The
Overview
Brief
Team: PM , Engineers, Marketing Manger
Tools: Figma, Photoshop, Google Suite, Jira, Rhino, Grasshopper
Responsibility: User Interface, User Experience, User Research
The context
In 2020, the Real Deal Listing platform, powered by Lavamap LLC, was launched just as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digitalization of the real estate industry. Traditional in-person property tours became impractical, driving increased demand for virtual alternatives. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 63% of homebuyers made offers on properties without in-person visits, highlighting the shift towards digital solutions. Recognizing the need for more immersive virtual experiences, we began developing The 3D App—a cost-effective and accessible tool designed to democratize virtual tours by enabling users to create 3D experiences directly from their smartphones. This innovation aims to enhance property viewings and engagement on the Real Deal Listing platform, especially for smaller agencies impacted by the pandemic.
The impact
- Research and Design: Defined core features that were essential for The 3D App's successful 2022 launch.
- Positive User Impact: Achieved 83% positive feedback for app's ease of use and innovative features.
- Enhanced Team Efficiency: Collaborated with PMs and developers to boost feature deployment speed by 22.5%.
- Established Best Practices: Contributed to long-lasting design and development standards within the team.
The
Process
The
Challenge
The real estate industry has historically relied on traditional methods for property listings and viewings, primarily centered around in-person visits and professional photography. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average age of real estate agents in the U.S. is 55 years old, indicating a workforce that is generally older and possibly less familiar with newer technologies . This demographic trend presents challenges in adopting innovative tech solutions, particularly as the industry adapts to the post-COVID-19 landscape. The pandemic in 2020 significantly disrupted traditional real estate practices, creating an urgent need for virtual alternatives. Yet, the transition to new technologies like 3D virtual tours is not seamless, especially for professionals with limited technical skills.
The opportunity
The New Era of 3D Tours
Traditional 3D tour creation is slow, expensive, and equipment-heavy. A mobile solution allows agents to quickly and affordably generate high-quality tours, giving them a competitive edge and meeting a critical market need.
Floor Plans Made Easy
Floor plans are essential for giving buyers a clear understanding of property layouts. Integrating an easy-to-use floor plan tool into the app enriches the virtual tour experience and adds significant value for both agents and buyers.
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The
Research
Interview & Survey
To better understand the needs of potential users and how they interact with 3D virtual tours, I conducted user interviews to identify pain points. I developed a set of interview questions and led focus group discussions, which provided crucial insights for refining the 3D App. Additionally, I followed up with a survey to validate the findings from the interviews, ensuring that the feedback accurately reflected broader user preferences and needs. This approach allowed us to gather comprehensive data, guiding the enhancement of the app based on real user experiences
Insights
Through the user research, we identified that the main pain points for users in the current market. These challenges make it difficult for smaller real estate agencies to adopt such solutions, highlighting a clear gap that our app aims to fill by providing an affordable, efficient, and user-friendly alternative:
- High costs
- Long production times
- Specialized equipment
- Need for professional teams
Understanding our Competitors
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the 3D App and its standing amidst competitors, we conducted a thorough analysis of key rivals in the market. This in-depth examination empowered us to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness across various platforms. By scrutinizing competitor offerings, we honed our focus on enhancing user experience and refining our product and business strategies, thereby informing the formulation of the app's initial iterations.
Insights
Competitor research shows that most existing 3D scanning apps on the market are designed for use with specialized, often expensive equipment, making them inaccessible to younger, less-established real estate agents. Our product has the opportunity to bridge the flowing gaps:
- Specialized equipment
- Additional costs
- Lack of simplicity
Define
User persona
Our research indicates that young real estate agents are the most promising customer segment for our product. These agents are more open to adopting new technologies and often lack the extensive resources or teams needed to produce high-quality 3D tours. On the other hand, more experienced and established agents, who are less receptive to new technology and have the financial means to hire professional photography teams, are less likely to adopt our solution. This pattern underscores the importance of positioning our product as an affordable, easy-to-use tool for agents who are new to the industry and eager to leverage technology to gain a competitive edge.
User story
& User flow
Scenario One
Lisa’s hand is bleeding and she needs to get a band aid.
User flows
- Lack of option to mark viewed coupons or separate new coupons
- Absence of 'clip all' option for coupons, causing frustration
- Email coupon deals not visible in app's extra care savings section
- Inability to delete or dismiss unwanted coupons, leading to repetitive scrolling
- Difficulty accessing pharmacy rewards tracker and coupons
Scenario
David got a promotion email and he saved the 50% off coupon in his account this morning. When he passing by a CVS store later, he receives a remind message of the available coupon so he gets into the store to buy the item.
flow
- Get CVS promotion email
- Save the discount
- Log in and save the deals
- Get CVS promotion email
- Save the discount
- Get a notification when passing by a CVS
- Locate the nearest CVS Store
- Log in and save the deals
- Grab the item
- Self check out and apply QR code
Digital Coupons
CVS digital Coupons will attract users shop in the store which will affect users who want to get deals and save money by letting user aware of the coupons of products they might interest and collecting them for future shopping
Digital Coupons
- Lack of option to mark viewed coupons or separate new coupons
- Absence of 'clip all' option for coupons, causing frustration
- Email coupon deals not visible in app's extra care savings section
- Inability to delete or dismiss unwanted coupons, leading to repetitive scrolling
- Difficulty accessing pharmacy rewards tracker and coupons
Design
process
Impact-Effort Matrix
After analyzing user research and market needs, we prioritized key features for our MVP using an Impact-Effort Matrix. To address the main pain points—high costs, complexity, and the need for equipment—we focused on developing high-impact, low-effort features like 3D tour creation, onboarding, and a user-friendly interface. These decisions ensure the 3D App delivers immediate value to tech-savvy young real estate agents while staying within budget and timeline constraints.
PART OF pRIORITIZED FEATURES
ON BOARDING
Minimizing user effort while effectively showcasing the app's value.
By eliminating the need for expensive equipment and allowing users to preview the app's benefits without registration, we addressed key pain points. Through careful consideration, we opted for a graphic-based approach over text or video, ensuring a low-effort, high-impact experience that increased sign-up rates and user engagement.
ON BOARDING
Streamline the user flow.
Iteration
ON BOARDING
Simplifying the process of creating virtual tours.
This design for the room-scanning feature is clean, intuitive, and user-friendly, aimed at simplifying the process of creating virtual tours. It walks users through a step-by-step panoramic capture, ensuring clear instructions such as standing 3 feet from doorways and moving the phone continuously for optimal results. The UI emphasizes ease of use with minimal buttons and clear progress indicators. The final screen allows users to select the best default image from multiple options to represent the scanned space, giving them control over the final look of the tour.
Iteration
ON BOARDING
Solving Complex 3D Model Challenges with Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration.
As a team, we successfully developed 3D models for the app, enhancing user experience. However, while working on the floor plan feature, the engineers faced challenges understanding the connection between 3D models, floor plans, and room dimensions. Leveraging my knowledge of 3D design tools like Rhino and Grasshopper, I collaborated with them to bridge this gap and provide clear insights, ultimately solving the problem. This effort not only improved our floor plan tool but also enriched the virtual tour functionality, providing greater value to our users.
The
Outcome
Onboarding
creating a new tour
scanning
3d model & Floor plan
Design
system
The
Reflection
This project provided hands-on learning in user research, Figma style guide creation, and team collaboration, resulting in a 22.5% increase in design workflow efficiency. Conducting user interviews with over 20 participants highlighted the importance of understanding real needs, shaping an MVP that drove 83% positive user feedback on ease of use. Moving forward, I would prioritize more frequent user testing to further improve outcomes. This experience solidified my ability to deliver impactful solutions by blending creativity with user insights.
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