Ownorent: Designing Clarity for a Complex Financial Choice

Project Overview

My Role: Product Designer (in a team with one developer)

Duration: A 3-Week Sprint (Jul - Aug 2024)

Tools: Figma, Whisk (a Google AI lab image tool)

Links: Website ↗

Defining the User Need

Deciding whether to rent or buy a home is one of life's most significant and stressful financial choices.

The core user need wasn't just for a calculator, but for clarity and confidence. People are often overwhelmed by:

• Information Overload: Relying on dense articles, complex spreadsheets, and conflicting advice.

• Lack of Trust: Unsure if online tools are unbiased or if they are missing hidden costs in their calculations.

• Analysis Paralysis: The fear of making the wrong multi-hundred-thousand-dollar decision leads to anxiety and inaction.

The Goal: My aim was to transform this complex, anxiety-ridden analysis into a simple, transparent, and empowering experience. I needed to design a tool that felt less like a spreadsheet and more like a conversation with a trusted advisor.

Results & Impact

The primary result of this project was the successful design and launch of ownorent.com, a live, single-purpose financial tool. The final deliverable addresses the core user need for clarity and confidence through three key design pillars:

1. A Professional Brand Identity: A unique logo, cohesive color system, and clear typography were designed to establish a professional and trustworthy first impression.

2. A Guided, Step-by-Step User Journey: The user flow was intentionally designed as a conversational, multi-step process. This breaks down a complex task into manageable pieces, designed to reduce cognitive load and user input errors.

3. A Clear, Visualized Outcome: The final calculation is presented not just as a number, but with a clear visual hierarchy and an animated summary. This was designed to make the complex result instantly understandable and actionable.

Process: A Three-Act Design Story

My process for Ownorent was a three-act story focused on transforming an anxious financial question into a clear and confident decision. I started by building trust with a professional brand identity, then designed an effortless user journey, and finished by delivering the final result with an impactful animation.

Act I: Building the Foundation of Trust

Before a user enters any data, they must trust the tool. My first step was to create a professional and engaging brand identity that felt credible and reassuring from the first glance.

Act II: Designing an Effortless Journey

Next, I needed to transform the complex calculation into a simple, conversational flow. The UI was designed to guide the user step-by-step, making the experience feel like an easy conversation rather than a difficult exam.

Act III: Delivering the "Aha!" Moment

Finally, the answer needed to be delivered with impact and clarity. I designed the summary part for the results, turning a cold, hard number into a satisfying and instantly understandable conclusion.

Key Takeaway: The Best Financial UX is Invisible

The biggest challenge in this project wasn't designing a complex interface, but creating an experience so simple and trustworthy that the user barely notices it. For a high-anxiety decision like renting vs. buying, success isn't a "wow" moment from a flashy feature. Success is when the user moves through a complex process seamlessly, gets a clear answer, and leaves feeling confident and calm. This project taught me the power of designing for quiet confidence.