PLS-7C: Testing Roommate Matching

Overview

In this module, you'll test the roommate finder and group formation workflows in your sandbox environment. You'll verify that YOUR bio form displays correctly, YOUR tags appear in filters, compatibility scoring works, and students can form roommate groups within YOUR configured size limits.

What you'll learn:

• How to access the roommate finder as a test student

• How to browse other students' bio profiles using YOUR tags

• How to test bio visibility settings (Public vs Private)

• How to verify compatibility scoring based on YOUR bio form

• How to form roommate groups and test group size limits

• How to troubleshoot common roommate finder issues

Time: 10 minutes

What You're Testing

In this module, you're validating that:

• Roommate finder is accessible during the roommate phase

• Students with Public bios appear in the roommate finder

• Students with Private bios do NOT appear in the roommate finder

• YOUR tags appear as filter options

• Tag-based filtering works correctly

• Compatibility scoring displays and makes sense

• Roommate group formation works

• Group size limits are enforced (min/max roommates from PLS-6C)

Prerequisites

Before starting PLS-7C, you must have completed PLS-7B with:

• ✓ At least 2-3 test students with submitted applications

• ✓ All test students have completed bio forms

• ✓ At least 2 test students set bio visibility to Public

• ✓ Test students have different preference tags for compatibility testing

If you haven't completed applications yet, go back to PLS-7B first.

Step 1: Access the Roommate Finder

Access the resident portal as one of your test students (e.g., Johnny Test).

Navigating to Roommate Finder

1. From the student dashboard, locate your application

2. Click "Manage" or navigate to Application in the navigation bar

3. Select your housing application

4. Click "Roommates" in the navigation menu

Step 2: Verify Bio Visibility Settings

Before you can browse roommates, verify your own bio is set to Public.

What to Look For

At the top of the Roommate Finder page, you should see a visibility toggle:

• Public: Your bio is visible to other students; you can search for roommates

• Private: Your bio is only visible to admins; you cannot search for roommates

For testing, ensure it's set to Public.

Testing Bio Visibility

1. Verify Johnny Test's bio is Public

2. Create one test student with bio set to Private (e.g., create "Private Test" student)

3. Switch to a different test student (Sarah Test)

4. Browse the roommate finder

5. Verify Johnny Test appears in the list (Public bio)

6. Verify "Private Test" does NOT appear in the list (Private bio)

Step 3: Browse Roommate Profiles

As Johnny Test, browse the list of potential roommates to verify YOUR bio form content displays correctly.

What to Look For

On the roommate list page:

• Other test students with Public bios appear (Sarah Test, Alex Test)

• Student names and profile pictures display

• Bio preview text shows (first few lines of "Tell us about yourself")

• Compatibility indicators or scores display (if your system shows them)

Clicking a student profile:

• Full bio form responses display

• All YOUR bio form questions appear with answers

• Preference tags display (Sleep Schedule, Study Habits, etc.)

• Contact information displays (email, social media links if configured)

Testing Checklist: Bio Display

• ☐ Students with Public bios appear in the roommate finder

• ☐ Students with Private bios do NOT appear

• ☐ All bio form questions from YOUR form display on profiles

• ☐ Answers display correctly (not cut off or formatted weirdly)

• ☐ Profile pictures display (or default avatar if no picture)

• ☐ Contact information displays correctly

Step 4: Test Tag-Based Filtering

The roommate finder should allow filtering by YOUR preference tags (the ones you created in PLS-4).

How to Test Filtering

1. On the roommate finder page, look for "Roommate Preferences" or "Filter" button

2. Click to open filter options

3. Verify YOUR tags appear as filter options: • Sleep Schedule: Early Riser, Night Owl, Flexible • Study Habits: Quiet Study, Background Noise OK, Flexible • Any other preference tags you created

4. Select a filter: "Early Riser"

5. Click "Apply Filters"

6. Verify only students tagged "Early Riser" appear in results

7. Try different filter combinations to test multi-tag filtering

Testing Checklist: Filtering

• ☐ Filter button is accessible

• ☐ All YOUR preference tags appear as filter options

• ☐ Filtering by one tag works (shows only matching students)

• ☐ Filtering by multiple tags works (shows students matching ALL selected tags)

• ☐ "Reset" or "Clear Filters" works to show all students again

• ☐ Filter results update in real-time

Step 5: Test Compatibility Scoring

If your system displays compatibility scores or indicators, verify they're working correctly based on YOUR bio form answers.

Understanding Compatibility

Compatibility is calculated based on matching answers to YOUR bio form questions:

• Johnny Test (Early Riser, Quiet Study) should have HIGH compatibility with Sarah Test (Early Riser, Quiet Study)

• Johnny Test should have LOWER compatibility with Alex Test (Night Owl, Background Noise OK)

What to Verify

1. Browse roommates as Johnny Test

2. Look for compatibility scores, match percentages, or indicators

3. Verify Sarah Test shows higher compatibility than Alex Test

4. Click into each profile to see detailed compatibility breakdown (if shown)

5. Verify the scoring makes sense based on matching vs. non-matching answers

Step 6: Form a Roommate Group

Test the roommate group formation workflow by having test students form groups.

Testing Group Formation

As Johnny Test:

1. Browse roommate finder

2. Click on Sarah Test's profile

3. Look for "Send Roommate Request" or "Invite to Group" button

4. Click to send invitation

5. Verify confirmation message appears

As Sarah Test:

1. Access resident portal as Sarah Test

2. Navigate to Roommates section

3. Look for pending roommate invitation from Johnny Test

4. Click "Accept"

5. Verify roommate group is formed

6. Verify both Johnny and Sarah show as grouped

Back to Johnny Test:

1. Refresh the Roommates page

2. Verify Sarah Test now appears in your roommate group

3. Verify you see group status (e.g., "2 of 3 roommates")

Step 7: Test Group Size Limits

Verify that your cycle's min/max roommate settings (configured in PLS-6C) are enforced correctly.

Testing Maximum Group Size

If your cycle allows a maximum of 3 roommates:

1. As Johnny Test, send invitation to Alex Test (third roommate)

2. As Alex Test, accept the invitation

3. Verify the group now has 3 members

4. Create a fourth test student and try to send them an invitation

5. Expected result: System should block the invitation or show "Group is full" message

Testing Minimum Group Size

If your cycle requires a minimum of 2 roommates:

1. Try to proceed to room selection as a solo student with no roommate group

2. Expected result: If min = 2, system should block room selection or show "Must have at least 2 roommates" message

3. If min = 0 (students can live alone), solo students should be able to proceed

Testing Checklist: Roommate Matching

Roommate Finder Access

• ☐ Roommate section accessible during roommate phase

• ☐ Visibility toggle displays (Public/Private)

• ☐ Students with Public bios can access roommate finder

• ☐ Students with Private bios cannot browse (or see message explaining why)

Bio Display

• ☐ All students with Public bios appear in the list

• ☐ Students with Private bios do NOT appear

• ☐ Bio preview text displays on list cards

• ☐ Clicking a profile shows full bio responses

• ☐ All YOUR bio form questions appear on profiles

• ☐ Answers display correctly and completely

Filtering

• ☐ Filter/Roommate Preferences button accessible

• ☐ YOUR preference tags appear as filter options

• ☐ Single-tag filtering works correctly

• ☐ Multi-tag filtering works correctly

• ☐ Filter results update properly

• ☐ Clear/Reset filters works

Compatibility

• ☐ Compatibility scores/indicators display (if configured)

• ☐ Students with matching preferences show higher compatibility

• ☐ Students with different preferences show lower compatibility

• ☐ Compatibility breakdown makes sense

Group Formation

• ☐ Can send roommate invitation

• ☐ Invitation appears for recipient

• ☐ Can accept invitation

• ☐ Roommate group forms correctly

• ☐ Both students show as grouped

• ☐ Group member count displays correctly

• ☐ Can add additional roommates (up to max limit)

• ☐ System blocks exceeding maximum group size

• ☐ System enforces minimum group size (if configured)

Common Issues & How to Fix Them

Step 8: Test Multiple Group Scenarios

Test different group formation scenarios to ensure all workflows work correctly.

Scenario 1: Two-Person Group (Most Common)

1. Johnny Test invites Sarah Test

2. Sarah accepts

3. Both students see 2-person group

4. Verify group leader designation (usually the person who sent first invitation)

Scenario 2: Three-Person Group (If Max Allows)

1. Add Alex Test to Johnny + Sarah's group

2. Verify group shows 3 members

3. Verify all three students see the complete group

Scenario 3: Solo Student (If Min = 0)

1. Create a new test student who doesn't join any group

2. Verify they can proceed to room selection as an individual (tested in PLS-7D)

3. If your cycle requires minimum roommates, verify solo students are blocked

Scenario 4: Leaving a Group

1. Have one test student leave the roommate group

2. Verify group size decreases

3. Verify remaining students still see their group

4. Verify the student who left can join a different group or go solo

Step 9: Verify Group Data in Admin Portal

Switch to the admin portal to verify roommate groups are tracked correctly on the backend.

Checking Roommate Groups

1. Navigate to Admin › Applications

2. Click on Johnny Test's application

3. Look for a "Roommate Group" section or tab

4. Verify it shows: • Group members: Johnny Test, Sarah Test (and Alex Test if 3-person group) • Group size • Group leader designation

Repeat for Sarah and Alex to verify all group members show the same group information.

Step 10: Document Roommate Finder for Support

Create support documentation based on what you learned while testing:

Sample Support Documentation

Testing Complete Checklist

Before moving to PLS-7D (Room Selection Testing), verify:

• ☐ At least 2-3 test students have Public bios

• ☐ Public bio students appear in roommate finder

• ☐ Private bio students do NOT appear

• ☐ Tag-based filtering works correctly

• ☐ Compatibility scoring displays and makes sense (if configured)

• ☐ Roommate group formation works (send invitation, accept, group forms)

• ☐ Group size limits are enforced (max roommates)

• ☐ Roommate groups display correctly in admin portal

• ☐ At least one roommate group formed and ready for group room selection testing

• ☐ At least one solo student (no group) for individual room selection testing

• ☐ Support documentation created with common roommate questions

Key Takeaways

• Roommate finder requires students to have submitted applications with Public bios

• Bio visibility setting controls whether students appear in the finder

• YOUR preference tags appear as filter options for searching

• Compatibility scoring is based on matching bio form answers

• Roommate group formation requires sending and accepting invitations

• Group size limits (min/max) from PLS-6C are enforced in the student experience

• Roommate groups are tracked in the admin portal and tied to applications

• Group leader (first inviter) will select the room for the entire group

What's Next: PLS-7D

Now that you've tested roommate matching and formed roommate groups, you're ready to test room selection.

In PLS-7D: Testing Room Selection, you'll:

• Browse available rooms as test students

• Test inventory visibility rules based on YOUR tags

• Test YOUR lottery configuration (if applicable)

• Complete room selection as individuals and groups

• Verify room pricing displays correctly

• Confirm residency records are created

Continue to PLS-7D →

Additional Resources

• Find and Contact a Potential Roommate, for Students - Student-facing roommate guide

• PLS-6C: Roommate Phase Configuration - Review roommate phase settings

• PLS-4: Tags & Rulesets - Review how tags and compatibility work