My Appraisals

Project Overview

My Contributions

The Challenge

• Reducing the average day or longer time frame it took appraisers to scheduling orders.
• Enhancing communication between appraisers, scheduling teams, and auditing teams, beyond traditional methods like phone calls and emails.

The Process

User research

• Conducted interviews with appraisers and scheduling teams to gather detailed insights into their daily workflows, pain points, and specific needs. These interviews helped identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
• Engaged in user shadowing, spending time observing appraisers and scheduling teams in their work environments. This allowed us to understand how existing tools were used in real time and pinpoint where they fell short.
• User-centered design for older demographics: Tailored the design to meet the needs of users with an average age of 55 (the average age of our active user base), emphasizing larger touch targets, clear typography, and simplified navigation to ensure accessibility and ease of use for all experience levels.
• The insights from both activities provided invaluable data that guided the creation of a solution tailored to enhancing productivity, reducing communication barriers, and solving key challenges.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Facilitated weekly presentations: Every week, I led presentations to showcase the design progress, explain key decisions, and provide stakeholders with an opportunity to review and discuss the work. These meetings were a chance to demonstrate how user research and feedback were being incorporated into the designs, while also ensuring the project met business goals.
• Gathered and incorporated feedback: I actively solicited feedback from stakeholders during these presentations, making sure to address any concerns or suggestions they had. This iterative approach allowed us to refine the design and make adjustments quickly, ensuring that we were meeting both user and business needs in real time.
• Ensured alignment with expectations: By consistently engaging with stakeholders, I was able to ensure that our designs stayed in line with their expectations and objectives. I documented feedback carefully and incorporated it into the design process, allowing us to remain agile and responsive to changing requirements or new insights.

Collaboration with Developers

• Provided graphic assets: I supplied all necessary visual assets, including icons, illustrations, and layouts, ensuring they aligned with the design guidelines and brand standards.
• Defined interaction expectations: Collaborating with the development team, I defined how users would interact with the app’s key features, ensuring the design was intuitive and functional. This included outlining tap targets, animations, and transitions, so developers could implement them accurately.
• Conducted quality assurance: I performed thorough quality assurance testing throughout the development process to ensure that the app's visual elements displayed consistently across different screen sizes and device types. This also involved testing the usability of the app, identifying any design or functionality issues, and ensuring they were resolved before the final launch.
• Implemented front-end design for the web portal: I took responsibility for implementing the front-end design of the web portal, ensuring that the experience aligned with the mobile app in terms of look, feel, and functionality. I collaborated closely with the development team through paired programming sessions, where I mentored our developers to achieve the front-end design through HTML/CSS. This hands-on approach allowed us to address design and technical knowledge in real-time, ensuring that the design was responsive and adaptable across various browsers and devices. Our close collaboration helped create a unified user experience, consistent across both mobile and web platforms.

Key Features (Mobile App Focus)

Dashboard

• Clear overview of daily tasks: A single glance provides users with an at-a-glance view of the amount of active tasks, upcoming appointments, and any messages, streamlining their workflow.
• Quick start to managing workflows: The dashboard serves as the starting point for appraisers to prioritize tasks effectively, enabling them to jump straight into their work with minimal delays.
• Prioritization of key information: Essential details are presented clearly and concisely, helping appraisers focus on the most important actions for the day.
• Minimized cognitive load: The dashboard is designed to reduce complexity and unnecessary navigation, allowing users to manage their tasks smoothly and efficiently.

Scheduled Tab

• View all scheduled appointments: The tab displays a detailed list of all appointments, organized by date for easy readability, so appraisers can quickly understand their workload and plan their time effectively.
• Seamless navigation: Each appointment includes quick-access options to navigate directly to the property location with integrated directions, making it easier to stay on time and minimize delays.
• Task completion functionality: The tab allows appraisers to mark appointments as completed directly within the app, streamlining workflow and reducing administrative burden.

Unscheduled Tab

• Highlights appointments needing action: The tab prominently displays all appointments that are pending scheduling, making it easy for appraisers to see which tasks need immediate attention. By differentiating unscheduled appointments from completed ones, it allows users to prioritize their next steps effectively.
• Integrated communication options: Action icons allow appraisers to quickly connect with clients, through an already provided preferred phone number. This seamless communication ensures that coordination is efficient and keeps the process moving forward.
• Quick access to scheduling tools: Appraisers can initiate the scheduling process directly from the tab with just a few taps. The interface includes intuitive prompts that streamline the scheduling process, saving time and reducing friction.

Order Details

• Comprehensive information consolidation: The screen consolidates all critical details related to an order, including client contacts, property information, messaging history, scheduling details, and specific instructions.
• Streamlined access to communication tools: Users can quickly reach out to clients or scheduling team directly from the Order Details screen via built-in messaging or call options. This ensures fast communication when clarifications or updates are needed.
• Task-specific instructions: Appraisers can view detailed instructions for the order, ensuring they have clear guidance on what is expected, reducing errors and miscommunication.

The Outcome

• Reduced order response times: By streamlining the order acceptance and scheduling processes, the platform significantly shortened the time it took for appraisers to schedule and finalize appointments. The intuitive interface and task-focused design allowed users to act quickly and with confidence, improving overall productivity.
• Enhanced communication efficiency: The inclusion of integrated messaging and action-driven tools within the app minimized the need for phone calls and emails, making it easier for appraisers to communicate directly with clients or scheduling teams. This real-time communication feature improved responsiveness and ensured all parties stayed aligned throughout the appraisal process.
• Increased user satisfaction: By addressing the specific pain points identified during user research, the solution delivered a more streamlined workflow, allowing appraisers and scheduling teams to focus on their work rather than dealing with an influx of email communications and playing phone tag to report scheduling and/or order updates.