PROBLEM
Real estate investing has high capital requirements, knowledge barriers and complex tax issues that make it painful for accredited investors and inaccessible to the 100M US retail investors.
OwnProp was launched to open up real estate investing to everyone and provide liquidity to homeowners and current investors. OwnProp is starting with properties available to accredited investors, and plans to open up to retail investors within 18 - 24 months.
COMPANY: OwnProp
OwnProp
Blockchain-based platform to buy and sell property with ease, transparency and low cost.
ROLE: Product Designer
TIMELINE: Feb - Mar 2022
BACKGROUND
OwnProp is introducing a space where cryptocurrency meets real estate by tokenizing real estate assets on the blockchain. The product is a carefully curated real estate marketplace where accredited users can own properties and get insights to make strategic investment decisions. The company was working on a second version of their product to turn it into a mobile first experience.
RESPONSIBILITIES
It was my task to transform a group of proof of concept screens into a fully functioning MVP, inclusive of building out all remaining flows and linking up a prototype.
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
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Become a mobile first platform to invest whenever and wherever
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Create an MVP prototype to share with stakeholders
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Smooth out the design system with consistency and pattern definitions to distinguish the OwnProp brand
CONCEPT
My product design counterpart had started the designs of some screens based on research to get me started. When it was handed off to me, I took an audit of everything that was done, studied the patterns and system, and determined what was missing to make it a fully functioning MVP.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Creating a site map helped me see how every element fit together and illuminated where the gaps were that needed to be worked on.
SKETCHES
I then took to pencil and paper to start sketching out some of the missing flows and screens. This allowed me to quickly ideate and iterate on concepts before bringing them into a digitial space.
Sign Up and Onboarding
Discover
What's Next
Investment Statuses
Favorites
There were 3 ways a user could sign up: by phone number, by connecting their wallet, or by social media. I worked with the team to determine the hierarchy of the 3 sign up options and build out the process of each. I created visual affordances throughout the flow so a user knew they were making progress with each selection.
Key Flows
DESIGN
Throughout the design process, I met weekly with my fellow product designer and product manager to share inspiration, ask questions, bounce ideas off one another, and hear feedback for the app. We worked through flow by flow to make sure the designs aligned with OwnProp’s vision
SIGN UP AND ONBOARDING
DISCOVERING PROPERTIES
The discovering properties hub allows users to finish setting up their profile, search and explore different types of properties, and list new properties of their own. I designed with consistency in mind to make sure every sub-screen fit in seamlessly with the rest of the app.
MAKING INVESTMENTS
A user can view the details of each property and decide to invest, add to watchlist, or trade depending on the status of the listing. I created tags with different visual treatments to indicate this status. I also put more emphasis on the imagery by wiring up scrolling and full screen pictures.
MANAGING PORTFOLIO
Through the porfolio page a user can see their tokens, recent transactions, watchlist and favorites. I designed each screen stemming from the main page to ensure consistency and clarity with the amount of information they displayed. I took inspiration from other apps like Airbnb and Coinbase.
VISUAL SYSTEM
OwnProp had previously created a design system which I used to create maintain consistency and standardization across the mobile app.
COLORS
TYPOGRAPHY
Tiempos Headline
Bold for headings
NAVIGATION BAR
Hellix
SemiBold and Regular for content
ICONOGRAPHY
KEY LEARNINGS
FIGMA INTERACTIONS
I mastered the craft of prototyping and creating different interactions for varying screens in Figma.
COLLABORATION
As this was my first time working with another Product Designer, I learned key collaboration skills to showcase my talents while still aligning to the company’s vision.
TIME MANAGEMENT
I took this on as a freelance project on top of my full time job, so I learned crucial time management skills to balance everything with ease.
OUTCOME
DELIVERABLES
Designed and prototyped screens to demonstrate the concept of a mobile application that allows users to invest and trade real estate through cryptocurrency tokens.
SUMMARY
Investing in real estate was once looked at as complex, costly and painful to maintain. This project shows that with intentional design, we can make that a simpler, safer, and more trustworthy process. OwnProp meets users where they are at and helps them along every step of the way so they can feel confident in the decisions they are making.
OwnProp is redefining the investing space by becoming the NYSE of real estate. This application will open up the doors to all accredited users by eliminating the common headaches of investing and allow them to buy and sell properties with ease, transparency and low cost.
FUTURE ROADMAP
The next step in the process will be to present the prototype to stakeholders to pique their excitement and gain approvals. Then the team will work with engineers to bring the designs to life. OwnProp is planning to launch the app in about 2 years time as they have currently just launched their first product on the market.
THANK YOU!
For questions, contact me at erinblumenthal19@gmail.com.
Or check out another case study below.
