DwellAware - Home Intelligence Platform
Senior Product Manager and Designer
Dwellaware quantified risks and costs for businesses and their customers in the housing sector.
Overview
Upon my arrival at DwellAware, I took the lead in overhauling the search experience. The existing design was notably cluttered and confusing, posing challenges for users in efficiently locating their desired homes. My initial focus was on reimagining the search cards, with a keen emphasis on improving both the user experience and search efficiency.
Goal
The objective is to create a design that resonates with the needs and preferences of home-buyers. This involves crafting an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies the home-buying process. Key features include:
Streamlined Search Functionality: Develop a search system that allows users to easily filter properties based on specific criteria such as location, price range, property type, and more.
Informative Property Listings: Each listing should provide comprehensive details including photos, property features, neighborhood information, and contact details for inquiries.
Interactive Maps and Tools: Integrate interactive maps for geographical orientation and tools like mortgage calculators for financial planning.
Personalization Options: Enable users to save their preferences and searches, creating a personalized experience that caters to their unique home-buying journey.
Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure the design is fully responsive, providing a seamless experience across various devices, crucial for users on the go.
The design should be clean, visually appealing, and focused on user ease and efficiency, making the complex journey of home buying as smooth and straightforward as possible.
User research
In contrast to similar websites like Zillow, RedFin, Realtor, and Movoto, which typically displayed maps on the left and listings on the right, I approached the design differently. Research indicates that finding the right home is a top priority for home-buyers. Based on this insight, I redesigned the layout to showcase the houses as the initial focus, strategically positioning them on the left side of the user interface.
Not reinventing the wheel
In the development of our product, we focused on not reinventing the wheel. To achieve this, we conducted a thorough comparative analysis of similar products, a strategy essential for enhancing our design efficiently without starting from the ground up. A key part of this process was examining Airbnb's design approach, renowned for its emphasis on simplifying and streamlining the user experience. This analysis was not only insightful but also immensely beneficial, allowing us to integrate proven design principles and techniques into our project. The learnings from this study contributed significantly to the positive outcomes we experienced in our own design efforts.
User requirements
Mobile first design
Prioritize homes' information for users (IA)
Remove unnecessary elements
Add simple filter options for searching homes
Page wireframing
In my approach to redesigning the page, I divided it into five distinct sections, as illustrated in Fig A. This segmentation was key to our strategy, enabling us to focus on designing and deploying each part bi-weekly. This progressive build and design approach was instrumental in maximizing our time and resources, ensuring the project was delivered on schedule.
With the search card design already in place, my attention turned towards refining the user preferences section (see Fig B). Feedback gathered during the UserTesting phase was crucial. It highlighted that many users experienced the home search process as cluttered and exceptionally confusing, leading to inefficiency. Addressing this issue became a primary focus, with the aim to streamline and simplify the experience, making it more user-friendly and effective.
Refining search cards
For the wireframe design of the search cards, I embarked on an iterative process, creating a total of six design variations. After each iteration, I revisited the user feedback to assess the effectiveness of the designs. This feedback was invaluable, as it revealed distinct pros and cons for each wireframe. Armed with this information, I synthesized the strengths from each iteration to craft a new design. This final design integrated the advantageous features identified in the feedback, ensuring a more user-centric and efficient search card that balanced aesthetics with functionality
Final Design
After finalizing the design, my focus expanded to include the validation of the design through rigorous user testing. This phase was crucial to ensure that the design not only met our standards but also resonated well with our users. My role involved closely working with the product development team, providing them with continuous support and guidance, and ensuring that the insights gained from user testing were effectively incorporated into the final deployment of the project
Outcome of the Redesign:
The impact of these meticulously tested and validated design changes was significant. We observed a remarkable 30% increase in user traffic, indicating a surge in user engagement and interest. Our Net Promoter Score, a critical indicator of customer satisfaction and loyalty, also saw a notable improvement. These positive developments established DwellAware as the preferred choice among users. The success can be largely credited to the delightful user experience and the streamlined access to comprehensive home information that our platform offered following the redesign. These results not only validated our user-centered design approach but also highlighted the importance of thorough user testing in creating a product that truly meets the needs of its audience.
