Chiproof
A B2C website offering convenient rental financing solutions that helps people rent their dream home.
Overview
Chiproof is a one-stop B2C website that helps Nigerians find their dream homes and offer rent financing options.
Our client, Chiproof, a PropTech start-up, is getting ready to launch its product in 2023. The platform aims to offer users stress-free rental experience by offering a comprehensive range of services, such as property search, rent financing, and even furniture financing.
Challenges
The client’s primary focus at the moment is on developing key pages like Home, Property Listings, and Financing Applications. Additionally, as they are new to the market, they have a strong desire to introduce users to their brand and mission while building rapport with potential customers.
Solutions
The team focused on creating user-friendly and interactive designs for key pages like Home, Property Listings, and Financing Applications. To effectively introduce people to the brand and engage the target audience, I carefully aligned the visual design and branding with the client’s identity and values.
Process
– Project kick-off and Client Questionnaire
– Ideation
– Wireframes
– UI Design (HiFi)
– Style Guide
– Developer Hand-off
Tools
– Zoom
– Adobe Creative Suits
– Slack
Roles
– Brand Designer
My Design Process
1.Discover
1.1 Design Kick-off
I scheduled a kick-off call with the team where we got to know each other and reviewed project briefs, expectations, client assets, and the project timeline together.
I ensured that everyone agreed to communicate daily to discuss our designs and that we would keep all of our thoughts and contributions up to make sure that all ideas and inputs are seen, heard, and respected.
1.2 Client Q&A
I converted a client questionnaire from Airtable to sticky notes to make it easy for everyone to access and review. The client also provided us with information regarding the current requirements of Chiproof and the user stories that they wanted to focus on. The main takeaways were as followed:
Client’s Desire MVPs
• Financing Calculator
• Detailed Properties Listing
• Financing Application form
Mood and Tone
• Bold
• Minimalistic
• Attractive
HMW introduce Chiproof?
• Create the informative and appealing Home and About Us Page
• Add Rent Financing Info Page for more details about services and offers
Who are we designing for?
Young professionals between 20-50 years old, living in metropolitan areas like Lagos, Nigeria. Mainly entry level employees. They typically have a great social life that involves eating out, night-life, watching movies, using Social media channels like twitter and Instagram as well.
2.Ideate
2.1 User Flows & User Stories
Our client provided us with 4 user stories to define this project. These stories detail how users will interact with the website, guiding our design process and helping us prioritize user needs and preferences.
As a user, I want to be able to…
- Access the website
- View property listings
- Fill out an application
- Contact Chiproof
The team then collaboratively created user flows based on user stories.
2.2 Medium Fidelity Wireframes
Each team member chose the screens they want to work on individually. I was facilitating and putting everything together to make sure that all the wireframes are cohesive, and I was fully in charge of creating layout for Property Listing and Rent Financing Application pages.
I then scheduled weekly team meetings to have design critiques and plan the next steps to ensure we met deadlines.
3.Design
3.1 Mood Board
I created a mood board to help illustrate the overall vibe of the website. The UI should be maintaining a visual style that reflects brand personality and theme; bold, minimal, and interesting.
3.2 UI Iterations
The team’s goal was to offer the client multiple UI iteration choices so they could select the most suitable one. Each of us took on an individual task of creating a UI iteration for the homepage to convey the website’s overall theme. My sole focus was on iteration 5, where I maintained alignment with the client’s existing visual style found on their social media platforms and reflecting their brand personality. I kept in mind to ensure readability, modern aesthetics, and accessibility.
Ultimately, the client picked the iteration I worked on exclusively, iteration 5.
3.3 Style Guide
To maintain consistency across the pages, my team and I built out a style guide including a color palette, UI elements, typography styles, grid system, components, illustrations, and iconography. Using the client’s existing color palette, we developed a similar palette with slight tweaks for improved readability and accessibility.
3.5 High Fidelity Wireframes
Based on the client’s preferred UI iteration, we’ve established a clear design direction. Our dedication to consistency across pages and screens produces a unified user experience.
4.Developer Hand-off
After finalizing the designs with the client, here comes our last deliverable! My team and I prepared the file for developer handoff to avoid confusion and facilitate smooth development. We added annotations for intended functions, CTA routes, spacing measures between items, and additional effects added to the elements.
5.Reflection
This project reaffirmed my passion for UX/UI design and strengthened my commitment to creating user-friendly solutions that address real-world needs. If it’s not me, then who? As a lead, I understand the critical role of ensuring that design decisions align with UX laws while meeting client goals.
Throughout the design journey for this property tech website, I encountered both challenges and opportunities that deepened my understanding of UX/UI design. Balancing user-centricity with technical complexities proved to be a significant challenge, but it reinforced my role as a project lead responsible for aligning design decisions with UX principles and meeting client expectations.
The development of a design system enhanced design consistency and scalability, marking a key milestone in my growth as a designer. I’m eager to apply these lessons in future projects, always striving for innovation and impactful design.
Let’s Create an Experience That Connects!
Your website is the heart of your online presence, and it should reflect your brand while making it easy for visitors to engage. Let’s work together to build a site that looks great, feels intuitive, and helps you grow your business.