The customer

Wonen in Vlaanderen is the Flemish government agency that, together with its partners, wants to make quality, accessible, secure and affordable housing possible for all residents of Flanders.

They grant subsidies for renovations and refurbishments, oversee the correct application of legislation by social housing providers, and inform local authorities and housing companies about local or social housing policy. Citizens and local authorities can turn to them for advice on sustainably improving housing quality.

For this project, we focused on their services around the rental market: how do you inform (social) tenants and landlords as clearly as possible about their rights and obligations?

Expertise

Get to know your target audience

Bring ideas to the users

Social themes

Sustainable living and renovating

The challenge

Since 2021, Wonen in Vlaanderen has published the ZieZo! brochure, a guide to maintenance and repairs in private and social rental homes. The brochure offers clear, neutral and accurate information about the rights, obligations and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.

The brochure is now a few years old and ready for an update, both in content and in form. An ideal opportunity to also bring in the users' perspective: what are tenants and landlords still missing today when it comes to maintenance and repairs?

Wonen in Vlaanderen wanted to better understand the needs of today's target groups, and translate them into a concrete, future-facing experience.

“When you look things up yourself, you get a lot of options and you don't always know which one is right. It's better to have the right answer straight away.”

— Tenant

Our approach

We set out to uncover the deeper needs and wishes of the target groups, in order to propose a more impactful service.

Through a market analysis, we mapped out existing tools and resources, along with possible improvements.
In an extensive qualitative study, we spoke to more than 20 social tenants, private tenants, landlords and housing companies. This varied selection of profiles gave us deep insights from very different perspectives.
During two creative focus groups, professionals worked with the common threads from the interviews. Participants from letting agents', tenants' and landlords' organisations thought alongside local authorities and energy houses about ways to improve the journey for tenants and landlords.
We combined the insights from the qualitative research with the outcomes of the focus groups, and worked these out together with Wonen in Vlaanderen into concrete concepts.
During user testing, we presented these concepts to the target group again for extensive feedback.
The user research validated or disproved the assumptions we started the project with. Not every assumption turned out to be correct, which immediately proves the value of user research: it helped us avoid unnecessary changes for the client.

"For HuurHelder, we were looking for a partner who would not only take our input on board, but also pay attention to the people we were creating it for. Knight Moves did exactly that. They were flexible, listened carefully and used stakeholder feedback each time to further refine the brochure and the calendar."

— Pauline Oppalfens, Expert communication Wonen in Vlaanderen

The result

There is no one-size-fits-all solution in this story.

We deliberately chose to develop and test nine different concepts with our end users, each focusing on a different step in the customer journey.

After the testing phase, we were left with 5 strong concepts, each reaching the target group in a different way: the classic brochure, an easily searchable webpage, the maintenance calendar, stickers with QR codes, and repair fact sheets.

Wonen in Vlaanderen chose to continue the project into a second phase and to actually develop two of these concepts: a renewed brochure and the annual calendar for maintenance of the rental home.

The new brochure better suits tenants, who felt overwhelmed by the previous version. In the new version, they find answers to their questions faster, without first having to wade through all the information.

New illustrations create more clarity and recognisability than photos, which often feel too specific or rigid.
We designed the visuals to clarify the content and make it easier to search, while keeping it appealing.
The brochure also gets a new name: HuurHelder, which better captures what it's about.

The maintenance calendar was developed to encourage tenants in a positive way with their maintenance tasks, without patronising or scolding them.

Each month, the calendar offers concrete tips and pointers: what maintenance can you do this month? Clear out the gutters in November. Check your smoke alarm batteries in March.
There is space for practical information, such as the contact details of your (social) landlord, electrician or plumber.
With good information and a friendly nudge, tenants feel better prepared.

With these tools, Wonen in Vlaanderen wants to not only inform tenants and landlords, but genuinely support them in their day-to-day experience. Request the new brochure and maintenance calendar here, free of charge.