Imagine shortlisting properties just like you select clothes.

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User Engagment

200%

Tools Used:

Mixed panel and GA4

Focused on

Real Estate Investment

Role

Product Designer

Team

1 Designer, Development team of 2 and 1 Data Scientists

Timeline

6 months

The Challenge

My work on PropReturns began with a critical problem identified through data analysis: while users were engaging enough to complete initial leasing application forms, they were stalling at a crucial stage. The drop-off was significant, with a low shortlisting rate of only 13%. This signaled a fundamental disconnect—users weren't finding the information or tools they needed to select properties for further consideration. My challenge was to diagnose this funnel leak and redesign the experience to drive meaningful user engagement and improve the shortlisting rate.

Why Now?

Digital real estate market was saturated with listings, but a critical user problem persisted: a lack of trust and efficiency. I understood that simply having a lot of properties wasn't enough; users were suffering from decision paralysis and fatigue. My deep dive into the data confirmed this, revealing a significant drop-off at the shortlisting stage. This told me that the market wasn't missing more listings; it was missing a truly user-centric experience that could help them navigate the noise with confidence. This project was my direct response to that insight—a strategic move to build a product that prioritized quality, trust, and usability to set a new standard in the market.

Market Understanding

Working in the property leasing space, I understood that a user's journey is heavily influenced by both trust and efficiency. On the one hand, a user's decision to shortlist a property is an emotional one, driven by confidence in the listing's accuracy and quality. This made it essential to prioritize features that build trust, such as clear property verification and high-quality images. On the other hand, the market is vast, and users need powerful, intuitive tools to cut through the noise and quickly find properties that meet their specific needs. My design strategy was built to address this duality: to create a trustworthy and highly efficient experience that empowers users to make confident, data-driven decisions.

The Process

To solve the shortlisting problem, I began with a data-driven and agile process. I collaborated closely with the tech team, breaking down our work into continuous Agile sprints. This allowed us to constantly test and refine our ideas, ensuring ongoing communication and alignment.

My core design intervention focused on the key pages where the drop-off was occurring: the listings and details pages. I redesigned these pages from the ground up, prioritizing engagement-focused features for improved conversion. The redesign included:

Enhanced Filters and Search: I introduced revamped filters that made it easier for users to find what they were looking for, prioritizing verified properties with high-quality images.

Information Prioritization: I reorganized the information hierarchy on the property cards and details page to immediately showcase key, verified information, building trust and helping users make faster decisions.

This strategic redesign of the core user journey was our solution to the engagement problem revealed by the data.

Enhanced Filters and Search: I introduced revamped filters that made it easier for users to find what they were looking for, prioritizing verified properties with high-quality images.

Information Prioritization: I reorganized the information hierarchy on the property cards and details page to immediately showcase key, verified information, building trust and helping users make faster decisions.

This strategic redesign of the core user journey was our solution to the engagement problem revealed by the data.

The Results

The results of the new designs were immediate and impactful. We saw a notable rise in user engagement, evidenced by a 2.5x increase in filter usage after the product went live. The most significant win, however, was in our primary metric: the rate of property shortlisting doubled the previous figures. This direct improvement in the user funnel led to a greater number of qualified leads being generated for the business, validating that our user-centered approach was a resounding success.

Learning and Future Steps

This project taught me a crucial lesson about the power of focusing on a single, core business metric. By honing in on the shortlisting rate, we were able to create a targeted design solution that delivered measurable results. The project also highlighted the value of prioritizing trust signals and efficient search functionalities to drive user engagement in a competitive market.

Looking ahead, our next steps are to continue this data-driven approach. We plan to conduct more granular analysis on how users interact with our filters and property cards to find micro-optimization opportunities. We will also employ continuous A/B testing to refine these elements and stress-test our design solutions for scalability as the platform continues to grow.