OVERVIEW

2. Request a Showing.

Connecting with one of Allen Tate thousands licensed broker’s directly one platform.

RESEARCH

the Problem: HOMEBUYERS ARE OVERWHELMED BY SEARCH ENGINES

I worked with the stakeholders determine existing paint points with potential homebuyers. Based on the survey responses, I we found overlapping stress points among target user personas. I started the project by conducting research in order to better understand the users. To help frame my research and ensure a structure was in place, I created a research plan, which includes the goals and objectives, assumptions, methodologies, participants, questions, and timeline.

GOAL

Reduce the time it takes for users to filter search options, book a showing, and connect to agents in order to increase the number of users who utilize Allen Tate for purchasing a home directly from their platform and agents.

MARKETPLACE RESEARCH

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 95% of homebuyers use online search tool when looking for a home. 43% of homebuyers start their search online for properties while only 18% start by contacting a real estate agent (NAR, 2022).

Looking at the marketplace, most home buyers are using digital-first websites, as opposed to full-service brokerage (works directly with consumers). Zillow, Realtor, and Trulia are the top online digital-first real estate websites, bringing in a collective 111.5 million monthly views. With 8.4 million monthly visitors, Redfin is the top-ranking website for a full-service brokerage. 

However, the marketplace data shows that buyers still prefer working with real estate agents for their skill in negotiations, help with closing documents, and guidance for first-time buyers (NAR, 2022).

competitive RESEARCH

To evaluate the competition in the market, we examined the offerings of the following competitors: Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, and Realtor.com. Each of these companies provides different features, strengths, and target markets. We compared top product features and services, which include: Direct Agent Support, Directly Schedule Tours, Wide Market Coverage, Intuitve User Interface, and Interactive Maps.

Zillow and Trulia offer a wide range of features and stand out as the top competitors in the market. However, both product have a broad basis scope in US Market and do not specialize on one specific region, creating an entry point for Allen Tate to focus on their strong brand in the Southeast.

DEFINE

Empathy Maps

I generated three uniquely different types of users based on the client kickoff interview. The website caters to cliental across the Southeast, but three large focus groups include first-time millennial homebuyers, Gen X homebuyers, and “Boomer” homebuyers. The challenge was to create an online home shopping experience that appeals to users across a wide age group.

The PersonaS

After empathy mapping, these three personas became very clear to the team The Personas were created based on the design research analysis, the client kickoff meeting, and the user stories. With the user persona, I could empathize more with the end-users.

SUCCESS METRICS

The company seeks to differentiate itself by bringing creating a seamless connection between Allen Tate’s home listings and listing agents. The product aims to provide customers with an easy scheduling feature that connects users to agents. The success metrics below focus on user research and competitive analysis of existing products.

Home Search Interface Before Redesign

DESIGN

DESIGNING + PROTOTYPING

Sketching for Efficient Flows + Visualizations 

The client provided us with their own Style Guide, however, I was able to redesign the logo and branding to make it more appealing to the target users. I started to look at different UI to design the best visualization for a real estate platform. Redfin, Zillow, StreetEasy, and Trulia were sources of inspiration.

Concept Property Search Map: Low Fidelity

The main redesign is centered around the home search tool for prospective home buyers. The existing interface has several design redundancies, a non-intuitive interface, and hidden scheduling tool for requesting a showing. As a result, I focused on the Filter, Map, and Listings Container when revamping search tool. I proposed a 3-panel layout with a simplified color scheme, a more visually exciting map, reduced text and repeated language, and a more accessible scheduling tool. These changes were made in order to create a more enjoyable user experience and a smaller barrier to scheduling a showing. The following shows the original concept home search tool.

Concept Home Page: Low Fidelity

improvements to the Home Search Interface

Noteworthy DEsign Improvements in the rebrand

1. Search Tool

I rebranded the search tool to create a simpler, more visually pleasing design. The redesign also filters results by general location rather than specific addresses when the user does not type in numbers, creating a more broad search criteria to display more search results.

2. Mapping Visualization

I rebranded the map to display a more intuitive birds-eye view of available listings in the area with a heat map that clusters nearby homes when zoomed out but pins individual listings when zoomed in. The previous version has static lettering that showed the number of homes in an area and required the page to reload each time the user tried to zoom in on the map.

3. Booking a Showing

The existing interface made it difficult to access the booking feature. Users have to click on the listing, scroll to the bottom, and then they will see the booking option. The new version intuitively shows users they can book a listing by moving the scheduling option to the top of the listing. Additionally, when users click ‘Request a Showing’ it opens a pop-up which directs the user to make a decision.

LOGO ITERATIONS

Based on the user types and challenges with the existing platform, I ran through many rounds of logo and branding iterations with the client. One key challenge with the design was creating a minimal, streamlined logo that appeals to younger first-time homebuyers but also feels familiar to repeat clients, older home owners, or local residents who are familiar with the existing branding. The end branding seeks to nod to the aesthetic of the previous design and maintaining the current color scheme and creating a clean and simple design.

Style GuiDe

TEST

In-Progress Prototype with added revisions

The prototype is the best way to present what the final product would look like and how it would work to the stakeholders.

With the clickable Figma prototype, I conducted an online usability test with a few survey responders. During the test, I asked the users to complete one main task: book a listing appointment with an agent. Fortunately, this was easy for the users. However, from one responder, they would have preferred the option to book the appointment an agent other than just the listing agent.

Overall, they found the product well organized, very intuitive, aesthetically appealing and had a lot of info built-in functionality.

DELIVERY

Allen Tate’s next step is to decide to develop the revisions by handing off the project to the development team. The delivery process consisted of making sure all the elements and high-fidelity wireframes were prepared to be handed over to the developer.
A key step in this process was creating the style guide and clearly defining all added tools or revisions. This helped the developers to understand the reasoning for the revisions and create alternative solutions if the development team faced challenges implementing the design. I will be watching the Allen Tate project very closely and ready to work on their new design if it is their decision in the near future.

TAKAWAYS

Communication is vital. While this was a solo project, working directly with stakeholders, clients, and developers was crucial in creating a feasible and successful end-product.

Great feedback throughout the design process is just as important as great communication - it makes possible for designers to understand user challenges. When in doubt, ask for feedback the usability of the product.