Privve

mobile application project
The real estate process is fragmented, outdated, and costly. Traditional, agent-dependent models don’t meet the needs of today’s tech-savvy consumers who desire control, efficiency, and lower transaction costs.

my role

Competitive researcher, lead product designer (UX/UI), marketing manager

project outline

This project started by doing research on what a real estate agent does in the current work flow. What applications do they use? How do they work together, if at all?

The next step was to identify key features and functionality this app would require to complete an entire transaction.

Once all the information was gathered, I started working on user stories - what type of user will be using this app and what are their needs/wants? Form there, low and high fidelity prototypes were created. These were iterated on and modified to fulfill the user's needs.

Some user testing was done as well as presenting the prototype to investors and other stakeholders.

the problem

There is no platfrom currently avalible for real estate buyers and sellers to complete the contract process and purchase/sell a home without the need for a real estate agent.

the goal

Design a responsive web application for buyers and seller that combines all the tools and processes real estate agents currently use.

pain points

1

fragmented

Real estate agents use a range of disjoined platforms, processes, and systems.

2

outdated

Those process are outdated, making it hard to use in the current ecosystem.

3

costly

High transaction costs can deter buyers/ sellers from compelting a transaction.

our target users

name: Mark
age: 36
education: 4-year university
hometown: Boise, ID
family: Married
occupation: Accountant

Mark is a young professional living in Boise, ID with his spouse. They have been renting for the past five years as they saved money for a down payment. They are now on the hunt for their first home. Never having purchased property before, they're not sure where to start. They look at homes on Zillow but would like to tours those homes without a real estate agent, as it's hard to schedule a time that works for all of them.

problem statement

Mark is an accountant who needs the ability to scheudle home tours without an agent becasue he and his spouse have busy schedules.

name: Jen
age: 68
education: Trade school
hometown: Boise, ID
family: Widowed
occupation: Retired teacher

Jen is a recently retired widow who owns a house in Spokane, WA. She is looking to sell her house and move to a warmer climate. Her late husband dealt with the house so she's not sure where to start. She see's 'For Sale by Owner' signs in other people's lawns, and she's wondering if she wants to do that because she would save money on a real estate agent. But if she goes that route, she it's sure how to get the word out there that her house is for sale. She's exploring differnt options.

problem statement

Jen is a retired teacher who needs help listing her house becasue she has never dealt with the house before and doesn't know where to start of who to talk with.

starting the journey

market opportuinty

Identifying the market potential for real estate tech:

  • Real estate tech market and projected growth
  • Trends in digital adoption and consumer expectations for transparency and efficiency
  • Key audience segments:First-time homebuyers, tech-savvy buyers, cost-conscious buyers, remote workers, agents, and investors
  • 2024 outcome of NAR class action lawsuit

design research

The low-fidelity prototype connects the primary user flow of logging into the app, creating a profile, and going through the onboarding process.

iterate, iterate, iterate

usability study findings

During this project, I went through two usability studies that allowed me to determine key user pain points and accessibility issues. After each round, I made updates and improvements to the high-fidelity prototype. The screen shots below demonstrate each round of prototype iterations.

Users (buyers) want the ability to look at homes without an agent.

Users (sellers) want to complete contracts without the aid of an agent.

User (agents) want organized communication with their clients.

high-fidelity prototype

The high-fidelity prototype connects the agent to the buyer/seller through in-app messaging and real-time updates across all interfaces. This prototype is an extensive flow that highlights the main functionality of the app.

takeaways

This was my first project using Figma and the first taste I had with UX/UI design. Over the years of tackling this project, I learned a lot about the tool and a lot about myself as a designer - this was the career I wanted to get into.

I'm grateful for this project because it exposed me to the entire development and exploration of a product. I learned that design is continuous, research is required, and innovation has no bounds.