IMBY Case Study
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Client
Imby is a non-profit organization in D.C. that brings together citizens, real estate developers, and local governments to support and create responsive, sustainable communities.
Problem
Residents are often not aware of real estate developments in their neighborhood, and as a result, they do not have a voice in the development process.
Solution
Design a social and interactive map-based mobile application that informs and engages residents on nearby real estate developments through project descriptions, news articles, events, and feedback surveys.
The goal is to empower residents with relevant real estate development information and enable them to share their ideas and opinions with developers.
Project Type, Duration, Tools, Deliverables
First selected project (solo) | Two weeks | Paper, Pen, Balsamiq | Clickable Prototype, Empathy Map, Persona
Role & UX Skills
UX/Interaction Designer | User Interviews, Synthesis, Paper & Balsamiq Prototypes, Information Architecture, Usability Testing
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Empathize
To begin the research process, I crafted user interview questions to learn more about the representative users' behaviors, pain points, goals, needs, and motivations relating to real estate developments in their neighborhood.
Along with another classmate, I then went out to the streets of DC to interview eight people who seemed to fit the target demographic. The interviewees consisted of people in their early 20s to mid-60s, who are residents of the DC, VA, and MD areas and are from various social and economic backgrounds.
Synthesis
After spending about an hour plus conducting guerrilla street interviews, I synthesized the findings based on major themes, pain points, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions I now know about the users. The goal was not only to understand what the underlying problems were but why they existed.
Pain Points
Residents usually see real estate developments when they happen in real time.
They want a safe environment for themselves and their families.
They typically learn about neighborhood news through get-togethers and block parties.
There seems to be some misunderstandings between communities and developers due to mindset differences.
The youth in neighborhoods usually come together for common causes; elders are not as interested.
Themes
Lack of Awareness: There seems to be a lack of exposure to real estate development information and a lack of understanding of the process at the community level.
Lack of Participation: There seems to be a lack of involvement and collaboration between developers and communities.
Lack of Action: As a result, there seems to be a lack of meaningful change to and impact on the development process.
Define
With a clearer understanding of the target users, I came up with a persona to personify the characteristics listed in the empathy map. The purpose was to keep Sophia’s needs and goals in mind during my design thinking process.
Solution Details
My research also reinforces Imby’s current themes: to engage, to empower and to enable residents to make a difference.
The next challenge was to design an intuitive and engaging app.
I mapped out the hypothesized solutions based on the gathered pain points and themes.
Learn more about proposed, approved, and under-construction real estate development projects through an interactive map-based app.
Contribute to the development process by voicing ideas and opinions via the feedback survey feature.
Attend real estate development and neighborhood-related events to discuss changes in person.
Learn more about the projects, their developers, and raise questions or concerns in real time.
Comment, like, and share project information, articles, events, and feedback to connect with others.
Ideate & Prototype
With adequate research and data-driven insights for the next step, I began sketching various versions of the app, starting with its core features.
Usability Tests & Iterations
After a few revisions of the paper prototypes, I felt confident enough to test it with my classmates.
User Flow
User Feedback
Why do users need to log in?
What if people want to use the app to explore a new area to move to?
Is the app made for developers as well?
Do you enter the neighborhood by name or zip code?
After receiving prompt feedback, I set out to improve the final design of the app.
Changes made include the rearrangement of the information hierarchy, the user interface, the user flows, and the addition of the Augmented Reality features.
Deliverable
After two weeks of researching, wireframing, iterating, and rapid prototyping, I delivered a low-fidelity, clickable Balsamiq prototype of the mobile app.
On-boarding Value Proposition
Co-create your community.
Learn more about your neighborhood and real estate developments in the area.
Stay informed and engaged on projects, news articles, and community events.
Share your ideas and opinions with neighbors and real estate developers.
About Imby
Your external world is a reflection of your internal world.
App Features
Projects and Articles: Provide informative and up-to-date content to empower residents.
Events and Augmented Reality Camera: Facilitate in-person participation and provide innovative features to engage and “hook” residents.
Feedback Surveys: Enable residents to share their opinions and raise their voices to make an impact.
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Next Steps
If I had more time, I would enhance the Augmented Reality feature to make it more user-centered, upgrade the visual design elements, create an information architecture diagram, and consider additional user thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to further the client’s vision and mission.
Takeaways
Overall, I really enjoyed working on this project. I had a chance to create a non-profit app that users could potentially find helpful and engaging.
I also learned that the quality of my product improves as the number of my design iterations increases. It is about the users and their experiences.
Residents do want to be heard and valued in the real estate development process, and I'm more than happy to help them with my work.