Understanding the challenge
To conduct user research, I interviewed five students and created an affinity diagram to find common themes of issues in the current subleasing space. To explore the current methods further, I interviewed six more students and created a data logging sheet from these interviews to inform my designs.
Here is what I found:
Each year, thousands of students study abroad — especially during the second semester of their junior year—yet continue paying rent for their unused university apartments. With over 62% of students living off-campus and limited short-term leasing options, many face the financial strain of double rent or the stress of finding a reliable subtenant through unverified platforms.
An Iterative Process
Nôok went through several rounds of design, starting with sketching sessions and low-fidelity wireframes, and gradually moving toward a more polished interface. The early work focused on core flows like searching for apartments, viewing listings, and messaging other students.
At the beginning of the project, the app was called TermTurn. After doing naming research and thinking more about the brand direction, the name felt too literal and functional. The goal of the app was to feel more personal, warm, and student-focused, so the name was changed to Nôok — something shorter, more memorable, and more connected to the idea of a comfortable living space.
The images below show the progression from early wireframes focused on structure and user flow to the final interface, which introduces a cleaner layout, softer colors, and a more modern, approachable feel. Designed to feel as intuitive and trustworthy as the platforms students already use, Nôok combines university email verification, personalized campus feeds, and an Airbnb-style browsing experience to make subleasing simple, secure, and student-centered from start to finish.
With the design finalized, the next phase focuses on development. I’m partnering with a student at Lehigh University to code the mobile app using Flutter and VS Code, with Firebase handling authentication and database management. Our process is collaborative and iterative: I prepare detailed Figma annotations, screen flows, and interaction notes, and we meet weekly to review progress, solve technical challenges, and refine the experience together. This allows the design and development to evolve in sync while keeping the core user flows clear and consistent.
Once the app is fully functional and tested across devices, it will move through the Apple App Store review and approval process, ensuring compliance with Apple’s guidelines for security, design, and usability before launch to the student market.
