PorchLight
Finding a home, not just housing
Problem
Finding a new place should feel exciting — but most people end up overwhelmed. Traditional housing apps focus on listings, prices, and filters, leaving out what really matters: the feeling of belonging.
Users often move into the wrong neighborhoods or struggle to find compatible roommates because they're forced to make decisions based on scattered information instead of guided support around lifestyle fit.
Key Insights
- People don't just look for housing — they look for a home and want tools that help them imagine daily life in a new place
- Traditional apps emphasize square footage and rent, not the tradeoffs and lifestyle fit that shape where someone actually wants to live
- Movers need guided support to discover neighborhoods and roommates that match their personality, not endless listings alone
"How might we help movers discover neighborhoods and roommates that match their personality?"
User Research
I interviewed four people who had moved to Denver within the last five to ten years to understand how they found their homes — and what they might do differently next time. These findings highlighted a deeper need: tools that help people understand neighborhoods on a personal level and guide them through decisions step by step.
1. Overwhelmed by research
Users found it difficult to gather reliable information about neighborhoods, commute times, and safety in one place.
2. Uncertainty about compatibility
Many struggled to feel confident that roommates would have similar habits, interests, or lifestyles.
3. Decision fatigue
Endless scrolling through listings made it hard to compare options or feel sure they were making the right choice.
4. Desire for connection
Users wanted a way to get a feel for the community and lifestyle before committing to a lease.
User Persona
Define
Building on those insights, I mapped the journey from searching to settling in, tracing where excitement turned into stress or uncertainty.
Designing the Solution
PorchLight is a home-finding app designed to make moving feel more personal and less overwhelming. Instead of only listing addresses and stats, it helps people build a clearer picture of what daily life in a neighborhood might feel like.
PorchLight was built through an iterative, human-centered process — moving from understanding real pain points to shaping a product that feels both practical and personal. My focus was on creating a calm, intuitive experience that reflected PorchLight's welcoming tone and on designing flows that would break a big decision into smaller, guided steps.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Early wireframes explored how users could take a quick personality quiz to find compatible neighborhoods and/or roommates.
User Flows
I mapped the main user paths, including sign-up and listing application flows, to visualize how users would move through key interactions.
Solution
The final PorchLight prototype brings personality into the home-finding process. Users can take a short lifestyle quiz, explore neighborhood matches, and connect with potential roommates who share similar values. In usability testing, participants found the experience intuitive, friendly, and personal.
Final Screens
Key Takeaways
Building PorchLight taught me how deeply emotion shapes practical decisions. Designing for moving wasn't just about usability — it was about empathy, trust, and tone, and about helping people feel guided rather than left on their own to sort through endless choices.
If I continued this project, I'd focus on expanding the quiz logic and adding localized data to make neighborhood recommendations more dynamic and educational.
"Even the most functional tools should feel human — and the way information is structured can make a big decision feel either stressful or surprisingly manageable."