Signature Homes
Streamlining the process of building a home with an interactive catalog and style inspiration
Role
UX Designer & Researcher
Industry
Real Estate, B2C
Duration
10 weeks
Scope
Generative Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing, High-Fidelity Design
The Challenge
Signature Homes builds communities in the southeastern US and works closely with homebuyers to personalize all the selections in their home. Outstanding customer experience is central to their business model, but they were struggling with long soft cycle times, laborious processes, and homebuyers who were overwhelmed by the decisions required. They wanted to introduce a digital portal that would help streamline their process for both their employees and their customers.
Defining our focus
After a kickoff workshop with the client, we interviewed seven homebuyers and eight Signature Homes employees to understand the home building journey and identify key pain points. This research helped us define the MVP focus area.
We created journey maps for each user group, and combining them revealed that the design appointment process presented the biggest challenge across the board. During these appointments, homebuyers select all interior finishes from large printed catalogs, which can be overwhelming. Meanwhile, interior designers spent considerable time on meeting prep, answering questions, and manually inputting selections afterward. Based on these insights, we partnered with Signature Homes to prioritize improving this critical touchpoint.
Ideation + design
Streamlining decision-making
We brainstormed and sketched solutions to support homebuyers' decision-making process while organizing Signature Homes' extensive design catalog into an intuitive navigation structure. After wireframing multiple concepts and iterating with both the stakeholders and development team to ensure MVP feasibility, we arrived at our final concept.
The tool enabled homebuyers to browse the catalog and save favorites before their appointment, allowing them to preview how selections worked together across categories. This preparation would help to reduce decision paralysis during the time-constrained design appointment.
Guiding homebuyers
Research revealed that homebuyers typically relied on two key methods to narrow their choices: seeking guidance from the interior designers to ensure their selections were cohesive, and visiting model homes for inspiration on how elements work together.
We created wireframes for two different concepts to support these behaviors. The first was a style quiz that generates personalized product recommendations based on preferences. And the other was an inspiration section showcasing model home photos with tagged product options. These features replicated the trusted guidance homebuyers naturally sought out.
Inspiration section showcasing model homes
Style quiz to guide recommendations
Testing + iteration
We built a clickable prototype and tested the primary flows with six Signature Homes customers. Participants responded positively overall, confirming the portal would streamline their design selection process.
Key learnings + improvements
User testing reinforced our earlier research findings: homebuyers needed guidance and structure, not additional complexity, during an already overwhelming process.
While most people enjoyed seeing selections in context during the style quiz, it was generally a stumbling block and tended to confuse homebuyers more than help them. We removed it entirely to keep the focus on the core catalog experience.
We also refined content throughout the tool to improve clarity and streamline the process. Most notably, we simplified the dashboard to show a single "next step" instead of multiple options, because many participants felt overwhelmed when presented many choices at once.
Before testing, dashboard included multiple next steps & style preferences
Updated dashboard with clearer focus on a single next step
Outcomes
We developed a comprehensive style guide aligned with Signature Homes' existing brand and created high-fidelity designs for key screens. These designs were used to guide development of the customer portal, which successfully launched the following year.
The portal transformed the design appointment experience by enabling homebuyers to prepare selections in advance, reducing decision overwhelm and appointment duration. Interior designers could now focus on consultation rather than administrative tasks, improving both efficiency and customer satisfaction throughout the home building process.