Storage By Owner Web App Design & Development
Overview Storage By Owner, a startup, approached us with the idea of merging the sharing economy with storage solutions. Their platform connects people who have unused space (garages, attics, sheds, or retail stores) with individuals in need of storage. Aiming to provide win-win situations for both listers and renters, the founders, with their expertise in real estate, saw potential in this untapped market. We were tasked with designing and developing an easy-to-use platform to facilitate this exchange of space.
Discovery Our discovery phase began with interviews with key stakeholders, which helped us understand Storage By Owner's goals and competitive advantage. We followed up with a competitive analysis, looking at both direct and indirect competitors. Based on these insights, we created a mood board to define the visual direction for the brand, as the company was still in its early stages and lacked strong branding.
UX Strategy The focus was on simplifying the process for both listers and renters. For those listing spaces, we created a seamless and straightforward process. For renters, we prioritized easy navigation to find available spaces quickly. In the wireframing phase, we applied the "chunking" method to break down complex registration and listing processes into smaller, manageable steps. We also paid special attention to account management pages, ensuring users could easily manage their details, rental histories, and billing information.
Build During the design phase, we applied a friendly and trustworthy aesthetic to the wireframes, incorporating typography, colors, and imagery that reflected the platform's approachable nature. We built the web app on a custom .Net platform, ensuring scalability for future growth. A standout feature was the geolocation functionality, which auto-filled users’ zip codes based on their IP address, simplifying the property search. We also included multiple search filters to refine results and make the platform more user-friendly.
Test & Launch Testing the web app was an extensive process, involving tests from multiple locations to verify geolocation accuracy. We thoroughly checked the registration, listing, rental request, and payment processes to ensure all aspects were working flawlessly. Once we were confident in the functionality, we launched the site, offering the sharing economy community an easy way to rent and list storage spaces.
Closing Thoughts With a user-friendly design and smooth functionality, Storage By Owner now has a solid foundation to grow its platform. The intuitive web app empowers users to turn unused space into passive income, offering an exciting opportunity in the storage-sharing market.