RENTSPLITTER
RentSplitter aims to make split payments seamless, and stress free. The website allows you to put in designated payment amounts, set reminders, and add roommate groups.
TIMELINE
July-August 2024
(2 months)
ROLE
UX Designer
UX researcher
TOOLS
Figma
TEAM
Maura Sweeney
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Simplifying Shared expenses
Rent Splitter is a seamless rent management platform designed to help roommates track payments, communicate effortlessly, and ensure financial accountability. By centralizing shared expenses, it eliminates financial miscommunication and simplifies rent tracking—making co-living stress-free and transparent.
Skip to Final Design
The Problem
One payer... so much stress
Sharing apartments or houses often puts the responsibility of paying the total rent on one individual, who then has to collect repayments from the others. This can create a significant burden for the main payer, from chasing payments to managing due dates and amounts. Not only does this add stress in terms of keeping track of finances, but it can also lead to confusion or strain relationships when payments are late or unclear.
While this project envisions a comprehensive rent management platform, this case study focuses on designing the core features that have the highest impact: Dashboard, Payments, Roommates, and Messages. These four areas are essential for simplifying rent tracking and roommate collaboration.
UNDERSTANDING OUR TARGET AUDIENCE
The Transition to Financial Independence: Rent & Responsibility
Since our app focuses on rent splitting, our main demographic is college students, Gen Z, and young adults. For many, managing rent and utilities is a new challenge, as they transition from financial dependence to independence. Tracking payments, meeting deadlines, and handling roommate dynamics can be stressful, making financial organization and accountability a major pain point. They seek simple, automated solutions to avoid the awkwardness of reminders and the hassle of tracking shared expenses.
Understanding User Challenges: GETTING QUANTITATIVE DATA
User Survey
To understand how young adults manage rent and shared expenses, I began with a broad survey targeting 60 college students and young professionals. This allowed me to collect quantitative data on general pain points, helping me identify trends and common challenges across a larger group. Based on these findings, I conducted follow-up interviews to dive deeper into specific behaviors, frustrations, and unmet needs.
SURVEY QUESTIONS
How do you and your roommates handle your rent?
Have you ever had an disagreement when it came to rent or utility with your roommates ?
How do your roommate group keep track of who has paid rent?
How do you feel about your current process of splitting and paying for rent?
What features or tools would make splitting rent easier for you?
How does your roommate group handle utilities?
What form of communication do you and your roommates use to discuss rent?
Understanding User Challenges: GETTING QUAlitative DATA
User Interviews
While the survey provided useful data, it lacked the depth to understand why these pain points existed. To explore the underlying challenges and emotional aspects of rent-splitting, I conducted one-on-one interviews with select participants from the survey group. This helped me uncover deeper frustrations, behaviors, and expectations that guided my design decisions.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Can you walk me through how you currently handle rent and utility payments with your roommates?
Have you ever had a disagreement over shared expenses? What happened, and how did you resolve it?
What’s the biggest frustration you’ve faced when managing shared rent or bills?
Have you ever forgotten a rent payment? If so, what was the outcome?
Do you trust your roommates to pay their share on time? Why or why not?
What’s the most awkward or uncomfortable conversation you’ve had about rent or bills?
How do you remind or nudge your roommates about upcoming payments?
Do you use any apps to help with rent splitting? Why or why not?
What do you like or dislike about the way you currently track shared expenses?
Would an in-app messaging system help you communicate with roommates about expenses? Why or why not?
Affinity diagram
Synthesizing our Research
To understand the financial habits and challenges of young adults living with roommates, I conducted surveys and interviews. After collecting responses, I used an affinity diagram to identify key patterns and pain points. Instead of focusing on individual responses, I grouped findings into major themes that highlight users' biggest struggles and needs when managing shared rent and expenses.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Our Findings
Rent Management is a Challenge for Primary Payers
60% of primary payers struggle to get roommates to pay on time.
Many users find it uncomfortable to remind roommates about payments.
A feature that automates reminders could reduce social friction in rent discussions.
Group Chats Dominate Rent Discussions
93% of users who split rent rely on instant messaging group chats to coordinate and discuss rent payments
It can be easy to miss payment messages in group chats.
Lack of Transparency Leads To Forgotten Payments
Many participants don't always know when their roommates have paid unless they follow up.
Without a clear payment history, roommates struggle to track who has paid, leading to miscommunication and disputes.
A shared, transparent payment log could prevent confusion and ensure accountability.
Trust issues existed among roommates → They needed a transparent way to see payments.
Notifications Could Improve Rent Payment Timeliness
Many respondents mentioned that timely alerts would help them avoid late payments.
Suggests that adding push notifications or automated reminders could improve compliance.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Understanding the Market Landscape
To better understand the strategies and features that resonate with users, we conducted a competitive analysis of four platforms: Splitwise, Venmo, Cashapp, and Tricount.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS FINDINGS
Gaps and Opportunities in RentSplitter
01.
Integrated Communication: None of the platforms include a built-in chat system to discuss rent-related issues—adding this would improve clarity and roommate coordination.
02.
Automated Reminders & Due Dates: Existing apps rely on users to manually check their balances; a dashboard with upcoming due dates would improve usability.
03.
Multi-User Shared Expense Management: Most solutions (except Splitwise) are focused on one-time payments rather than recurring costs like rent, utilities, and shared household expenses.
OUR DESIGN GOAL
How might we design a seamless rent-splitting solution that simplifies and streamlines communication and payment management for roommates?
KEY GOALS
Building a Strong, User-Friendly Solution
To create an effective rent-splitting tool, we focused on the following key objectives:
User Friendly experience
Seamless communication
Payment Transparency & Accountability
Centralized features
Flexible Payment Splitting
Automated notifications and reminders
USER FLOW
Mapping the User Journey
This user flow outlines the core pathways users take to navigate RentSplitter. The goal was to ensure a seamless, intuitive experience
IDEATION AND LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Refining Concepts
After identifying key user pain points, I explored different solutions to improve rent tracking, automate reminders, and simplify roommate communication. Through quick sketches and iterations, I refined the features that would have the most impact.
ITERATIONS
We had 5 individuals who split rent test our website
To evaluate the usability of Rent Splitter, I conducted testing with five individuals who actively split rent. The goal was to assess how intuitive the platform was for tracking payments, managing roommates, and communicating about expenses.
REFLECTION
Bridging UX and Business Strategy
Throughout this project, I focused not only on designing a seamless user experience but also on understanding how RentSplitter could provide real business value. This process deepened my appreciation for the intersection of UX and product strategy—how design decisions impact user adoption, retention, and long-term viability.
Iterating with User-First Mindset
One of the biggest challenges was balancing usability with feature complexity. Users wanted a clean, intuitive interface, but also detailed control over expenses. Through multiple iterations and user testing, I refined the dashboard layout to optimize clarity without sacrificing functionality. This experience reinforced the importance of lean, user-centered design principles.
Beyond the Screen
Currently, a business analysis class at Gonzaga University is evaluating the financial and strategic potential of RentSplitter. Their insights are providing a new lens on how UX decisions translate into market success—challenging me to think not just as a designer, but as a product strategist.
Payment Tab
The line chart made it hard to compare monthly payments since it’s continuous instead of discrete. Also, showing "amount owed" and "owed to you" together was confusing.
Switched line chart → bar chart for better month-to-month readability.
Moved “amount owed” into the bills section for a more condensed layout.
Roommate Page
Extra information next to roommates wasn’t necessary and made the page feel cluttered. Also, the "View Bill" and "Message" buttons were too close together.
Removed unnecessary roommate details for a cleaner layout.
Adjusted button spacing to prevent accidental clicks.
FINAL DESIGN
Introducing RentSplitter!
My Dashboard
The dashboard provides a clear snapshot of financial activity, ensuring transparency in shared expenses. Users can instantly see what percentage of their bills have been paid, track past transactions, and view upcoming payments—all in one place. By integrating visual indicators, automated reminders, and transaction history, this design directly addresses user concerns about lack of visibility, forgotten payments, and financial miscommunication with roommates.
My Payments
The Payments page provides a clear and structured overview of expenses, making it easy for users to track what they owe, who they need to pay, and when payments are due. The design prioritizes transparency and organization—showing total expenses, upcoming bills, and outstanding payments in one place. Users can also set up reminders, manage payment methods, and quickly send payment requests to roommates—eliminating financial miscommunication and forgotten dues.
Message Center
Handling rent payments often involves multiple discussions, which can get lost in general group chats. The Messages page provides a dedicated space for rent-related conversations, ensuring that important updates, payment requests, and shared expenses stay organized. With file sharing, transaction discussions, and integrated roommate communication, users no longer have to juggle between multiple apps to manage rent.
Roommates Page
The Roommates page provides a centralized space to manage shared expenses and roommate info. Users can view contact details, access bills, and send direct messages all in one place—eliminating the need for multiple apps. The group code feature makes adding new roommates seamless, ensuring smooth transitions. With built-in bill tracking and communication shortcuts, this page keeps roommate interactions organized and hassle-free.