Jo Mineo Homes is a responsive website designed for a single real estate agent, focusing on lead generation and providing a seamless experience for homebuyers and sellers.
This project originally began as a simple website redesign for the agent, Josephine Mineo, showcasing her expertise and experience in the real estate industry. By its conclusion, the project expanded to include property search (IDX) integration, enabling users to explore listings directly on the agent’s site.
SERVICES
INDUSTRY
B2B
Healthcare
DURATION
12 Months
PLATFORMS
Hive
Veeva
Adobe Photoshop
Figma
Adobe Acrobat Reader
MY SERVICES
INDUSTRY
Real Estate
DURATION
10 Months
PLATFORMS
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
Prott
Google Forms
Adobe Acrobat Reader
iHomefinder
Elementor
WordPress
MY ROLE
SERVICES
INDUSTRY
B2B
Healthcare
DURATION
12 Months
PLATFORMS
Hive
Veeva
Adobe Photoshop
Figma
Adobe Acrobat Reader
In the competitive real estate market, Jo faced a challenge with her digital presence, which was to capture the attention of prospective clients and convert them into leads. Despite her experience and expertise, her original site was difficult to navigate and had poor information architecture, impacting her ability to capture the attention of new clients. In addition, her site was not engaging enough for visitors which was shown through the high bounce rate.
She requested a web designer who would not only revamp the aesthetics of her site but also enhance its functionality to improve user engagement and lead conversion.
I conducted a QA assessment and content inventory which helped me understand what was working, and what was not, with the original website. I learned that the information architecture needed the most urgent attention. The navigation bar was minimalistic, providing little guidance on where to find essential information. The site’s content appeared randomly placed, lacking a logical flow that could narrate the unique value proposition of Jo’s services. Consequently, the original site failed to engage visitors effectively, resulting in a disjointed experience that didn’t facilitate lead conversion.
A survey posted across social platforms helped me gather insight into how individuals go about finding realtors, what they are looking for when they find their site, and any common pain points when searching and selecting a realtor.
After receiving insights from the survey, I conducted 3 in-depth interviews with individuals that had bought, sold, or rented properties in the US in the last 12 months.
Similar to the survey, I was most interested in their experiences when looking for an agent and the frustrations they encountered throughout the process. I also wanted to get more information about their experiences with online property search, since the survey results indicated that the feature was important to have on realtor websites.
Interview participants:
Key Findings
After extensive discussions with Jo and careful analysis of the feedback from user interviews and survey results, it became clear that the site needed more than just a simple redesign. Integrating an IDX (Internet Data Exchange) solution would be pivotal in addressing the initial problem and would allow users to connect with Jo about specific properties. It will keep users engaged instead of having them navigate away to other real estate platforms, increasing the chances of conversion.
The challenge was to find an IDX provider that not only fit the budget constraints but also offered the necessary customization and creative control to help users find properties that matched their specific search criteria.
Before selecting a provider, I first needed to determine the scope of features essential for our users. With this in mind, I crafted a user journey as well as the preliminary wireframe, envisioning the overall layout and how the IDX features would be integrated.
The following three user personas summarize the various goals, motivations, and frustrations found in the user research.
Age: 30
Occupation: Marketing Coordinator
Background: Emma is looking to purchase her first home in CT. She is tech-savvy but new to the real estate process.
Age: 45
Occupation: IT Manager
Background: David is in the process of selling his current home and is exploring different towns in CT for his next purchase. He has a demanding job and values thorough information.
Ages: 65 and 67
Occupation: Retired (Susan: Former Teacher, Bob: Former Engineer)
Background: Susan and Bob are looking to relocate from their long-term home in CT to FL, seeking a change for a warmer climate and laid-back lifestyle.
The user journey includes several paths to accommodate each user persona and their objectives.
Once the client approved the user journey, I used Figma to put together a Wireframe of of each page.
I wanted to ensure that the property search functionality met the users requirements before finalizing the selection of an IDX provider. To do this, I implemented the property search pages into Prott and conducted usability testing with four users to gather insights and validate the design.
Users were asked to provide me with predetermined search criteria so that I could cater the testing to them.
Users were struggling with moving between the different stages of advanced search to IDX results. They also wanted more customizable search features such as acres of land, the option to see what properties have virtual tours, and what places have open homes.
I combined the advanced search and map search into a single, unified page. With this, I added more customizable search features, making their search experience more personalized and relevant.
After users were saving properties, they were asking how to get notified about future listings that matched their search criteria.
I integrated the option to sign up for listing reports within the property search experience, giving me the option to gather contact information from interested users, turning them into leads.
Before
After
When selecting an IDX provider, several factors were considered to ensure that the selected solution aligned with the client’s budget, customization needs, and user experience goals. I created a comparison table showcasing what the top three ones were from research with their features based on the needs and goals of the client.
| Feature | iHomeFinder | Showcase IDX | RealtyNA WPL Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Monthly subscription: - ($89.95 per month) - $99 for one time setup |
Monthly subscription: - ($84.95 per month) - $0 setup fee - Monthly subscription ($84.95 per month) |
One time payment: -($950 setup fee) - $300-600 - additional costs required for advanced search tools |
| Ease of Use | Easiest to Set Up: setup process is streamlined, with a user-friendly interface and clear instructions | User-Friendly Setup: plugin is straightforward to install, and the user interface is intuitive | More Complex Setup: setup may require a steeper learning curve, especially for customization to user needs |
| Advanced search customization | Moderately Customizable: known for robust, user-friendly search features with powerful map-based capabilities | Less Customizable: known for modern, intuitive search experience, but slightly less customizable than iHomefinder | Highly Customizable: Known for having advanced filtering are essential. |
| Lead Generation | Best for Traditional Lead Capture: provides robust lead generation tools with advanced search capabilities and lead scoring | Best for Modern Engagement: excels through its custom registration triggers and user-friendly prompts | Best for Customization: can build out very specific lead capture and management processes, but requires more technical knowledge |
| Speed and Performance | Reliable and Well-Balanced: provides a strong balance of speed, ease of use, and reliable IDX integration | Fast and User Friendly: offers the best speed and performance with a user-friendly, modern design and minimal setup required. | Customizable and High-Performance: highly customizable and capable of excellent performance if properly optimized. |
