BresicWhitney
An Open-House Mobile App for Real Estate Agents
Overview
Project type
UX/UI Design
Duration
6 weeks
Role
Designer
Team members
Project manager
App developer
Real estate principal
Summary
BresicWhitney wanted to be more in control of their data, previously they used a competitors app for agents to check in visitors at open homes but they had subsequently built their own iOS app. They had plans to use data to create better relationships with their client base and track their needs and preferences over the long term but this required their agents to input more accurate and useful data.
The adoption of the app by agents had recently stalled, agents were using the app less and less with many different reasons given as to why. Many reasons were given, it could be visual factors, not looking sleek enough, or performance , being too slow, we were to gather feedback and find out what could be done to win over agents to use the app again.
Challenge
Why are agents not using the BresicWhitney app and what can we do to increase adoption?
Process
Kickoff
BresicWhitney wanted to be more in control of their data, previously they used a competitors app for agents to check in visitors at open homes but they had subsequently built their own iOS app. They had plans to use data to create better relationships with their client base and track their needs and preferences over the long term but this required their agents to input more accurate and useful data.
The adoption of the app by agents had recently stalled, agents were using the app less and less with many different reasons given as to why. Many reasons were given, it could be visual factors, not looking sleek enough, or performance , being too slow, we were to gather feedback and find out what could be done to win over agents to use the app again.
Contextual enquiry
We visited 4 different open house inspections across Sydney to see how agents use the app in context. In all visits we interviewed all agents present to better understand their pain points and goals using the app.
Competitive and heuristic review
We reviewed 5 different apps in Australia and the US to understand differences and best practises. Using basic usability principles we reviewed the app for improvements e.g. Visibility of system status, recognition rather than recall, etc.
Survey
To rate the experience of BresicWhitney agents with the current app as well as competitors, as well as query any further pain points and suggestions for improvement
Insights
We found the following key insights.
01
Agents need to minimise their time on the app to maximise their conversations
After preparing for the entire week for a 15-30 minute inspection, agents needed to perform at 100% in building rapport and learning as much as they can to identify potential leads. The goal of agents on their first interactions with a customer was to build rapport in order to learn more about a visitor, how serious they were, and keep open the opportunity to approach them later. As such they were highly sensitive to any usability or performance failures of the app.
02
The app was unreliable in checking-in a visitor during an open house
Lack of system feedback and slow performance would often lead agents wondering if the app was even working. Almost all agents we observed asked customers for their mobile numbers to check their database, however they weren't provided fields that were optimised for mobile causing mistakes to be made.
03
Custom notes needed for memory recall rather than data capture
While the business was hoping for agents to enter key data directly into their database, loading these fields queried the database and agents tended to use these fields after an inspection. Many agents wrote custom notes earlier in the process when checking in visitors based on a details that arose from conversation. This helped them recall a person better, especially after meeting hundreds of people in a day.
Task mapping
We visited 4 different open house inspections across Sydney to see how agents use the app in context. In all visits we interviewed all agents present to better understand their pain points and goals using the app.
Ideation & Prototype
We explored new designs that focused on:
Improving the check-in process for agents
Applied usability improvements such as introducing a loader animation for data queries that take longer, and separating name and mobile fields to optimise mobile keyboard controls.
Easier access to offline custom notes
We provided easy access to offline custom notes, which agents could more reliably open without querying the database and slowing the performance of the app.
Organise and simplify to align with agents workflow
We reduced the information to not overload agents, creating high level categories that aligned with the way they segmented and reported on leads to the home owner. Allowing them to see how many total leads had visited the house as well as more easily identify favourited and repeat visits.
Usability testing
We tested these design changes with 4 agents to get their feedback. In our prototype we tested the check in process and simulated a few different data query times based on the dev teams estimates. With the combination of user feedback and more intuitive fields, agents were more confident with the app’s performance. In addition they found the information organised in an easier way to provide quick insights they could update the seller with.
Outcomes
Following testing our new designs we received positive feedback from agents that validated our key changes. The agents we tested with were very excited to know when the new release would be, and appreciated that the app was finally improving.
We delivered detailed iPhone designs and assets to our client and our development partner through Figma as well as a prototype for showing interactions before finishing our engagement. We were happy to receive a positive endorsement from our client as well.
I was impressed by the project and creative leadership, as well as their technical and executional skills…We let you drive the output, we were leaning on you to deliver the goods and you did!
Will Gosse, Director & co-owner, BresicWhitney
Lessons learned
Have a backup plan for recording insights
We tried to organise a screen share with the real estate agents to see what they were seeing however there were many instructions sent and technical difficulties that led to us using alternatives. Exploring backups helps to be more prepared
Shared tools with devs
We used tools such as Miro and Figma for much of this project and found it great to share work so freely with developers and keep them in the loop. This was really helpful for ensuring that handover was smooth and we could flag issues/constraints early.
Performance is UX
We all know that performance is such a huge factor in UX, milliseconds can be the difference between a positive experience and a neutral one whether someone knows it or not. This project really proved that, with it being such a crucial factor.
Harder to win back users than retain them
This project was such a reminder how hard it is to win back users once they have had a bad experience. Even in such a small company with pressure from management if you provide a bad experience, you will fight ten times harder to get them to try it again.
