One of the largest real estate companies in Eastern Europe reached out to us to help them with their new project. They introduced an innovative online experience of buying real estate and applying for mortgages where managers and agents are barely involved in the process.
This approach was new to the whole industry — none of the market players including customers were familiar with it.
They asked us to do a study to help them complete the shift the best way possible.
Before starting, we came up with a plan to help us decide where to start and how we can best achieve our goals
This approach was new to the whole industry — none of the market players including customers were familiar with it.
They asked us to do a study to help them complete the shift the best way possible.
Before starting, we came up with a plan to help us decide where to start and how we can best achieve our goals
We interviewed people who were applying for mortgages and buying property from our customer and were about to go through the entire purchase process.
We decided on a diary study as it is best-suited for long-term goals and user behaviors. It was vital to follow the users throughout the whole purchase process and get feedback from them every step of the way.
There was a big risk of missing important input from the study participants if interviews were conducted at a later time.
A diary study was perfect for our case as some parts of the process were both online and offline.
There was a big risk of missing important input from the study participants if interviews were conducted at a later time.
A diary study was perfect for our case as some parts of the process were both online and offline.
Study participants were asked to write down their impressions and write about their experiences daily. They were to make notes every time they got in touch with our customer, the real estate developer. Every 3-5 days, our team would get in touch with them to get updates, ask follow-up questions, and add comments to the diaries.
The online purchase process turned out to be longer and more complex than clients had expected. The website and the managers of the real estate developer promised clients that the entire process from applying to the signing documents would take from 2 to 3 weeks. When in fact, it sometimes took way longer due to various unexpected problems.
Right when I finally felt like I was at the finish life, I learned that there were even more docs that had to be notarized. I had no idea, cause nobody told me about them.
The bank approved a mortgage application but failed to inform the real estate agent. The delivery company didn't get an update and delivered the incomplete documents.
of all suggestions were implemented in the updated purchase process within three months after the study was complete. We updated all the general outline and UX issues.
In a year, the customer reached out to us to conduct an extra diary study to address further issues that could be optimized.
In a year, the customer reached out to us to conduct an extra diary study to address further issues that could be optimized.
