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
Testing Reference: This module tests the workflows documented in Find and Contact a Potential Roommate, for Students. Reference that article to understand what students will see and do.
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
From the student dashboard, locate your application
Click "Manage" or navigate to Application in the navigation bar
Select your housing application
Click "Roommates" in the navigation menu
Roommate Phase Must Be Active: If the roommate finder doesn't appear or shows "Not available yet," verify your roommate phase dates in PLS-6C are set to present/active ranges for testing.
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
Verify Johnny Test's bio is Public
Create one test student with bio set to Private (e.g., create "Private Test" student)
Switch to a different test student (Sarah Test)
Browse the roommate finder
Verify Johnny Test appears in the list (Public bio)
Verify "Private Test" does NOT appear in the list (Private bio)
Privacy Working Correctly: If Public bios appear and Private bios don't, your visibility settings are working correctly. This prevents students who prefer admin matching from being contacted by other students.
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
On the roommate finder page, look for "Roommate Preferences" or "Filter" button
Click to open filter options
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
Select a filter: "Early Riser"
Click "Apply Filters"
Verify only students tagged "Early Riser" appear in results
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
Browse roommates as Johnny Test
Look for compatibility scores, match percentages, or indicators
Verify Sarah Test shows higher compatibility than Alex Test
Click into each profile to see detailed compatibility breakdown (if shown)
Verify the scoring makes sense based on matching vs. non-matching answers
Compatibility Helps Students Decide: High compatibility scores help students identify good roommate matches. If scoring seems random or inaccurate, review your ruleset configuration from PLS-4 and ensure soft rules are weighted appropriately.
Step 6: Form a Roommate Group
Test the roommate group formation workflow by having test students form groups.
Testing Group Formation
As Johnny Test:
Browse roommate finder
Click on Sarah Test's profile
Look for "Send Roommate Request" or "Invite to Group" button
Click to send invitation
Verify confirmation message appears
As Sarah Test:
Access resident portal as Sarah Test
Navigate to Roommates section
Look for pending roommate invitation from Johnny Test
Click "Accept"
Verify roommate group is formed
Verify both Johnny and Sarah show as grouped
Back to Johnny Test:
Refresh the Roommates page
Verify Sarah Test now appears in your roommate group
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:
As Johnny Test, send invitation to Alex Test (third roommate)
As Alex Test, accept the invitation
Verify the group now has 3 members
Create a fourth test student and try to send them an invitation
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:
Try to proceed to room selection as a solo student with no roommate group
Expected result: If min = 2, system should block room selection or show "Must have at least 2 roommates" message
If min = 0 (students can live alone), solo students should be able to proceed
Group Size Limits Not Working? If you can exceed your max roommates or proceed with too few, review PLS-6C (Roommate Phase Configuration) and verify min/max roommate settings are configured correctly.
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
Issue | Likely Cause | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
Roommate section doesn't appear | Roommate phase not started yet | Go to Admin › Setup › Cycles › YOUR cycle › Roommate tab, set phase start date to today or earlier |
No roommates appear in finder | All test students have bio set to Private | As each test student, set bio visibility to Public (or verify in PLS-7B testing) |
No roommates appear in finder | No other students have submitted applications yet | Complete applications for at least 2-3 test students first (PLS-7B) |
Bio form doesn't display on profiles | Bio form not assigned to cycle | Go to Admin › Setup › Cycles › YOUR cycle › Roommate tab, verify bio form is assigned |
Tags don't appear in filter options | Tags not marked as "Public" visibility | Go to Admin › Setup › Tags, edit YOUR preference tags, set visibility to "Public" |
Tags don't appear in filter options | Tags not applied to student profiles | Go to Admin › Profiles › Each test student, verify preference tags are applied |
Filtering doesn't work | Students don't have the tags you're filtering by | Verify test students have tags applied (review PLS-7A setup) |
Compatibility scores seem random | Ruleset not configured or weighted incorrectly | Review PLS-4 (Rulesets) and verify soft rule weights make sense |
Can't send roommate invitation | Group already full or student already in a group | Check group status, verify neither student is at max capacity |
Can exceed maximum group size | Max roommates not configured in cycle | Go to Admin › Setup › Cycles › YOUR cycle › Roommate tab, verify max roommates is set |
Can't form group even though under max | Application not approved | Go to Admin › Applications, approve test student applications manually |
Step 8: Test Multiple Group Scenarios
Test different group formation scenarios to ensure all workflows work correctly.
Scenario 1: Two-Person Group (Most Common)
Johnny Test invites Sarah Test
Sarah accepts
Both students see 2-person group
Verify group leader designation (usually the person who sent first invitation)
Scenario 2: Three-Person Group (If Max Allows)
Add Alex Test to Johnny + Sarah's group
Verify group shows 3 members
Verify all three students see the complete group
Scenario 3: Solo Student (If Min = 0)
Create a new test student who doesn't join any group
Verify they can proceed to room selection as an individual (tested in PLS-7D)
If your cycle requires minimum roommates, verify solo students are blocked
Scenario 4: Leaving a Group
Have one test student leave the roommate group
Verify group size decreases
Verify remaining students still see their group
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
Navigate to Admin › Applications
Click on Johnny Test's application
Look for a "Roommate Group" section or tab
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
Student Question | Answer/Resolution |
|---|---|
"Why can't I see any roommates?" | Your bio must be set to Public. Go to Application › Roommates and click "Make My Bio Public." |
"Why can't I find my friend in the roommate finder?" | They may have their bio set to Private, or they haven't submitted their application yet. Ask them to check their settings. |
"What does the compatibility percentage mean?" | It shows how well your preferences match based on your roommate questionnaire answers. Higher percentage = more similar preferences. |
"How do I know if someone accepted my roommate request?" | You'll receive a notification, and they'll appear in your roommate group on the Roommates page. |
"Can I leave a roommate group after joining?" | Yes, you can leave a group before room selection. Contact housing if you need help. |
"What happens if we can't agree on a room?" | The group leader selects the room for everyone. If there's disagreement, you may need to leave the group and select individually. |
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
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