HomeTeam is a conceptual application aimed at making the purchasing of a home more simple through improved communication and coordination. Using information gleaned from user interviews and questionnaires, I was able to identify patterns and pain points in the home-buying process. Then, through iterative wireframing and user feedback, I was able to build a successful low-fidelity prototype that met the needs of my target demographics and succeeded in removing the pain points discovered in my initial research. Building on that success, I further developed the identity of the product and fleshed out several key screen designs.
HomeTeam is, at its core, a means of communication and organization. Some users prefer email. Others text. Regardless of preference, however, HomeTeam was built to suit their needs. When chats are added to, users who have set their preferences correctly will receive notifications the way that suits them best and be able to reply and add to the conversation through either text, email, or in-app responses.
Some buyers are also sellers. Sometimes realtors need to buy a home to live in. The point is this: users can be multiple things at once when it comes to buying and selling property. As a result, there needed to be a simple way to keep track of groups, called teams, that a user could be participating in. Color coordination, labeling, and abbreviation all come into play here to make sure that users can stay organized.
If you're selling your house in order to buy another one, you're going to have to keep tabs on who is doing what, when. Nothing can stall out a sale like missed dates, walk-throughs, and vague schedules. HomeTeam was designed to help users keep track of their teams' progress and easily align on dates that worked for all those involved.
Jonathon is willing to be uncomfortable to save on funds. He's independent and enjoys the feeling of personal accomplishments. He's interested in staying on top of the process, especially since he's on his own. HomeTeam needed to be able to accommodate Jonathon's independence, allowing him to make schedules and store documents, just as well as it should for teams with multiple people. And, should he connect his bank associates to the team, he would be able to stay in easier contact even while at work through the app or through its texting features.
Kelly is already stretched pretty thin. She's career-focused and a new mother and doesn't have the patience or energy to invest in intense house hunting. She's able to connect with her girl friend, a realtor, and allow her to do most of the work. With HomeTeam, Kelly needed to be able to stay in touch, keep track of what her realtor was taking care of, and plan ahead for babysitters whenever she would be needed somewhere.