SYDNEY CHEN
LEASE EASE
Digital leasing platform designed
to simplify rental subleasing process.
UX/UI. BRAND IDENTITY. RESEARCH
2024
INTRODUCTION
LeaseEase — Digital Leasing Platform
LeaseEase is a digital leasing app I designed in my junior year for the Fall 2024 DAUCI Project Team. It was inspired by my own experience in Summer 2024, when I struggled to find someone to sublease my apartment after moving back to the Bay Area. That frustration made me realize how broken the process is for students like me.
DAUCI (Design at UCI) is a student-led design organization at UC Irvine. In Fall 2024, I served as both Design Lead and Project Manager for a quarter-long project focused on solving real-world problems. With LeaseEase, I set out to reduce housing insecurity—especially for financially independent students and young professionals navigating the rental market on their own.
led the 0→1 conceptualization and design, conducted in-depth market research, ran 3+ user interviews, and collaborated closely with beginner team members as a mentor. The project was awarded 4th place by DAUCI and a panel of senior designers.
YEAR
2025
TIMELINE
8 WEEKS
ROLE
DESIGN LEAD
PROJECT MANAGER
CONTRIBUTIONS
UX/UI DESIGN
BRAND IDENTITY
UX RESEARCH
BRAND IDENTITY
MENTOR
PROJECT LEAD
OVERVIEW
How can we make the subleasing process safer and more trustworthy for students and young renters without hours of mindless scrolling, unanswered messages, or scams?
For many students, trying to sublease an apartment means wasting hours online, scrolling through outdated Facebook posts and getting ghosted by potential tenants. During summer 2024, I spent hours every day on my phone trying to find someone to take over my lease. Seven out of ten people didn’t reply, and most listings felt like scams. That experience showed me how broken and insecure the process really is.
RESEARCH
We wanted to ensure that the housing crisis among students was a real issue, not just an isolated case.
After conducting online research, we confirmed that many students face housing insecurity when leasing due to a lack of institutional support. The top issues revolved around student housing insecurity driven by lack of guaranteed housing on-campus housing and high cost off-campus housing. These issues highlight a systematic housing gap that forces students into unstable living situations.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
We decided to focus our target audience on young professionals and college students
We posted user surveys and conducted user interviews with college students from different schools to better understand housing challenges. The goal was to gain insight into their experiences and explore how we could address these issues.
I found my tenant off facebook, but they ghosted me and never showed up after I rejected everyone else.
I wish we established a contract, because they stained the carpet floor and wasn’t willing to compensate it.
I wish I knew what kind of people my housemates are and their living habits before I moved in.
I put down a deposit for my new apartment that I found online, but turns out it was a scam, and I never got my money back.
USER SURVEY
Given the time constraints of this project, we chose to distribute surveys through social media channels and received 31 responses from individuals who have experienced subleasing and leasing challenges.
Poor Communication
59% of users reported reaching out to sublessors only to receive delayed replies, vague answers, or complete ghosting. Many were left in limbo, unsure whether the room was still available or what the next steps were, making the process feel unreliable and frustrating.
Unsecured Payments
37% experienced payment risks—often being asked to send deposits through Zelle, Venmo, or CashApp with no receipts or protection. In some cases, the recipient disappeared after receiving the funds, leaving users with no way to recover their money.
No Contract/Security Deposit
54% of users said they subleased without a formal lease or security deposit. Without these protections, some were abruptly kicked out or faced sudden changes—such as increased rent, new roommates, or being blamed for damages they didn’t cause.
Outdated Listing
44% encountered listings that were already taken but still publicly posted. Users wasted time reaching out, only to find the space had been filled weeks prior, leading to dead ends and unnecessary delays in their housing search.
DEFINING
After interviewing the participants, we were able to gain a much deeper and more nuanced understanding of our target audience—their challenges, frustrations, and behaviors when navigating the housing process.
These conversations revealed not only surface-level pain points but also underlying issues related to trust, time constraints, and lack of transparency in subleasing and leasing experiences. With these insights in mind, we can now begin to thoughtfully translate our findings into meaningful platform features that directly address the users' needs.
PROBLEM
Many students and young professionals face challenges when trying to when trying to rent, sublease, or find roommates, often dealing with unclear lease terms, unverified users, and unsafe payment methods.
It’s important that renters have access to transparent, secure, and efficient leasing solutions, especially in time-sensitive, high-turnover environments like college towns. I recognized this gap and designed a platform to simplify and streamline the entire subleasing process from start to finish.
The Brief
How might we redesign the renting experience to give students and young renters more confidence, control, and peace of mind?
Hypothesis: If renters have access to a a centralized housing platform that supports verification, contracts, and payments for subleasing, room rentals, and roommate matching, they’ll enjoy a safer, more efficient experience.
I believe building an accessible and intuitive digital platform for subleasing can address a major gap in the housing market—especially since no dedicated platform currently exists to support the full leasing process. LeaseEase aims to fill this void by providing a user-friendly, end-to-end solution.
SOLUTION
Simplify and secure the rental process by centralizing lease agreements, identity verification, and payments for subleasing, room rentals, and roommate matching.
LeaseEase makes it easier for users to safely sublease, rent out rooms in their home, or find compatible roommates—all within one platform. Users can verify identities, send customizable lease agreements, and handle payments securely without relying on external apps or social media. By reducing uncertainty and friction, LeaseEase creates a more trustworthy and efficient rental experience for students and young renters alike.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
Secure identity checks to build trust across the platform
LeaseEase supports multiple forms of government-issued ID, including driver's licenses, passports, and green cards. This makes the platform accessible to both domestic and international users. Identity verification is required to post or accept listings, helping reduce scams and ensure that users interact with verified, trustworthy profiles.
LEASE AGREEMENT
Built-in customizable contracts that simplify the rental process
LeaseEase offers ready-to-use, editable lease templates that simplify the rental and subleasing process. To send a lease, users can navigate to their listing and select from a list of recently messaged users automatically surfaced by the system to speed up selection. Signed agreements appear at the top of the Inbox for easy access and review, ensuring a smooth and legally secure process for both parties.
SECURE TRANSACTION
Seamless and trackable transactions from start to finish
Payments like deposits and monthly rent are processed directly through the app, providing receipts, preventing fraud, and eliminating the need to rely on risky third-party payment apps.
RETROSPECTIVE
Leading LeaseEase was my first time managing both a product and a team. Working with beginner teammates taught me to lead with patience and empathy. Mentoring others not only helped them grow, but also helped me revisit and strengthen my own foundation in UX.
#1
Leading for the first time
Leading a design project for the first time challenged me to take initiative, make decisions, and stay accountable to both the product vision and my team. It taught me how to manage uncertainty, build trust, and balance structure with flexibility. I now feel more prepared to lead future projects with confidence and empathy.
#2
Mentorship deepened my understanding
Collaborating with beginner teammates reminded me of the importance of foundational UX skills. By helping others learn the basics, I strengthened my own. Explaining concepts like usability, accessibility, and user flow helped me refine how I think and communicate as a designer.
#3
Designing from the ground up
This was my first time building a product end-to-end—from initial research and ideation to interactive prototypes. I learned how to scope features, make tough trade-offs, and stay user-centered throughout. Turning a raw idea into a structured, testable product taught me how to think holistically about design.
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