iQ is the app for people who live in student housing. I rebuilt the first visit, and active users grew 22%. I built nothing new.
The first steps show FastPass for move-in, parcel alerts, offers, and how to ask for a repair. Home keeps laundry, deliveries, and bookings together. So the second visit starts somewhere useful.
Try the real experience- Product
- iQ, an app for people in student housing
- My role
- Product designer. I rebuilt the first visit and the first steps.
- Focus
- People who start using it
Result
- +22%
- more active users with the new first steps
The problem was the first visit, not downloads
Downloads were never the problem. What mattered came next. A student had to finish setup and use the app for something real.
Move-in, parcels, laundry, and a broken tap were all in different places. A new student had no reason to come back after the first visit.
What grew active users
- 01
One home, not four places
Move-in, parcels, repairs, and laundry were spread over different tools. One home screen removed the first hurdle. A student no longer has to know where things are before the app helps.
- 02
A win in the first week
FastPass and parcel alerts help almost right away. That early win earns the next visit. A student who keeps coming back is an active user.
- 03
Teach it before it is needed
The first steps show repairs before anything breaks. When the tap does leak, the student knows where to go. They do not have to email the office.
What this project teaches
- 01
Count active users, not downloads
Kristen Berman's rule for design is to name the one action first. A download is a promise. A student who finishes setup and uses the app is the result. In a paid product, paying users come from this same group.
- 02
The first visit decides the second
Lenny's archive calls the first tour and the empty screen the cheapest fix. They get people to use what is already there. Nothing new was built here. The same parts were shown in the right order.
- 03
Show the win before asking for work
Each getting-started step had to tell the student what they get from it now. Steps that could not moved later or were cut.