Ezome is a mobile platform to simplify the selling needs of property owners by allowing them to learn, explore, and purchase services from a marketplace of real estate professionals. My team, which consisted of 2 interaction designers and 2 visual designers, were approached to develop mobile wireframes and a brand identity for Ezome.
The client asked our team to conduct research to validate the initial vision and feature list for the product. We conducted phone interviews with real estate professionals and home sellers in the Chicago area to better understand their needs.
To get a holistic view of the market need, we spoke with sellers that have sold multiple properties, as well as those that have only sold one property, usually their own home. We interviewed professionals ranging from agents, who provide a suite of services along the entire selling process, to single service providers.
Our key findings included:
Simultaneously with research, the team studied the client's existing requirements and product feature list. We used this information to create a high-level application map, which helped our team uncover gaps in the flow of the app as well as narrow the scope for the first release.
We used the recommendations from the research to expand on the app map and built detailed wireframes. These are the wireframes for the "Learn" section of the app.
While wireframing, the team identified usability issues that required further research. One in particular was the functionality of the Shortlist feature, which gives users the ability to compare services before purchasing. We created a low fidelity prototype using InvisionApp and tested with our peers. The mobile app development is currently ongoing and set to be released later this year.