Real Estate Listing Site Platform
A real estate listing site is a platform where potential home buyers visit to browse the realtor's property listings.
Timeline :  A Year
Deliverables :  Research, Information architecture, UX/UI design, Prototype
Outcomes :  White/Dark theme Web/Mobile
Tool Used :  Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator
My role
As the sole designer in the development team, I participated in project planning and independently carried out all UX processes, including UX research, user interviews, wireframes, prototyping, design production, and usability testing. I collaborated with various stakeholders such as developers, project managers, and clients, and developed an internal platform for broad use.
Background
Homebuyers check listings through a realtor's website, which plays a crucial role in the journey to purchase.
"High-quality photos and sleek design capture users' attention and aid in site navigation. Improved user experience increases the likelihood of home purchases" (Placester, 10Web).
Consideration
We considered how the realtor's real estate website could be restructured to better meet users' needs by enhancing both informational and visual elements during steps 3 and 4 of the illustrated process.
Action
We identified issues with the current service and utilized direct feedback from clients to inform our website redesign project.
Problems
- Users found it difficult to identify the information they needed due to fragmented information.
- The realtor's listing site was not visually appealing enough to capture the user's attention.
- Users needed to be able to contact the realtor more easily and directly.
Solution
- Reorganize the menu and header to clearly display property-related information on the website.
- Utilize each realtor's brand colors to make the site appear as an individual promotional website for each realtor.
- Simplify the process so that potential home buyers can easily book services at their convenience.
Persona
Based on the problems and solutions identified through user interviews, I created a fictional user that reflects the user’s characteristics, needs, goals, and behavior patterns.

The majority of realtors in Canada are in their 50s. This age group may not be very familiar with digital tools and technology, and they may not fully recognize the importance of a website. Therefore, the renewal project focuses on providing a platform that is easier for them to access and manage, thereby improving efficiency.
Market Research
I explored similar industry services used by realtors in Canada based on the personas we selected. There were various services related to the real estate industry, but I focused more intensively on two companies. The reasons for my attention are as follows :
Rela
Rela, as a real estate marketing tool, provides an optimal user experience across devices with its diverse design themes and user-friendly interface. It excels in visual storytelling for properties, features a powerful search function, and categorizes information clearly to help users easily find what they're interested in.
Rew
Rew provides a variety of home search options including MLS Listings, New Homes, Rentals, and Real Estate Agents. It helped me recognize additional information that could be beneficial to prospective homebuyers beyond just property listings.
Definition with Bones
Existing issues and market research have established areas for service improvement. I divided the key framework into elements and named them Bones.
Bone 1 : Reorganization of information
Bone 2 : Enhancement of design elements
Bone 3 : Improvement of user accessibility
Based on these bones, the challenges we face with the existing service are as follows :
Design Challenges 1
Which type of website design is more effective for viewers to obtain the information they want?
1. Dashboard Design
Pros : All information is displayed on a single screen, so users don’t need to search through various sections.
Cons : Showing listings within the fixed vertical height of the site can be monotonous. It might be an unfamiliar experience for most users who are used to viewing listing information in a traditional web format.
Considerations : If content layout is not efficient, users may find it difficult to locate the information they want. (Existing issue)
2. Website Design
Pros : Can create a web format that closely aligns with client expectations.
Cons : A web design without fixed vertical height requires careful consideration of information placement.
Considerations : To combine the advantages of both dashboard and website designs, the website layout must prioritize and appropriately arrange the information users seek.
Solution and Conclusion
Choose a website design format where information about listings is prioritized and clearly displayed.
Design Challenges 2
How can users obtain clearer information about listings?
The client’s name, realty, and listing address vary greatly in text length, which was a major consideration in designing the system. Therefore, I considered placing the property's information in the background area. Here are the three formats I considered :
1. Left Menu
Pros : Offers a distinctive web experience with a common dashboard-style menu.
Cons : Requires careful placement of diverse information, and text length may be unsuitable.
2. Navigation Menu 
Pros : Provides a familiar web experience for users.
Cons : Placement can be conventional and unoriginal.
3. Background Area Text Placement
Pros : Information about the client and listings can be clearly conveyed and displayed uniquely.
Cons : Must consider balance with additional content (background videos, photos, etc.).
Solution and Conclusion
I adopted the background area text placement approach, which imposes no restrictions on text length. My idea was inspired by directly applying Netflix's UI to our service.
Design Challenges 3
How Can We Simplify the User's Property Buying Journey?
In the existing dashboard design, users can only attempt to contact a realtor via the context menu. However, this process needed an improvement to directly influence the user's decision to view a property.
Issues with the previous Dashboard Design
To access contact information, users have to click through multiple tab menus, which makes it difficult to reach the desired contact details. Additionally, the contact information was not directly linked to scheduling a property tour.
Improvement Direction
Users who are interested in a property should be able to immediately connect with the schedule tour functionality.
Considerations
- Buttons placed among various pieces of information must be easily noticeable to the user without disrupting the overall structure.
- Forms requiring user input on the website should be simple and ask for minimal essential information.
Solution and Conclusion
I added a "Schedule Tour" button accessible directly from the main screen, allowing users to connect to scheduling a tour immediately. The form for scheduling a tour was designed to focus on collecting the least amount of necessary information, ensuring that users can complete the details conveniently.
Final Design
User Feedback and Achievements
Through the redesigned web and app, we received direct positive feedback from customers using our services, and demonstrated efficiency improvements in the property management system by conducting moderated interviews among stakeholders, with 85% expressing positive feedback on the newly developed system.
Reflection
As the sole designer on the team, this project left me wishing for more time due to tight schedules. However, it allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of services that can practically benefit the business. If the team had been larger, I would have liked to explore a wider range of features.
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