WoningNet - DĀK makes finding a home transparant and hasslefree

WoningNet

DĀK makes finding a home transparant and hasslefree

4 million
Users
1000s
Business rules
7x
Faster process

Services

Product validation, Design sprint, UX design, Product development

The old portal didn't give users the right feedback, which resulted in WoningNet's phone ringing off the hook and enormous pressure on their support team. To tackle this, a custom app was created that makes it easier to search for homes and gives the right feedback on the application process. The load on the support team was reduced as a result, freeing up employees and improving effiency. Moreover, the app was downloaded over 2000 times in the first week after go-live.

Challenge

Serving a large part of The Netherlands, WoningNet connects home seekers with social housing corporations to find their new home. Equipped with a website portal and an app, users can apply for houses.

With the old portal, home seekers–who are currently inside a high pressure housing market, didn’t get the right feedback of their application process. What happened? WoningNet’s phone ringing off the hook, leading to stress on their customer support team. We set out to combine our solution-driven mindset with WoningNet’s expert knowledge in the field of social housing.

Solution

Starting with a design sprint, we found the solution in creating a custom app with great UX, a friendly and playful brand identity and efficient development with OutSystems. DĀK was born. With DĀK, users can easily search for homes and get feedback on their application process.

Smooth and Resilient Integration

To ensure a smooth experience in DĀK, performance monitoring was implemented to find bottlenecks before they become an issue. Slow queries were optimized and the user’s device is used to handle calculations that were previously on the server side. Furthermore, in case of timeouts a resilient circuit breaker pattern was implemented to inform users and to stop possible overload on the backend.

Solid Architecture

A solid base for DĀK was created so it can handle over a million users. Business concepts within WoningNet were reviewed and critical data is synchronized to the DĀK backend. Implementations were varied based on use case to ensure the most efficient and smooth experience for the user. Moreover, most of the API’s were specifically made and optimized for DĀK.

The app is amazing! It's easy to edit your information and you can access detailed information about the houses, like your position and type of contract.

App store reviewer

Results

Matching users with new homes works at least 7 times faster than before, making home seekers happier and relieving WoningNet’s customer support team. Already in the first week after go-live (six months development), the app was downloaded over 2000 times, which immediately led to 900 unique, active users per day. Meanwhile, positive reviews by happy users keep piling up. Home sweet home!