OwnIt

The challenges facing first-time homebuyers are huge, with a knowledge gap, a complex financial system, and little support. OwnIt is a mobile application to help first-time homebuyers navigate the process by providing them with:

• Guidance on every step of the homebuying process

• An in-app digital coach that delivers prompts and encourages the users along the way

• A tool to calculate what each user can afford, over a range of buying timelines

• A personalized plan, timeline, and saving goals for each user

• Direct connection to a personal bank account that tracks spending and encourages the user to autosave from transactions

BACKGROUND

Project Overview

The client reached out to me to assist with the project partway through the design process. Up until this point, they had worked with a previous freelance UX/UI designer. So this was the first time I joined a client mid-project. There were already quite a few screens designed for a user flow that the client had already worked through. However, there were some recently added features and user requirements that needed to be incorporated into the design and flow. The client also requested edits to the logo, which resulted in a full logo redesign and incorporation of new brand colors.

My Contributions

As this was an existing project with some of the main parts of the UX process already complete, the first step was to analyze the flow and overall aesthetic appeal of the app. After that, my job was to simplify the process as much as possible and make it intuitive for the users. I also needed to improve the visual appeal of the entire app, while incorporating new features and user requirements. The most important part of the project was implementing the new brand into both the previously designed and new screens, ensuring consistency.

USERS

Personas

When I started the project, one of the first things I asked the client was if they had taken time to create user personas. The answer was a quick, “No, why would we need to do that?” This is one of the fun but challenging parts of freelancing. I explain the value of slowing down the process to think through each and every aspect of why you are building this application. The clients’ mindset oftentimes is just to move full steam ahead. I think this is one of the main issues with application design today; the users are forgotten. I can guarantee that almost anyone in the UX/UI industry reading this right now is probably thinking, “One hundred percent - yes!”

So, I led the client through a brief persona creation exercise, which resulted in the client realizing the importance of user interviews and user testing. The ideal user for this application is a first-time homebuyer. It’s someone who is overwhelmed by the process and needs help understanding how it works and needs financial accountability to help get them there faster. The project lead was not a first-time home buyer, so they were not even using the app themselves. We made a few different personas for this app, one of which is featured below. The best outcome of this exercise after having to very strongly encourage the client to make time for it was that landed them at a decision to slow down and go backward in the process to do some user interviews and user testing based on the features and user requirements lists to ensure that what they assumed was actually needed by a user.

 [KG1]Think we should break this up and reword

Visual Design

Below are examples of the final UI Designs and features. Click each to view full size.

WHAT I LEARNED

Key Takeaways

I loved working on this project because I could relate to the user as I remember being a first-time home buyer and wishing there was a combination of these features in one app. It was helpful to be able to directly relate to the features being offered by this app, which is not always the case when going through a UX/UI process.

It was challenging to come in mid-way through this project and not understand the full background on what had been done and why it had been done up until that point. I was pushed outside my comfort zone when it came to asking questions and not feeling bad about asking too many questions. I quickly learned that to design the new screens, update the old screens and confirm consistency in an entire user flow, I needed to understand A LOT. I did my best with the timeframe I had, the access to information I was given, and my own user research and competitive analysis.

It made me appreciate getting to be a part of the UX discovery process from the very start to feel like you understand all the ins and outs of the project as well as the desires and personalities of the key stakeholders. It also helped me understand the need for a relationship with the engineering team that implements my designs.

It made me appreciate getting to be a part of the UX discovery process from the very start to feel like you understand every in and out of the project, the desires and personalities of the key stakeholders you would be working with and sending deliverables to and the need for a relationship with the engineering team that would be implementing your designs.