Case study 01 / 02
COHABIT
Product design · 2026A roommate mediation app that gives college students a structured, low-friction way to share responsibilities and resolve conflict.
Problem
60–70% of college students experience roommate conflict, most often over cleanliness. Our research traced the cause to a lack of shared systems rather than bad intentions. Expectations are rarely set up front, accountability is informal, and students avoid raising issues for fear of damaging the relationship.
My role
As product design manager on a five-person team, I defined the feature set and designed onboarding, the core chore flows, and the AI integration. In research, I co-led the competitive analysis of Cozi, Flatastic, Nipto, and Flatify and 12 student interviews using the Mom Test and GRAMS, then led the pain point analysis that set our design direction.
Solution
COHABIT is organized around three tabs (Chores, Inventory, and Group) and a five-step onboarding in which roommates agree to a shared contract before move-in. Habi, an AI assistant, runs across the app to handle reminders, task reassignment, and escalation.
- Role
- Product Design Manager
- Team
- 5 designers
- Duration
- 10 weeks
- Methods
- 2 surveys, 12 interviews, 3 observations, cultural probe, 5 whys, personas, heuristic evaluation, SUS and NPS testing
- Tools
- Figma, Figma Slides
Timed before-and-after photo proof
Our survey and affinity mapping of interviews showed the strongest needs were a clear system (29.1%) and accountability features (28.6%). Each chore is completed with a timed before-and-after photo, creating a shared record that removes ambiguity about who did what.
Clear ownership, fewer disputes
Habi mediation with RA escalation
Habi sends reminders, reassigns tasks, and escalates in tiers, so no roommate has to confront another directly. When peer mediation isn't enough, a one-time code gives the RA time-limited access to the full history, with no recap required.
Conflicts resolved without confrontation
Redesigned capture flow and design system
A heuristic evaluation with Prof. BC Hwang surfaced ten issues, led by visual inconsistency, missing feedback after photo capture, and unclear retake controls. We rebuilt the design system and micro-interactions, and the app's rating rose from 4.4 to 4.6.
Higher satisfaction, rating 4.4 → 4.6
How might we…cultivate motivation and communication in an accessible way to encourage accountability and consistently prevent problems that occur in shared living spaces?
Outcome
In the second round of usability testing, likelihood to use the app frequently rose from 76% to 84%, and likelihood to recommend rose from 82% to 87%. I was the only first-year UX student selected to submit the project to The Rookies.
Next steps
Testers pointed to two opportunities: deeper gamification and a stronger role for Habi as the product's emotional anchor.
