Digs Properties
Removing clicks and getting hip
A property rental company in Palm Springs, needed a fresh digital identity, including branding and a new site. They were re-opening a property of units that would now be aimed towards remote working professionals ready to relocate from the LA hustle to desert life.
The Client Requests:
Modern and minimal site
Fresh Visual identity
An obvious way to quick click apply as well as search and find properties
The goals and constraints
The Problem
They currently have an outdated site geared towards a different audience with high bounce rates, unclear branding, and muddy CTA's.
The Challenge
The request was to strategize a concept and build a prototype for a new, modern site with a cleaner user experience and an upgraded identity. The challenge was to enhance the experience both visually and technically to attract the new tenants.
Constraints
The must haves:
- Modern visuals with a minimal style
- Include section for virtual tours
- Be responsive
- Use existing tangerine color value for CTA's.
- Mid/ Hi Fidelity Prototype ready in 2 days
Objective
Create a new visual identity and responsive website prototype for a conceptual property management company in Palm Springs.
Time for New Digs.
Focusing on two psychological principles to set the tone, the primary goal was to create a user-friendly platform that maximizes conversions by attracting potential clients and tenants while effectively showcasing the company’s services and properties.
Clarity
The focus was on keeping the primary action clear and easy to find, and prioritizing that the layout, color, and visual contrast supports this as well.
Familiarity
Don't invent the wheel. Folks will respond better to a site with elements and patterns they recognize.
Current Issues
The current brand and site feel dated and are hard to navigate. Clunky experience with outdated visuals leads to a loss of engagement.
Current Pain Points in the existing site:
- Poor User Experience. Cluttered navigation. High bounce rates.
- Non-Mobile Friendly
- Lack of clear CTA's
Who are the guests?
Diving into some quick research, user personas could be extracted.
Pain Points
I work remotely and would love a place that feels amazing to be in for long periods of time
Moving is stressful, I need the searching to be easy
Priced out of desired luxury
Working remotely in the city has gotten lonely
Research From Community
To stay within the 2 day deadline, I drew upon existing data and feedback that I could analyze from renter reviews, Reddit threads, and social media chatter.
The conversation was from professionals, ages 24-70, from the surrounding Los Angeles County area, either looking for or already relocated in the desert. The questions were, why they did it, what they're looking for and what they needed to do it.
Convinced by cheaper rent
Overwhelmd by city life
Looking for community
Architecture
Blueprint begins. Slide to view the site map, user flow, and wireframes.
Crafting A Visual Language
Earthy, Modern, and Minimal were the influential keywords that shaped the visual identity. The logo mimics the round shapes and contrasting edges of cactus and desert plants, while the display font is playful and light.
Typography
An adaptable typography system was crafted using the minor third scale. Fonts were chosen to reflect both the branding requests as well as accessibility and to support bold headings, as well as a spacious line height.
Color
The color scheme is rustic and earthy, pulled right from the desert landscape. Centering the hierarchy around the existing and requested CTA value. The scale has been curated to work across light and dark modes and has been adjusted for accessible contrast.
UI Elements
After reflecting on the wireframes and research, design practices, and a collection of base components were decided upon and built.
The Search Bar
A key feature and component of the project. This was modeled after popular designs in the wild. Recognizable and trustworthy, but most of all, get your business started with one click.
Striking, obvious CTA's
To meet the client's requirement of using existing color for CTA's, the visual hierarchy was designed around this.
Happy Path Property Filter
Mobile friendly filtered search bar.
- Familiar elements and patterns supports high engagement and makes it easier for user to complete primary aciton
Reflections
This was a project in a vacuum, so the results were neat and tidy, unlike the real world.
While this gave me great practice in bringing a concept to life digitally, and the opportunity to think through the structure and visual system, as well as interactions that would best suit the new guests, there were a lot of real-world variables I got to avoid. While it was all super valuable, I understand the unrealistic nature.
The personal wins and takeaways for me were:
- The ability to complete client requests within the deadline
- Translating requirements into a brand with a visual language and functional UX
- Building an identity with room to grow
I believe with feedback and testing, we could iterate into success.
Thoughts to Improve
While there is plenty more to do here, I believe this starting place would begin the conversation and provide something to start testing. Then the work could really respond to the user and adjust accordingly.
The biggest reflection for me, was that a team would have made this epic. A couple of minds together ripping this concept apart and building off the base, I think something great could come about quickly.
Next steps if I were to continue, would be going deep on the interactions and thinking through micro animations and little sprinkles of delight, to support the primary action while adding a little confirmation sparkle. Then start testing those.
Thank You!
If you'd made it this far, thanks for scrolling through. HMU, let's build something cool!