Enhancing the off-campus housing search for post-secondary international students in the GTA

The purpose of this project was to resolve the challenges faced by international students in finding suitable and affordable housing during their academic years. These challenges often led to increased stress and anxiety, which negatively impacted students well-being and academic success. Through this project, we aimed to provide students with digital solutions for effective housing search and, by doing so, contribute to their well-being and academic success. The following were completed through the literature review as a secondary research, virtual interviews and a current-state usability testing with international students, landlords, and a housing platform manager as a primary research, co-creation workshop, usability testing on wireframe prototypes. As a result, we redesigned a Places4Students web platform and a mobile app that address the needs and challenges of international students seeking off-campus housing in the GTA. The web platform provides a redesigned interface that allows students to easily navigate through housing listings, filter search results based on their preferences, and access detailed property information. The mobile app provides a redesigned interface that provides new functionality for booking property viewing and digital lease signing to simplify the rental process. In conclusion, our project demonstrates the effectiveness of digital solutions in solving the students’ issues with off-campus housing searches, enhancing student well-being and academic success. Moving forward, the continued refinement of these digital products will ensure their impact on addressing the global need for accessible and affordable student housing.