Best Student Halls

1. Overview

Project Type: Website Redesign
Platform: Responsive Web (Desktop + Mobile)
Timeline: 4 Weeks
Role: UX/UI Designer

Tools : Adobe XD, Photoshop

Redesigning a student accommodation platform to improve discovery, trust, and decision-making.

2. Problem Statement

Students struggled to efficiently discover, compare, and trust accommodation options, leading to slower decision-making and friction in the booking journey.

• Overloaded interface with poor visual hierarchy

• Difficult property comparison experience

• Lack of clarity in pricing and amenities

• Weak search and filtering system

• Outdated UI that didn’t reflect credibility

• This resulted in users feeling overwhelmed instead of confident while choosing accommodation.

3. Research & Key Insights

• Users scan, not read
  → Important details must be instantly visible

• Comparison drives decisions
  → Users evaluate multiple listings before committing

• Trust is a deciding factor
  → Ratings, reviews, and clarity influence choices

4. Design Principles

• Prioritizing clarity over density

• Enabling faster comparison between listings

• Surfacing trust signals early

• Reducing cognitive load across the journey

Click on the images to enlarge

Competitive Analysis

User Persona

Empathy Mapping

Analysis

Branding & Typography

Old vs New website

Old Website

• Logo and header blend into the background; hard to read

• Three key points cluttered with bulky vector shapes

• Dull, outdated look that undermines trust

New Website

• Gradient theme and consistent styling — modern and credible

• Redesigned header with universal search bar

• WhatsApp icon added for instant chat

• Clear, readable content and layout

• Three key points highlighted with consistent icons

• Trustpilot/reviews section added

• Brighter image tone for a fresh look

Old Featured Listing

• Only shows an image

• Missing key info & actions

New Featured Listing

• New layout and orientation

• Wishlist option added

• Price shown per week

• Offer slot included

• Facility icons added

New Property page

• Newly designed page as per new theme

• Provided offer slot

Old Property page

• Looks incomplete

• Offer section missing

Old Property section

• Facilities are shown in paragraph

• Enquiry & Book both buttons are highlighted, creating confusion which one is primary and secondary

• Limited number of photos

• Top right section of the container is empty

New Property section

• Added room tour video

• Containers with options to show more photos

• Clear CTA hierarchy (Primary: Book, Secondary: Enquire)

• Structured layout with icon-based information

• Integrated offer section

• Optimized layout for better content visibility

City Search Page

• Introduced a Map View to enable quick, location-based exploration of nearby properties.

6. Key Improvements

Simplified Navigation

• Reduced clutter

• Better hierarchy

Strong Visual Hierarchy

• Important information highlighted first

• Clean spacing and typography

Improved Property Cards

• Key details visible at a glance

• Pricing, location, and ratings prioritized

Smart Filtering System

• Easy-to-use filters

• Faster decision-making

Trust Building Elements

• Ratings, reviews, and verified badges

• Professional and modern UI

5. Visual Design

• Minimal and modern aesthetic

• Clean typography

• Consistent spacing system

• The goal was to make the experience feel simple, premium, and reliable.

7. Impact

• Reduced time to find suitable accommodation

• Improved clarity in decision-making

• Increased user confidence through transparency

9. Reflection

This project focused on transforming a cluttered experience into a clean, intuitive, and user-centered platform. The redesign prioritizes clarity, trust, and usability, making it easier for students to find and book accommodation with confidence.

“These changes were aimed at reducing decision friction and improving booking confidence, especially for first-time student renters.”

• Project designed in 2021; core UX principles like hierarchy, clarity, and usability remain relevant even till date.

• Design decisions were made with limited data and without live user validation, with scope for future testing and refinement.

• Some solutions were not implemented due to project constraints at the time.

8. If I revisited this today

• Leverage AI to surface personalized and context-aware accommodation options

• Use data and testing to continuously optimize the booking experience