Realtor.com Local
- Project: Realtor.com - New Local section
- Description: Transforming raw data into an experience with a story
- Roles: Lead UX Designer (Visual & Interaction)
- Constraints: Data, Platforms, Brand styleguide
- Dates: 2013-2014
US State menu
School Report Card
Neighborhood Page - Current
User Flow
Current Status
- 2013 - Architecture established, concept design, user testing - Live version
- 2014 - Multiple parts currently in development (not yet public, but soon)
Description
Realtor.com is the flagship product of Move Inc. and the original site for online real estate. It’s focus had been on users on the hunt who were ready to buy/rent. A new opportunity arose that was less about search results and more about research. A growing number of users were looking for information on their areas of interest, such as neighborhoods with good schools, walkable cities, and crime data. We decided to create a destination for users in this research mode, and the Local section was born. Developers quickly built databases, wired APIs and optimized keywords. Soon we had a huge amount of data, but it needed a focus.
I joined the team as lead UX (visual/interaction) designer and immersed myself with the developers and their data. With the help of our developers, Product Manger, and Information Architect, I wrote user stories, created user flow diagrams, and began to wireframe layouts for this local data. Instead of working from what data we had available, we designed what we thought users would look for on the page and then determined what data met those needs. We then tested our concepts along side competitors in lab and remote user studies. We humbly listened to users disagree with our assumptions and provide priceless feedback.
Soon I had revised concepts based on user and team feedback which are currently in development. Features like responsive layouts and interactive maps may sound impressive, but the content must be presented in a digestible manner to make an engaging experience for users. This project has gone from being a flood of data, with little focus, to being a crafted narrative tailored to meet the needs or real users. It’s been a great lesson in project management and a reminder of the value of real user testing. I can’t wait to share it with our audience.