Soup
Affordable Housing - ADU
Nonprofit Project | 10 months | Feb 2020 - Dec 2020
Problem
In the Bay Area, there is a severe problem with the high cost of living. The high cost of housing falls most heavily on low-income households.
In East Palo Alto, the median monthly household income is around $5000, but the average rent is nearly $3000, which accounts for more than half of the income.
In the Bay Area, there is a severe problem with the high cost of living. The high cost of housing falls most heavily on low-income households.
In East Palo Alto, the median monthly household income is around $5000, but the average rent is nearly $3000, which accounts for more than half of the income.
In the Bay Area, there is a severe problem with the high cost of living. The high cost of housing falls most heavily on low-income households.
In East Palo Alto, the median monthly household income is around $5000, but the average rent is nearly $3000, which accounts for more than half of the income.
Company
SOUP is a nonprofit aiming to create affordable housing in East Palo Alto by providing ADU (Accessory Dwelling Units) , commonly referred to as backyard homes. ADU intends to supplement household incomes through the rent earned and serve as an affordable housing option to those in need.
Solution
We proposed and a redesigned affordable housing website with more meaningful content to keep homeowners informed and engaged, and a financial calculator that gives them an idea of their cost and financial commitment to owning ADUs.
My Role
Research (Primary + Secondary), Synthesis, Ideation, Wireframing, Visual Design, Prototyping,
User-testing, Storyboard, Illustration design, Presentation
Team
Vanessa Hu, Mahesh Kentheti, Mia Zhang, Ximeng Huang
Tools
Figma, Miro, Google Forms, Keynote, Adobe creative suite (Photoshop, illstrIllustrator)
What is ADU?
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have been known by many names: granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, secondary units and more. No matter what you call them, ADUs are an innovative, affordable, effective option for adding much-needed housing in California.
If you built one with Soup, It can be leased out at an 80% market rate, making it a win-win for homeowners who can get a supplemental income, and help renters find an affordable space.
Soup's Target Audience
Soup's target audience are low-income homeowners who are looking for an extra source of income or places to live. Especially for who are assets-rich
but cash-poor.
Our Challenge
Why aren't people signing up? After researching with a whole lot of people, our findings reveal that people are staying away from this opportunity due to the following reasons.
HMW help homeowners to make more informed decisions on building an ADU ?
Storyboard
Meet Penelope & Sandra
0 1
As Penelope browses online, she finds that the information she gets from multiple sources very overwhelming.
0 2
However, a friend who works with local non-profit EPACANDO tells her about SOUP, and she is hopeful when she hears about it for the first time.
0 3
But after going through the website and details, she is not sure if the service is feasible at her income level.
0 4 Design solution
Here is how Penelope interacts with the new website video.
We proposed and designed a new website with more meaningful content to keep audiences informed and engaged, and a financial calculator that gives homeowners an idea of their cost and financial commitment.
Ideal results. What now?
Storyboard
0 5
Penelope eventually gets an ADU and is about to lease it out. She posts it in various EPA groups.
0 6
A few weeks later, Sandra is in the neighborhood, and she sees this flyer at the EPACANDO office and thinks that the units look modern. Soon after, Sandra contacts Penelope.
0 7
Penelope shows Sandra around the ADU. Things start moving forward, and within a few months, Sandra moves into Penelope’s brand new unit.
Happy ending
Our future
It’s this level of seamlessness in the process what we aspire to achieve. Through the websites, financial calculator, and printed materials such as the flyer, we make housing solutions more accessible.
We hope that our project and solutions can be beneficial to homeowners like Penelope, renters like Sandra, and more communities like East Palo Alto.
