Decision fatigue is the real enemy
More options reduce satisfaction and increase decision avoidance.
Designing a clearer way to search and choose a home
Designing a clearer way to search and choose a home
A mobile app concept rethinking how people search for, compare, and commit to a home.
My Role
UX & Product DesignerTimeline
4 weeksType
Concept ProjectTools
Figma, Figjam01 — THE PROBLEM
Buying a home is rarely a simple transaction.
This project came from a personal frustration. I was going through the process of looking for a home, and what struck me wasn't the lack of options, it was how exhausting the process felt. Hours spent scrolling through listings, bookmarking tabs, trying to remember which apartment had the good natural light and which one was near the supermarket.
Every app I used was good at showing me properties. None of them helped me make a decision. The more I looked, the less clarity I had.
I started paying attention to my own behavior and researching how other people navigate the same process. A few patterns stood out:
Feature overload, decision paralysis
Users can find properties easily but struggle to narrow down and commit. More options often means more anxiety, not more clarity.
No way to meaningfully compare
Users resort to screenshots, notes apps, and spreadsheets. The comparison process happens entirely outside the app.
Browsing feels infinite, not productive
Scrolling through listings becomes passive. Users describe feeling "stuck" — always looking, never choosing.
Context is missing from listings
A listing tells you square meters and price, but not what the neighborhood feels like or how your commute would change.
Visiting is the biggest time sink
The process of scheduling, commuting to, and walking through properties eats entire weekends. Many visits end in seconds — one look and you know it's not right. But there's no way to pre-screen a property beyond static photos.
01 — THE PROBLEM
Buying a home is rarely a simple transaction.
This project came from a personal frustration. I was going through the process of looking for a home, and what struck me wasn't the lack of options, it was how exhausting the process felt. Hours spent scrolling through listings, bookmarking tabs, trying to remember which apartment had the good natural light and which one was near the supermarket.
Every app I used was good at showing me properties. None of them helped me make a decision. The more I looked, the less clarity I had.
I started paying attention to my own behavior and researching how other people navigate the same process. A few patterns stood out:
Feature overload, decision paralysis
Users can find properties easily but struggle to narrow down and commit. More options often means more anxiety, not more clarity.
No way to meaningfully compare
Users resort to screenshots, notes apps, and spreadsheets. The comparison process happens entirely outside the app.
Browsing feels infinite, not productive
Scrolling through listings becomes passive. Users describe feeling "stuck" — always looking, never choosing.
Context is missing from listings
A listing tells you square meters and price, but not what the neighborhood feels like or how your commute would change.
Visiting is the biggest time sink
The process of scheduling, commuting to, and walking through properties eats entire weekends. Many visits end in seconds — one look and you know it's not right. But there's no way to pre-screen a property beyond static photos.
02 — RESEARCH
What I learned from studying how people actually search
I spent time researching user behavior patterns on existing platforms, reading UX analyses of competitor apps, and studying decision-making psychology. Four insights shaped the entire design direction:
02
Comparison needs structure
The most critical phase of the decision has no tools designed for it.
03
Location is emotional, not just geographic
Users want to understand what it would feel like to live there.
04
In-person visits are the biggest bottleneck
Video call could pre-screen properties more realistically than photos.
02 — RESEARCH
What I learned from studying how people actually search
I spent time researching user behavior patterns on existing platforms, reading UX analyses of competitor apps, and studying decision-making psychology. Four insights shaped the entire design direction:
01
Decision fatigue is the real enemy
More options reduce satisfaction and increase decision avoidance.
02
Comparison needs structure
The most critical phase of the decision has no tools designed for it.
03
Location is emotional, not just geographic
Users want to understand what it would feel like to live there.
04
In-person visits are the biggest bottleneck
Video call could pre-screen properties more realistically than photos.
Based on the research, I built the product around four principles. Each one addresses a specific failure in existing home search apps and translates directly into interface decisions.
Search with intention
Results based on lifestyle fit, not just specifications.
Translates to
- •Map first exploration
Compare with clarity, not memory
A structured space to save, organize, and compare.
Translates to
- •Save and Compare
See before you visit
Pre-screen through live video calls, only visit homes you're serious about.
Translates to
- •Video Visits
Connect with confidence, not friction
Reach out to agents directly from the property context.
Translates to
- •Booking Flow
04 — THE SOLUTION
A search experience designed around decisions
With the four principles guiding every design decision, I designed a mobile app that reimagines home search as a decision-support tool rather than a listing browser.
Map-first exploration
I made the map the primary search interface. Properties appear as pins on a map that shows neighborhoods, amenities, transit routes, and walkability data. Users can see not just where a property is, but what surrounds it.
Contextual property cards
When a user taps a property pin, they see a contextual card that prioritizes decision-helping information: price comparison to area average, walkability score, commute time, and how it ranks against viewed properties.
05 — COMPARE
Save and compare, the missing tool
Every person I talked to had the same workaround: screenshots in their camera roll, notes in their phone. The comparison was happening entirely outside the apps they used to find properties.
STEP 1
Organize in lists
→
STEP 2
Compare side by side
→
STEP 3
Deep dive into details
05 — COMPARE
Save and compare, the missing tool
Every person I talked to had the same workaround: screenshots in their camera roll, notes in their phone. The comparison was happening entirely outside the apps they used to find properties.
STEP 1Organize in lists
→
STEP 2Compare side by side
→
STEP 3Deep dive into details
06 — VIDEO VISITS
See the home before you visit
Visiting properties in person consumes entire weekends and most visits end in disappointment within the first minute. I designed a flexible booking system that lets users schedule video calls, facility tours, home visits, or phone consultations directly from any property card.
STEP 1
Schedule your visit
→
STEP 2
Confirmation and sync
→
STEP 3
Manage your visits
06 — VIDEO VISITS
See the home before you visit
Visiting properties in person consumes entire weekends and most visits end in disappointment within the first minute. I designed a flexible booking system that lets users schedule video calls, facility tours, home visits, or phone consultations directly from any property card.
STEP 1Schedule your visit
→
STEP 2Confirmation and sync
→
STEP 3Manage your visits
07 — DESIGN DECISIONS
Why the interface looks the way it does
Every visual choice in this project was driven by a specific design rationale, not just aesthetics.
Green as the primary color
Green communicates safety and positive action. In a context where users feel anxious about making the wrong choice, it says "you're on the right track."
Dark
Deep
Primary
Light
Tint
Map-first, list-second
Most competitors lead with lists because they're information-dense. But density isn't the goal when users are overwhelmed. The map provides spatial context that helps intuitive neighborhood judgments.
Video calls as a filter, not a replacement
The video feature could have become a full conferencing tool. Instead, I kept it deliberately simple: book, join, see. This restraint keeps it focused on pre-screening, not replacing the in-person experience.
Less features, more clarity
Home search apps compete by adding more: mortgage tools, agent reviews, social feeds. I went the other way. Every screen was tested with one question: does this help the user move from browsing to deciding? The result is an app that does three things well: search, compare, and visit.
07 — DESIGN DECISIONS
Why the interface looks the way it does
Every visual choice in this project was driven by a specific design rationale, not just aesthetics.
Green as the primary color
Green communicates safety and positive action. In a context where users feel anxious about making the wrong choice, it says "you're on the right track."
Dark
Deep
Primary
Light
Tint
Map-first, list-second
Most competitors lead with lists because they're information-dense. But density isn't the goal when users are overwhelmed. The map provides spatial context that helps intuitive neighborhood judgments.
Video calls as a filter, not a replacement
The video feature could have become a full conferencing tool. Instead, I kept it deliberately simple: book, join, see. This restraint keeps it focused on pre-screening, not replacing the in-person experience.
Less features, more clarity
Home search apps compete by adding more: mortgage tools, agent reviews, social feeds. I went the other way. Every screen was tested with one question: does this help the user move from browsing to deciding? The result is an app that does three things well: search, compare, and visit.
10 — REFLECTIONS
What I learned, and what I'd explore next
What this project taught me
The real problem isn't always the obvious one
Every home search app treats discovery as the core challenge. Reframing the problem to comparison and decision-making changed every design decision.
Fewer features, clearer purpose
Removing anything that didn't serve the browsing-to-deciding journey made the product sharper and the case study more focused.
Emotional context is a design material
Designing for emotion — through color, spatial context, reducing anxiety at decision points — was as important as information architecture.
What I'd explore next
User testing the comparison feature with real home searchers to validate whether structured comparison reduces decision anxiety.
Exploring how AI could personalize search — learning from behavior to surface properties matching implicit preferences.
Designing the agent/seller side: how does this app change the way agents interact with buyers?
Neighborhood "experience previews" — short-form content that helps users feel a neighborhood before visiting.
10 — REFLECTIONS
What I learned, and what I'd explore next
What this project taught me
The real problem isn't always the obvious one
Every home search app treats discovery as the core challenge. Reframing the problem to comparison and decision-making changed every design decision.
Fewer features, clearer purpose
Removing anything that didn't serve the browsing-to-deciding journey made the product sharper and the case study more focused.
Emotional context is a design material
Designing for emotion — through color, spatial context, reducing anxiety at decision points — was as important as information architecture.
What I'd explore next
User testing the comparison feature with real home searchers to validate whether structured comparison reduces decision anxiety.
Exploring how AI could personalize search — learning from behavior to surface properties matching implicit preferences.
Designing the agent/seller side: how does this app change the way agents interact with buyers?
Neighborhood "experience previews" — short-form content that helps users feel a neighborhood before visiting.
