UX/UI case study

RNPL App

/01

The RNPL app was designed to solve the "liquidity wall" probelem for urban renters. By providing opportunity to split first payments into prepared 3/6/12 month plans.

Role

Product Designer

UX/UI Designer

Year

2026

RNPL App

Rent payment &

Rear estate management app

UX/UI Case Study

Tools:

Artem Lewczuk

Problem Statement

The "Liquidity Wall": Tenants in high-growth urban centers face an impossible upfront financial hurdle when moving. The requirement of 1st month rent + 2-3 months security deposit + agency fees often exceeds large amounts . This creates a systemic barrier for mobility, even for high-earning professionals, and leads to high "drop-off" rates in the rental conversion funnel.

UX - Research

To build RNPL app, I conducted a research using Antigravity & Cloud code agents to analyse the financial barriers of urban renters in Europe. I studied high upfront costs like security deposits and first month rents. I also studied the functionality and design of other similar apps to understand user needs, pain points and the main problems they face. This helped me identify key user requirements and areas for improvement in my application. My research identified the liquidity wall as the primary barrier for people in Europe. I used the five whys technique to find the root cause of these high requirements.

Additionally, I conducted a competitor analysis of other apps available on the AppStore and web at that time. I read user reviews and, based on this feedback and my previous research, identified important features that were missing, and presented a problem solution reduces the initial move in costs 75%.

Quantitative Research

35%

of movers experience a "Financial Shock" (unexpected costs > €1,000) during move-in.

50%+

of urban households in Warsaw spend >30% of income on rent.

0% of traditional Polish banks currently offer a dedicated "Rent Financing" product.

Market Data (2024-2025)

Problem

Why is the upfront cost so high? Landlords demand high security deposits (2-3 months)

Why do landlords demand high deposits? They lack a reliable way to assess tenant creditworthiness and fear default or damage.

Why is credit assessment difficult? Traditional banking data is siloed, and "foreign" credit history is non-transferable.

Why don't renters have the liquid cash? Inflation and living costs have outpaced liquid savings for the 22-35 demographic, despite high gross salaries.

A lack of Real-Time Financial Verification and a Risk-Sharing Mechanism results in high capital requirements that the modern renter cannot meet instantly.

User Persona

Alex, 28. Berlin

Software Dev

The High-Earning Relocator

Challenge:

Salary is €4k+, but liquid cash is tied up in currency exchange or moving logistics.

Needs:

Instant "Yes/No" to secure the property before someone else does.

Need to see all the details, compares option

Challenge:

Fluctuating monthly income makes traditional landlords skeptical.

Needs:

A system that looks at the reality of her bank balance, not just a 3-month payslip.

Plan/system of payments

Marta, 32. Warsaw

Freelance Graphic Designer

The Flexible Professional

User Needs & Pain Points

👍

Speed: Users value a quick decision over a lower interest rate.

👍

Transparency: clarity on the service fee.

😡

The "Deposit Trap" (Old deposit is held while new one is due).

😡

Paperwork Fatigue (Scanning 3 months of PDFs to prove income).

Competitor Analysis

Jetty

(US rentals)

Clear dual audience (renters + owners)

Overloaded UI, buried cost info

theGuarantors

(US rentals)

AI underwriting, 1M+ users

No upfront pricing transparency

Ileyah

(Nigeria)

Subscription rent model

No cost calculator or plan builder

Rize

(Saudi Arabia)

Islamic-compliant installments, reminders

No real-time visual configurator

Key UX insight: No competitor offers an instant, visual payment configurator with a live cost breakdown. This is our primary differentiator and the core UX value proposition. Users are financially anxious when making large move-in decisions. The product must reduce cognitive load and build trust before asking for any data.

Objectives & Goals

Mission:

To democratize access to premium housing by removing the upfront capital barrier.

UX goal:

Create a "Zero-Friction" experience where the user feels empowered,
not "in debt".

Product Goals:

Achieve <2 minute approval time via Open Banking.
Reduce initial move-in costs by at least 75% through interest-free (or low-fee) installments.

Business Challenges

Credit Risk: Managing the default risk of financing deposits for users without "traditional" credit scores.
Partnership Friction: Integrating with conservative landlords and property agencies.
Regulatory Compliance: Navigating financial regulations regarding credit and installment plans.
Liquidity Management: Maintaining enough capital to pay landlords in full upfront while collecting locally in installments.

Features & Functionalities

To resolve user needs. Based on research and competitor analysis.

Interactive calculator showing exactly how mush you pay on every stage.

⚡ RNPL plan ready Filter: to show pre-screened listings.

Instant connection to banks for 2-min verification.

App is not about "loans". App is about "Capital Access."

Landlord gets 100% of the rent + deposit in 24 hours.

Direct API hooks into the most popular banks.

Major Screens

Configure plan

After selecting an apartment, the user is taken to the main configurator screen, where they can see the total cost of the move and possible plans for splitting the first payments into 3/6/12 months. Visual payment configurator with a live cost breakdown.

Review & Submit

After selecting a suitable plan, the user is taken to a screen with a summary of personal data, which also includes a payment schedule.

Verification

After accepting the app policy, the user is directed to a verification screen featuring a progress bar, step-by-step updates, and a plan summary. There is a two-minute time limit; once this period expires, the user may navigate away from the screen and will be notified once a decision has been received.