .edu signup requirements within the onboarding flow.
Student's can filter through all the listings based on their own housing priorities.
Students looking for subleasers can easily list their housing details in just a few steps
While the idea was well-received in theory, early feedback and testing revealed a key issue
"I feel like I need a quick intro or something. It kind of just drops me into listings."
Participant #1, USC Senior
"The idea is smart, but without any setup or verification, it still feels a little sketchy at first."
Participant #2, USC Sophomore
"I feel like I need a quick intro or something. It kind of just drops me into listings."
Participant #3, UCLA Senior
We had recreated the same overwhelming marketplace experience that students were actively trying to avoid.
Shifting the focus
What if trust started from the very beginning?
Rather than simply fixing scattered UI elements, I needed to rethink how the platform presents itself to the users.
THE [Revised] PROBLEM
How might we build trust & clarity into the housing experience from the very first interaction, so that students feel confident, informed, and safe using the platform?
Design decisions: SUBLY Version 2.0
I focused on setting the tone from the start with a more guided onboarding experience aiming primarily to earn trust and establish clarity.
Verification in small, focused steps
Smaller steps feel less overwhelming and more structured. Students understand what they're sharing, which makes the process feel safer and more legitimate.
Less tedious, more flexible
Instead of adding a billion more pages, I played around with expandable sections.
This allows users to feel less overwhelmed as well as gives them the ability to jump between sections , completing what they can and returning later.
Prepare them, don't scare them
Rather than jumping straight into the feed, I added an account setup section of the onboarding to better equip the students to find or post housing.
Setting the tone through clear brand identity
The neon green on a stark black-and-white background created accessibility issues and lacked the warmth or credibility users needed at first glance.
Chill Vibes
Housing should feel easy and simple, calm and approachable.
I drew inspiration from primary colors and built visual assets using basic shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles.