HomeEase

Accessible Housing Made Simple

HomeEase is a housing marketplace that helps people with support needs find accessible homes confidently.

Tools

Figma, FigJam, Adobe Illustrator

Role

UX Researcher, UX Strategist

Project Type

Accessibility + Housing + UX

Background

This case study currently highlights my research and discovery work. Visual design, wireframes, and prototypes are in progress and will be added soon.

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Illustration by Paige Vickers

The Problem

Millions of Americans struggle to find homes that genuinely meet their accessibility requirements.

  • Fewer than 6% of U.S. homes are accessible.

  • Over 900,000 NYC residents identify as having a disability.

  • Many reported that “accessible” listings frequently don’t match reality, leading to embarrassment, wasted time, or unsafe conditions.

Most existing platforms treat accessibility as an afterthought: a single checkbox, vague wording, or no verification.

Project Goal

Design an experience that reduces the emotional and logistical burden of verifying accessibility by making housing searches more transparent, personalized, and empowering.

Research

To understand how individuals with accessibility needs and their caregivers navigate the housing search today, identify key barriers, and design a more inclusive, transparent, and empowering housing search experience.

User Interviews

  • 5 individuals with mobility, sensory, or cognitive disabilities

  • 3 caregivers supporting family members

  • 1 accessibility advocate working with local organizations

Competitive Analysis

Synthesis and Design

To benchmark how existing housing and travel platforms address accessibility.

  • Zillow

  • Apartments.com

  • Redfin

  • Airbnb

  • Affinity clustering of 120+ observations to reveal recurring emotional and logistical pain points

  • Stakeholder mapping to define relationships among users, caregivers, realtors, and advocates

  • Journey mapping to identify friction

Affinity Clustering Insights

Across interviews, three consistent pain points emerged:

Accessibility misunderstandings cause embarrassment or frustration during outings.

Mistrust of others to plan accessible outings.

Inaccessible public spaces despite ADA claims

User Types Matrix

From behavioral patterns, I identified four types:

Including people actively searching for homes, caregivers assisting loved ones, and advocates working to improve accessibility awareness. I chose to focus on the Adaptive Home Seeker - motivated, independent, and experienced, but fatigued by the constant need to verify accessibility.

User Persona

A retired artist who uses a wheelchair after cancer treatment.

Mary’s Journey Map

Mary’s emotional journey showed a clear progression:

Key Recommendations

My research pointed toward four major opportunities:

Verified Accessibility Information

Trustworthy checklists, photos, and measurements help remove uncertainty.

Personalized Filters

Accessibility varies: mobility, sensory, cognitive.
Users need filters that reflect their real requirements.

Community Feedback Loop

People trust lived experiences from others with similar needs.

Home modification suggestions

Users want help understanding modifications or usability before a visit.

Solution: HomeEase

HomeEase helps users:

HomeEase is a housing discovery platform built for people with support needs.

It combines:

  • Verified accessibility listings

  • Personalized accessibility filters

  • Modification guidance powered by AI

  • Connections to accessibility-trained realtors

  • Clearly see whether a home fits their needs

  • Compare verified accessibility information

  • Understand modification possibilities

  • Save and share options with caregivers or professionals

  • Make confident decisions based on truth, not assumptions

User Flow Chart

HomeEase simplifies the process through a clear, 5-step flow:

  1. Onboarding – Select mobility/sensory/cognitive needs

  2. Search & Filter – Apply personalized accessibility filters

  3. View Details – Review verified photos + accessibility checklists

  4. Save / Share / Report – Manage and collaborate

  5. Contact Realtor – Schedule a viewing with confidence

Next Steps

This project is currently in the research and definition phase. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be designing and testing the first version of the interface.

My next steps include:

  • Translating the research insights into mid-fidelity wireframes

  • Designing the filter system (mobility, sensory, cognitive)

  • Creating the listing detail screen with verified accessibility checklists

  • Building user flow prototypes

This case study will be updated with final UI designs and usability results as the project evolves.