HomeFinder

Project Name: HomeFinder Website Redesign

Company: HomeFinder

Timeline: 5 months

Role: Lead UX/UI & Systems Designer

Team: Product, Engineering, Marketing

Overview

HomeFinder was stuck in the past. Slow, clunky, and built for desktop in a mobile world. It was losing buyers, agents, and trust. The ask? Rebuild it from scratch. Make it so easy, fast, and clear that nobody ever says “I’ll try Zillow instead.”

Problem Statement

Users couldn’t find listings without jumping through hoops.
Mobile experience was a nightmare, pinch, zoom, repeat.
Agents struggled to highlight their listings, so they left.
Site looked like it hadn’t changed since Obama’s first term.
Lead gen was broken. Everyone bounced.

My Role & Contribution

Led the end-to-end redesign, research, wireframes, testing, final build.
Interviewed buyers, renters, and agents to map every pain point.
Architected new search/filter UX and a modular card system for listings.
Drove decisions on design system, accessibility, and content strategy.
Worked shoulder-to-shoulder with engineering on mobile performance and real-time features.

Design Approach & Thinking

User-first, always. Every feature needed to work for buyers and agents no “edge case” excuses.
Prioritized speed: if it wasn’t instant, it was broken.
Kept the interface clean and welcoming, big photos, smart defaults, no clutter.
Rebuilt the information architecture from the ground up.
Designed for sharing and engagement, social links, save features, and instant CTAs.

Process & Collaboration

Weekly user testing with real home shoppers and agents, feedback shaped every sprint.
Daily standups with devs to fix issues before they became blockers.
Open demo days with stakeholders, everyone saw progress, not just a final reveal.
Marketing worked with us on messaging and SEO from day one.
Agents beta-tested their own profile tools before launch.

Systems & Technical Fluency

Designed a reusable component library in Figma, handed off to engineering for React/Next.js build.
Integrated image optimization (Cloudinary) for blazing-fast loads.
Set up responsive design for every screen size.
Collaborated on backend improvements for search and notifications.
Ensured accessibility compliance, everyone can use it, period.

Potential Outcome & Impact

54% drop in bounce rate within 60 days.
Mobile traffic doubled; users now stick around and explore more.
Listings viewed per session up 73%.
“Tour Request” leads climbed 47%.
Agents saw 38% more inquiries, and stopped threatening to jump ship.
Site finally looks and feels like it belongs in 2025.

Reflection & Learnings

Don’t design for show, design to get out of the user’s way.
Agents need just as much love as buyers, ignore them and they’ll leave.
Collaboration isn’t a meeting, it’s an ongoing argument (in a good way).
Speed wins. Always.

Leadership & Influence

Mediated between product’s “we want it all” and engineering’s “here’s what’s possible.”
Made UX a team sport, everyone had skin in the game.
Taught marketing how to leverage the new platform for lead gen.
Advocated for inclusive, accessible design, no exceptions.

Artifacts & Conversation Starters

Before/after screenshots, ask me about our “first five seconds” rule.
Wireframes and modular Figma components
Metrics dashboard tracking user engagement
User journey maps and feedback loops
Want to know how we got agents back on board? Ask about the profile upgrades.

Quick Summary

Taking HomeFinder from dated and dysfunctional to a slick, fast, and trusted real estate platform. Mobile-first, agent-friendly, and finally built for real people, not just pixels.