Lillypad

Overview

In this project, I led the design of a subscription-based rental app that reimagined how tenants could access and manage high-quality furniture through their apartment or condo leasing experience. The app was built for Rent-A-Center as a way to modernize their model and create an entirely new B2B2C revenue stream through property partnerships.

My Role:

• Principal UX/UI Designer leading the full product vision

• Initiated and executed multi-level stakeholder interviews across leasing offices and apartment brands

• Created end-to-end design from discovery to clickable prototype

• Collaborated cross-functionally with product, ops, and external partners to validate feasibility and desirability

• Developed the design system and branded experience called Lilypad

  
  

Challenge

Furniture rentals were traditionally treated as standalone, high-friction experiences. We wanted to integrate them into the leasing process—so tenants could add fully furnished setups to their lease with a simple, flexible subscription model.

The system had to:
✅ Be easy for leasing agents to explain and offer
✅ Work as a plug-in model for condos/apartments
✅ Provide seamless onboarding and customization for renters
✅ Forecast subscription value and ROI for Rent-A-Center

Research & Partner Research

To validate the concept and tailor the experience to real user needs, I created detailed personas—including Jessica, a travel-loving young professional, and The Smiths, a dual-income household with a value-driven mindset. These personas helped humanize the design process and aligned stakeholders around key user types.

• Persona-Driven Research Highlights:

  • Jessica represented flexible-living millennials who rent furnished apartments for convenience, prefer app-based services, and value minimalist living with curated choices. Her lifestyle is shaped by gig economy services like Uber, Amazon, and Rent the Runway.

  • The Smiths exemplified young families with growing needs, tech-savvy habits, and an emphasis on quality and budget-conscious decision-making. Their behavior highlighted a demand for flexibility and control over recurring costs.

  Using these personas as a foundation, I conducted:

  • Leasing manager interviews across 8 Texas-based apartment communities to understand operational concerns and partnership potential.

  • User interviews and surveys with renters between ages 25–40 to explore their pain points around traditional furniture rentals and relocation stress.

  • Discovery of key value propositions like flexibility, customization, delivery reliability, and brand trust—leading to clearer value alignment between property owners and Rent-A-Center.

UX & Design Strategy

Designed a welcoming, visually rich flow that allowed users to select furniture packages based on lifestyle (Work-from-Home, Luxe Starter, Minimalist)

Built a modular checkout experience that clarified billing, lease timing, and delivery

💼 Partner Portal & API-Lite Integration

• Created a leasing office dashboard to show subscription uptake

• Developed easy onboarding flows for property managers, offering incentives and revenue projections

🔁 Flexible Subscriptions with Business Growth in Mind

• Designed tiered packages with upgrade prompts

• Integrated “refresh” options so customers could swap or update furniture mid-lease

📱 Mobile-First Approach for Renters on the Go

• Optimized design for busy renters navigating relocation

• Let users manage subscriptions, track delivery, and initiate returns from the app

Results

• Created a proof of concept that projected millions in potential subscription revenue across major metro markets

• Generated high interest from property developers and opened up enterprise partnership conversations

• User testing revealed strong preference for in-lease furniture flexibility, especially among digital nomads and young professionals

• App design received internal buy-in and set the stage for productizing the experience

Tools & Methods Used:

Sketch, Card sorting, Axure, Google Forms