Product Vision
Description
Waterloostar is a student community forum that provides a platform for students to communicate and provides information on housing/sublet, deals&discount, campus news and study resources.
Vision
For University of Waterloo area residents, students who need a convenient, trustworthy way to navigate housing, campus life, and student deals, Waterloo Star is a student-focused forum that consolidates housing ads, academic help, event postings, and local discounts in one place. Unlike generic social networks or classifieds, Waterloo Star focuses solely on Waterloo students needs – offering tailored features like student account verification and campus-specific content – so that it becomes an indispensable part of every Waterloo student's experience.
Target User
Primary Users: All University of Waterloo (coop) students (undergraduate and graduate). This includes incoming first-years, who can use the platform to get oriented; and senior students, especially those in co-op programs who alternate between school and work terms.
Resolved Problem
Students struggle to find housing and sublet information.
Students who can’t find platform to sublet their house for coop term.
Fragmented Campus Information
Trust & Community Gaps
Personas
Kim Suhwan
A third year University of Waterloo math student who is enthusiasm about Valorant. He is never a planning person and always leave his work until the last possible minute. As a video game player, he values the sound isolation of a living place more than anything, so that when he yells at death his neighbour won’t knock his door. As an international student he also tends to find sublets that isn’t expensive so that he still has some living expense left after paying his crazy intuition.
Gwen Zhang
A second year Unversity of Waterloo science student. She is very introverted and has a limited social network to gain information. She barely uses any social media except discord and wechat. She lived her first year inside of campus and this is her first time renting an apartment herself. She is organized and tidy. She cleans her room every weeks and keeps it fresh and neat, so that when she comes back from school with tons of deadlines to catch, she doesn’t have to face a dirty room which drives her crazy. She loves buying new clothes and have three whole boxes of clothes in her closet.
Scenarios
Kim Suhwan
He has just came back from military and now he is back in his third year. His previous roommate had taken over all the jobs for finding a living place, so he has no clue how to find a place to live. He asked over all the housing agencies he could find around the campus, however none of them can find a place that satisfies his requirements (cheap, not far from campus, good sound isolation). He has already lived a week at his friend’s place, not wanting to bother his friend for another week, he wants to hurry up and find a place for the next term soon.
Gwen Zhang
She has eventually found a coop by the end of cycle six. It is an in-person job in US and she has to find a tennent to sublet her room as fast as she could since there is only two weeks left until she goes to America. She has asked every friend she knows but all of them has a place to live next term. She has way too many clothes and she must leave some in her room. Since she is coming back, she wants a student, referably female instead of a male, to rent her room. She also want to make sure that the tenent is also an tidy person since she does not want her room too nasty when she comes back. She is willing to give a low price for any tenent that meets her requirement. She doesn’t want to post it on kijiji or other marketplace websites since she feels unsecure to rent it to a completely random person.
User Stories
Yellow highlights are our product’s unique features
🏠 Student (Rentee)
Find Housing Near Campus
As a student without transportation,
I want to find housing options close to campus,
so that I can walk to school.
Stay Within Budget
As a student on a limited budget,
I want to find housing options that match my price range,
so that I can control my living costs.
Check Suitability of Housing
As a student who values a good study environment,
I want to know key housing details (e.g., noise level, utilities),
so that I can choose a place that fits my needs.
Make My Housing Needs Visible
As a student urgently looking for housing,
I want others (landlords or subletters) to know my housing needs,
so that they can reach out to me with offers.
Short-Term Rental Options
As a Waterloo co-op student who only studies on campus for 4- or 8-month terms,
I want to search for sublets that match my study sequence,
so that I can easily find housing aligned with my academic schedule.
Get Faster Matches
As a student who needs housing quickly,
I want a way to increase the visibility of my housing needs,
so that I can secure a place sooner.
Trustworthy Communication
As a student,
I want to communicate with landlords and subletters through a trusted channel,
so that I can avoid scams and feel secure.
Plan Ahead for Next Term
As a co-op student,
I want to arrange housing for my next 4-month study term in advance,
so that I don’t scramble for a place right before classes begin.
Poster Credibility
As a student,
I want to know the credibility of each renters are,
so that I can trust who I am dealing with and avoid unreliable posters.
Student Targeted Information
As a student looking for housing,
I want to see only verified student listings,
so that I don’t waste time browsing irrelevant or fake postings.
🏡 Subletter / Landlord (Renter)
Find Tenants Easily and Fast
As a student going on a co-op term,
I want others to know about my available housing,
so that I don’t waste money on an empty unit.
Connect with the Right Tenants
As a subletter,
I want to list my requirements for potential tenants,
so that only tenants who meet my conditions apply and the rental process is more efficient and secure.
Find Student Tenants to Ensure Safety
As a student looking to sublet,
I want to rent out my house or room only to verified students,
so that the process is more secure and every account can be traced back to a real member of the campus community.
Easier Making Sublet Agreement
As a subletter,
I want to use a standard, customizable sublet agreement template,
so that my legal requirements are clear, I can avoid misunderstandings, and I don’t have to create an agreement from scratch.
Tenant Search and Offer System
As a subletter,
I want to search for tenants who have posted their requirements and send offers to them actively,
so that I can fill my sublet faster and match with tenants whose needs align with my property.
Personal Needs Posting
As a subletter,
I want to post my personal needs (such as leaving some personal items in the room),
so that tenants know my special conditions and there are no misunderstandings during the sublet period.
🌐 Platform (General)
Centralized Information
As a student,
I want campus-related housing, events, and deals in one place,
so that I don’t need to check multiple scattered sources.
Community Trust
As a user,
I want assurance that people on the platform are real students,
so that I can trust the information and avoid scams.
Efficient Search & Match
As a student,
I want to filter and sort housing and tenant options effectively,
so that I can quickly find the ones that fit my needs.
Ratings and Reviews
As a student user,
I want to see ratings and reviews of subletters/tenants,
so that I can trust who I’m renting from or renting to.
Post Upgrade / Priority Listing
As a subletter,
I want to use my points/stars to upgrade my post so it appears at the top of the list,
so that more potential tenants/subletter see my listing and I can fill my sublet faster.