Roomored
UI | UX Design
Project Overview
Roomored has been transforming the traditional design center journey, captivating homebuyers across North America with innovative technology and social tools. Improving the client experience was one of the main goals in designing the Roomored platform, to create a more relaxing and exciting experience.
My Role
With preliminary research provided, I was tasked to create an inviting virtual design platform elevating the homebuying experience with the way people design for their dream home along with defining a UI styleguide for the product.
Tools
Homebuyers embrace virtual solutions due to many ease-of-use factors. Millennials, who are entering their prime homebuying years, are already familiar and comfortable with e-commerce platforms. In fact, 30% of millennials said they would buy and design a home completely virtually
National Association of Realtors 2020 Profile Homebuyers and Sellers Report
What we know and need
User Persona
This project is for a builder client.
Ages range millennials and up.
User has purchased their home, or is about to purchase their home, and wants to better understand what their design options are.
To better communicate with their personal interior designer consultant.
User is designing their personal home.
Tool is not targeted to prospects who are just browsing the Mattamy Homes site.
Traffic is 80% desktop, 20% mobile, and mobile users will primarily be 3rd, 4th, 5th iteration sessions.
Design Online Tool
Roomored has modeled 100% of the home, enabling free movement throughout the home.
Roomored also has another product called Roomored Sales Online which is a 360° tour of a home, but Design Online is limited to the cameras provided.
Access to all of the rooms, but we plan to propose that this deployment focus first on Kitchen, and then add Ensuite (master bathroom) in a 2nd release once we have sufficient traffic and user engagement on the kitchen design.
Roomored + Mattamy Homes Calgary have designed “inspirations” which are starting point designs that buyers can use to initiate their design.
Roomored Design Online Tool offers all 800 finishes that Mattamy Homes Calgary offers.
Scope
Propose design and user experience flow input the web front end of our Design Online tool.
Present the floor plans and design options in a logical, organized way.
Focus on Kitchen, Save/Share, and Approval process.
Provide the assets created in Adobe XD, Sketch or Photoshop.
Challenges
UI Styleguide Library not built.
Options finish list is 800 - 1000 items across several categories.
Previous version overwhelming with no clear direction.
Previous version not welcoming.
Focused Customer Journey
Look & Feel
Be inviting and welcoming. Provide our users with an experience that is emotionally reassuring and approachable, because anxiety can runs high with anything new. Keep things fun and leave new home owners excited about their own personal designs.
Have feng shui. Create a harmonic balance in keeping things organized and simple through good user flow and design. Make it easier to navigate and find what is needed, having the user feel good and look forward to the whole process.
Provide understanding. Give homebuyers a tool to do more designing at the comfort of their home when it is convenient for them. To give a chance to better understand their options more clearly.
UI Styleguide Library
A simple brand guide was provided including font type, a color palette to work with, color gradient, and some graphic elements. With design being built in Sketch, I laid the foundation for the UI Styleguide Library creating symbols and elements as well as extra colors and type hierarchy .
The Product
From a designer’s perspective…
Brooke, an Interior Designer, has been designing dream homes for over five years, and first began using Roomored’s Virtual Design Platform in April 2020. A blog captured her overall experience with Roomored, including the impact it has had on her personal design process as well as working with her clients. Here is a few things she had to say…
Full interview with Brooke can be found here on the Roomored blog site.
“Our buyers can now virtually “see” our design studio products. Rather than wondering what we have, they can start doing their homework before (their appointment). I truly believe that when something beautiful passes by, their heart flutters and they grow attached to it. This is what Roomored provides. (Homebuyers) have already found what they love and are willing to pay a little extra for a beautifully designed home.”
“They love the fact that we have a program that can help them get a good foundation for what they are wanting. It has helped tremendously. I would say at least a 25-30% reduction in appointment times when my buyers utilize Roomored.”
“I think this is a fantastic tool. I wish we had this tool much sooner. I love the ability to adjust the views in the virtual design as if we are in a real kitchen. It feels honest and straightforward. If I were buying a brand-new home, I would be itching to get my hands on a program like this. (Roomored is) fun, realistic, and helpful.”