Aalay

Property search simplified for home seekers

Overview

Remember when you moved to a new city? You were excited to start a new chapter, but you didn't know where to start when it came to finding a place to live. That's where Aalay comes in.

Aalay is an online property search platform for finding rental or buyable residential properties. It helps users make informed decisions about properties by providing them with a convenient and trustworthy property search experience.

My role

UX/UI Designer


User Research, Ideation, Visual design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability study

Tools used

Adobe XD, Photoshop, Rhinoceros

Timeline

2022, 3 months

The Problem

Property searching is a time-consuming and complex process that involves extensive research and visiting multiple locations. However, this process gets more difficult when property listings lack transparency and are overloaded with information. This can lead to confusion and mistrust among users, making it hard to make informed decisions on time.

Research

Who are the users

Firstly, I identified common user groups for an online property search platform:
Students
Working Professionals
xFamiliesx
Investors

What users said

To understand what problems users face, I conducted qualitative interview with six users
"Can not trust because sometimes, brokers pose as owners"
"I change city every year, everytime can not go to site and checkout the listings"
"False pictures are uploded by owners to misguide consumers"
"Verification codes, plans, etc details are not present on websites"

Insights

I wrote down insights based on the interviews on the process of property search process, which led to three clusters of the most common pain points

Property details

  • Information overloaded on websites which is very overwhelming and confusing
  • Comparison of properties is difficult
  • Many limitations in search present which includes budget, property type, area, etc

Transparency

  • Fake listings or scam attempts present online
  • Agents pose as owners online
  • Actual condition of property difficult to assess online

Time and energy investment

  • A lot of time is spent browsing listings, and talking to real estate agents.
  • Visiting multiple locations is time-consuming and inconvenient

User personas

Moving to the next step, I created persona based on the user groups and user research which helped me developing a clear understanding of who I was designing for. I referred to this persona through the entire designing process to remain focused when making design decisions.

User journey map

To put myself into the shoes of a user like Aashka, I mapped out her user journey. This user scenario will help us identify her needs and the pain points that we can improve upon. It is surprising to see that home seeking process requires extensive brainstorming.

Ideation

Based on the pain points of users to solve the problem, I decided on two main features of the app

Search using filters

Searching is made easier for users with various kinds of filters that saves time

Compare property listings

To assist users in making decisions by making property listings easier to compare

Verified info with updated dates

Users can view multiple verified photos, videos, and virtual tours of a property, including the date each was updated

Information architecture

To start off the design stage, I started structuring product by creating sitemap for responsive website. As users tend sit down and strategically plan their house hunting, I decided to design first for laptop, desktops and then later moved to mobile phones and tablets.

Main Navigation

Filters

Navigation Menu

Concept wireframes

Before starting on digital wireframes, I iterated with few sketches of page layouts. The user would first try to search the listings and so I gave more emphasis to search bar in these concepts.

Lo-Fi wireframes

Once the structure was established, I started creating low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes were later converted to lo-fi prototypes to get a better idea for how all the screens would fit together with smooth transition.

Usability Testing

Before moving on to high-fidelity mock ups, I tested the lo-fi prototype in a unmoderated usability study where users were asked to complete several tasks. The test objectives focused on usability, smooth browsing and easy reach-ability. All users completed the given tasks easily, however, there were some notable points raised
  • Users suggested adding a clear filter option
  • Users wished to see pictures of all amenities to check reality
  • Users wanted ratings to be there prominently on each listing

Solution

With the usability study feedback, I iterated on the prototype and generated high-fidelity wireframes and an interactive prototype of the final user flow.

The high-fidelity mocks were heavily based on the low-fidelity designs. As property search is a stressful process, while designing I had some key points in mind: easy navigation, simple UI and to show only what is necessary to the user at each stage.

Search seamlessly

Users can easily search for property listings by entering their city / neighborhood / pin code into the search bar and applying relevant filters

Easy viewing and contact

Users can effortlessly view details like floor plans, photographs, nearby places, commute options, amenities, and contact owner easily

Compare and make the right decision !

Users have the option to add their favorite listings to "My List," which includes a feature to compare these listings based on relevant factors which helps in efficient decision making

Explore top cities listings

Users can view top cities listings and visualize them on a map. Listings include recommended properties, newly launched projects, top-rated properties, and price trends

Tablet & Mobile versions

I followed similar process of design for mobile and tablet versions

UI Design

As the property search process can be overwhelming, I opted for an earthy shade of brown to evoke a relaxing and homely feel for the primary color. To add a touch of excitement to the search experience, I incorporated vibrant orange for the call-to-action buttons.

Conclusion

Learnings

In a content-rich property search website, I learned the significance of prioritizing users' needs. Users have certain priorities in mind while going through this process and thus those priorities should be taken care of first. Trust becomes a critical factor for users and lot of their decision making depends on the ratings and reviews given by others and the real pictures of the property, so they should be shown prominently.

Moreover, this project provided me with valuable insights into responsive web design, which allows the website to adapt seamlessly to different devices and screen sizes.

Next steps

This website can be made more user oriented by conducting another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed. A more detailed iteration of this website can be made which can handle a larger and more complex database, while also providing a smooth user experience.

“Creates a sense of ease! ”
Jahnvi Shah, Chartered Accountant

Thanks for reading !

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I'm open to new projects and opportunities so let's chat!

nomitaj21@gmail.com
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