CoSpace

Overview

I designed CoSpace to make finding a home in Lagos less stressful and less costly. Renters often rely on agents, fragmented listings, and repeated inspections, paying fees without any guarantee of securing a home. CoSpace enables direct connections between renters, homeowners, and potential roommates, reducing friction and helping people make clearer housing decisions.

I spoke with renters in Lagos to understand their experiences finding a place to live. These conversations revealed recurring frustrations: inspection fee fatigue from repeated fees that rarely led to securing an apartment, trust and safety concerns from past experiences with scams and fake listings, and poor filtering systems that made it difficult to narrow down options. With a clear understanding of user needs and pain points, I translated those insights into user flows.

I created two personas based on research. Kunle, a 34-year-old business development manager who needs a reliable replacement flatmate quickly without dealing with agents. And Amaka, a 28-year-old junior content strategist who is a budget-conscious first-time renter nervous about navigating the Lagos rental market without getting taken advantage of. Both share a common need: find a place faster, with less stress and no agent fees.

I used wireframes to map a clear, low-friction renting journey, focusing on discovery, understanding listings, and initiating contact. This stage helped validate flows early and ensured the experience directly addressed user pain points before moving into high-fidelity design.

I allowed users to access the home screen without signing up to support exploration before commitment. I introduced identity verification requiring all listers to upload a valid government-issued ID before their listing goes live. I designed a robust filtering system with key filters immediately visible to support quick decision-making. I added a simple way for users to report suspicious listings, making safety a shared responsibility. And I standardised listing details to surface essential information upfront, improving transparency and reducing uncertainty.

Working on CoSpace highlighted that trust must be reinforced across the entire experience. Verification steps, consistent listing information, and the ability to report suspicious content were designed to reduce anxiety and increase perceived platform credibility. Moving forward, I plan to design trust cues more intentionally at key decision points rather than relying on isolated features.