// University of Michigan
// B.S. Urban Technology
// Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
// Minors in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship
// Class of 2027
I am interested in the use of technology in the built environment to improve the quality of life of those who interact with it. I am fascinated with cities as centers of innovation, culture, and economy with unparalleled vitality. I aspire to use my programming skills, design intuition, and entrepreneurial attitude as a practitioner creating positive and meaningful change within and between cities and communities.
tylersw@umich.edu
Résumé
LinkedIn
FOR CEDARTenant Bridge
MProduct
DEC 2024
// Figma Design, Figma Slides
// product management, customer discovery, wireframingAs a new member of MProduct, a product management student organization, I was tasked with conceptualizing and prototyping a digital platform solving some issue that Michigan students experience. With two teammates, I decided to create something that responded to the difficulties students face when attempting to find off-campus housing. I was inspired by the challenging process my roommates and I endured when we were trying to find an off-campus rental property for the following year.
Our initial ideation process focused on the uncomfortable communication process that prospective renters experience when searching for properties through platforms like Zillow. Through customer discovery interviews, we learned that property-hunters don’t enjoy talking to landlords or property management companies through online property listings, describing the process as distant, impersonal, and inefficient. Oftentimes, it was difficult to schedule tours or even receive a response from a real person after finding a property online.
We responded to these pain points by devising a system in which the prospective renter can communicate directly with the current tenant for qualitative house information and tour scheduling, therefore eliminating the unresponsive or busy landlord from the initial inquiry. The landlord would then compensate their tenant for offering tours and information. This system has incentives for all parties: (1) prospective renters get quicker, more detailed, and less biased information and touring, (2) landlords are freed from initial curious property seekers and only have to communicate with serious applicants, and (3) current tenants are compensated by their landlord for offering quick property tours.
We also realized that our system could serve as a verification method for landlords looking to validate themselves to prospective renters. Landlords who allow current tenants to offer tours and information of their properties are trusting their tenants to speak positively about them.
As we prototyped, we realized we needed to make the platform enticing to all parties involved in the property search process. In a real-world scenario, given the existence of three main stakeholders in the process, we would require buy-in from everybody involved. Therefore, we created a system in which all parties are able to save time and/or earn money.
This project pushed me to develop the skills needed as a product manager or product developer and helped me realize that putting products out into the real world means the introduction of many variables and stakeholders. As I’ve also learned in my Urban Technology studies, all stakeholders need to have their needs adequately satisfied for a large-scale systematic change to be fully implemented.