ABOUT PROJECT
Many people say that buying property is an investment, while renting is akin to throwing money away. Nevertheless, a more careful economic analysis shows that this evaluation is likely mistaken. The Covid-19 pandemic particularly brought to light some of the risks associated with ownership versus renting. In 2020, populations in densely populated areas abandoned towns for less populated regions as tenants, resulting in a 6% drop in rental prices in major cities like New York from pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, property owners continued bearing maintenance costs and other expenses during the global financial crisis.
To help the real estate and sharing economy rebound without losing investor appeal, Youna turned to Roobykon to create an innovative connectivity solution benefiting both landlords and renters. The core of Youna’s mission is the conviction that smooth connectivity is the secret to making the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry thrive. Through collaboration with Roobykon, Youna used modern software platforms to link up event planners, venues, suppliers, and guests in real time.
Key Challenges
Creating the Youna marketplace posed formidable challenges that demanded innovative solutions and collaborative effort. Technical complexities, including integrating real-time venue search algorithms and secure payment gateways, required meticulous attention to detail from Roobykon’s developers. Aggregating and integrating vast amounts of data from disparate sources was another hurdle, necessitating sophisticated data crawling and validation mechanisms.
Meanwhile, designing an intuitive user interface that balanced functionality with aesthetics demanded close collaboration between Roobykon’s design team and the Youna team, resulting in a visually appealing and user-friendly event planner platform.
Scalability and performance considerations were paramount, prompting Roobykon’s DevOps team to implement robust infrastructure planning and optimization measures to ensure smooth operation under heavy loads. Despite these challenges, the collaborative efforts of Youna and Roobykon yielded a groundbreaking real estate marketplace that revolutionized event organization, showcasing the power of innovation, perseverance, and partnership in overcoming obstacles and achieving ambitious goals.
TECHNOLOGY STACK
core API
Solution Highlights
Roobykon’s solution for creating the Youna marketplace centered on leveraging Sharetribe Flex, a versatile platform that excels in testing ideas and establishing scalable payback models in a short timeframe. Flex’s capabilities extend to managing complex data integration, including various payment systems, mail servers, and marketing tools. By utilizing Sharetribe Flex and React programming language, known for their inherent optimization, Youna’s marketplace was poised for speed and performance, crucial factors in reducing bounce rates and ensuring a thriving platform.
Additionally, the choice of Digital Ocean’s cloud infrastructure provided robust data protection against cyber-attacks, further enhancing the marketplace’s security and reliability. To enhance user experience, Roobykon incorporated Flex Templates for Web (FTW) and collaborated closely with Youna to develop a user-friendly interface, ensuring seamless navigation and engagement for users. This iterative approach to UI/UX design, combined with the foundation laid by Flex, resulted in a thriving marketplace ecosystem that not only met but exceeded expectations for speed, performance, and usability.
The process
01
Discussion of the task: The journey of creating the event supplier network began with thorough discussions between the Roobykon and Youna teams. Together, we outlined the project’s objectives, scope, and requirements, identifying the need for a comprehensive marketplace. Through collaborative brainstorming sessions, we outlined key features and technical specifications to bring Youna to life.
02
Estimation: Following the initial discussions, our development team at Roobykon conducted a detailed project estimation. We broke down the project into smaller tasks, assessing resources, time, and budget required for each component. By providing transparent and accurate estimates, we enabled Youna to make informed project scope and timelines decisions.
03
Approval on the client side: With the estimation complete, we presented the proposed plan to Youna for approval. We shared estimated timelines, costs, and deliverables, seeking feedback and input from Youna. Securing approval on the client side ensured alignment with platform’s expectations and objectives, setting the stage for a successful collaboration.
04
Implementation: With approval obtained, our development team swung into action, embarking on the implementation phase. Following an agile development methodology, we divided the project into manageable sprints, focusing on delivering specific features or functionalities. Leveraging Sharetribe Flex and React programming language, we built the Youna planning marketplace with a focus on speed, performance, and user experience.
05
Regular updates and feedback: Throughout the 12-week development process, we maintained open communication channels with Youna. We provided regular updates, sought feedback, and addressed any issues or concerns that arose. This collaborative app
06
Quality assurance and testing: Adhering to strict quality assurance standards and testing protocols, we ensured that the final product met the highest standards of excellence. Our rigorous testing processes identified and addressed any bugs or issues, ensuring that the Youna marketplace was ready for release as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Main Features
Advanced sorting functionality
To enhance user experience, we’ve implemented sorting options by day, price, location, and capacity. This empowers users to tailor their search results according to their specific preferences.
Customizable filters
One of the standout features of collaboration platform for event professionals is the ability to create sub-listings through customizable filters. Users can refine their search criteria to find precisely what they need.
Interactive map integration
The marketplace incorporates an interactive map alongside the main listing, allowing users to manually select locations or explore nearby options. This feature particularly benefits users unfamiliar with the area, ensuring they find the best accommodation, transportation, or social activities.
Detailed listing pages
Upon selecting individual listing offers, users can rate them, access comprehensive details, and view the location on the integrated map.
Efficient booking process
We’ve streamlined the booking process with a user-friendly sidebar that enables direct booking by selecting dates, duration, room style, and number of visitors. Once an order is placed, users receive prompt email notifications outlining the next steps.
Social media integration
Adepty encourages user engagement through social media integration. Customers can share their experiences on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, fostering community growth and inviting friends to join the marketplace.
Duplicate listings
Youna allows duplicate listings for real estate operators, vehicle owners, or entertainment providers, facilitating multiple offers on the platform. Landlords can create reusable templates, simplifying the listing process.
Multilingual support
Recognizing the diverse user base, Youna caters to English and French speakers with seamless multilingual support, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all.
RESULTS
The creation of the Youna marketplace has had a transformative impact on the real estate and sharing economy, significantly boosting investor appeal in real estate. By partnering with leading technology provider Roobykon, Youna has developed an innovative solution that benefits both landlords and renters alike, enhancing efficiency in property rentals. At the core of Youna’s offering is a seamless connectivity platform that brings together different players in the property rental sector. Landlords can list spare rooms, apartments, or houses on Youna’s marketplace and connect in real time with interested renters. A robust verification process gives landlords confidence that prospective tenants are credible, while rental guarantees provide peace of mind overpayment.
Here’s a review left by one of the platform’s clients: “We were looking for a solution to launch projects in Virtual. Thanks to Youna, in a few minutes, we have been to book a TV Studio and a supplier for the Livestreaming. Youna saved us precious time.”
Youna has become the go-to place for those who need to find some service at a reasonable cost immediately. And while pricing will continue to rise for the next few years anyway, rents can’t go beyond the market offers – each one is thoroughly vetted for validity.
Lessons from Youna
The journey to launching Youna’s rental marketplace platform was not without its challenges, but Roobykon gained valuable lessons that fueled growth. Attracting both landlords and renters to a new platform required overcoming the inherent distrust between tenants and property owners. Roobykon tackled this with verified profiles, rental guarantees, and seamless connectivity to build confidence. The need to support multiple languages and cater to diverse cultural preferences has fostered cross-cultural competence within our team. Overcoming the challenges of localization and translation has heightened our team’s sensitivity to linguistic nuances and cultural sensitivities.
Managing marketplace dynamics, including duplicate listings and content moderation, has cultivated a keen understanding of marketplace ecosystems within our team. The challenges of maintaining marketplace integrity and fostering trust among users have prompted our team to develop sophisticated algorithms, implement robust moderation processes, and establish transparent guidelines for content creation.
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