How 58.com Revamped Its Rental Page to Boost User Efficiency

Background

Rental is a major category on 58.com, aiming to provide an easy, efficient, and intelligent platform for finding homes. As the business grew, the page became cluttered with many waist‑level modules, leading to long user paths, reduced search efficiency, and stacked similar modules. Intelligent house recommendations were pushed to the third screen.

Why a Redesign Was Needed

Strategic shifts toward personalized recommendations made the old structure unable to support the desired user scenario. Simple tweaks could not meet future business needs, so a comprehensive redesign became essential.

How the Redesign Was Planned

Self‑analysis and problem summary

The header image had no real purpose and occupied too much space.

The “golden area” layout (10+5) was chaotic and lacked categorization.

Quality alliance and selected modules presented listings in a single, dull format, with low exposure for most users.

The featured‑house module was large, and its title was hidden behind a background image.

Map‑search and commute‑search modules were scattered, weakening their impact.

Too many waist‑level modules forced users to scroll two‑three screens before seeing recommendations.

The overall page felt bloated and not streamlined.

Data‑driven decisions

Analytics showed the recommendation list had a high click‑through rate but appeared on the third screen, prompting a need to bring it forward. The quality‑alliance module had low clicks, suggesting its screen real‑estate should be reduced. Commute‑search and map‑search both had high conversion rates, indicating they could be merged and placed more prominently.

Redesign Goals

After multiple discussions with product and interaction teams, goals were set based on business objectives, user needs, identified issues, and data analysis.

Key Redesign Points

Focus on user path and business‑driven structure

The new layout reduces module stacking, merges similar sections, and shortens overall height. High‑conversion modules are moved forward, while oversized modules are scaled down, creating a smoother rhythm and balanced traffic distribution across three main zones: search methods, category navigation, and smart recommendations.

Aggregated search methods

Commute and map search, both high‑performing, are combined and placed on the top‑right of the navigation bar for quick access.

Flexible featured‑house area

Depending on city specifics, the waist‑level featured‑house section can be configured with 2‑4 different combinations, allowing rapid adaptation during events such as the pandemic.

Gold‑area classification

Three entry types—primary, secondary, and tool—were defined. Icons of the same type are grouped on the first screen, reducing the original “10+5” layout to a horizontal scroll of ten icons, lowering screen occupation and selection cost.

Flexible house‑feature display

Under the apartment and selected tabs, a feature‑display zone now highlights each house type’s characteristics, with options for pure display or clickable entry, facilitating quicker user decisions.

Smart recommendation module

Removed distracting background images to emphasize titles.

Reduced module size and screen footprint.

Combined smart topics with the recommendation list into a single tab.

Switched from a 2+2 layout to a horizontal scroll, showing more topics.

Enabled flexible width configuration.

Conclusion

The redesign, initiated by the design team and endorsed by product, demonstrates how design can proactively shape business direction. Post‑launch data shows overall conversion rates improved, highlighting the importance of continuous iteration and rapid, data‑driven adjustments.