Deal Meridian CRM
Industry
Real Estate
Client
Industry Project
Service
UX Research & Design
Date
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
An industry-sponsored group project aimed at designing a CRM solution for renters, brokers, and property developers. The focus was on identifying pain points and opportunities by analyzing user journeys and workflows. As a researcher and UI designer, I conducted user research, created personas and journey maps, and crafted wireframes and prototypes in Figma. These efforts ensured the platform was streamlined, efficient, and user-friendly. Collaboration with team members and industry stakeholders played a key role in delivering actionable UX solutions.
Skills: User Research, Stakeholder Collaboration, Figma, Miro, Prototyping.
My Role: Facilitation, User Research, Contextual Inquiries, Wire-framing, High-fid Designs.
Problem Statement
The Indian real estate market is highly fragmented, with brokers relying on outdated tools and manual workflows to manage client relationships, property listings, and leads. This inefficiency leads to poor communication, lack of organization, and missed opportunities.
How might we help brokers streamline their workflows, manage property data efficiently, and cater to unique client preferences in real time?
Research & Insights
Objective: Understand the real estate ecosystem, focusing on brokers’ workflows, tools, and challenges.
Methods:
Semi-Structured Interviews: Conducted with renters, buyers, brokers, and property sellers to uncover pain points and workflows.
Competitor Analysis: Evaluated leading PropTech tools like NoBroker and Magicbricks to identify gaps.
Desk Research: Assessed emerging technologies like AI for lead management and property recommendations.
Key Findings:
Disorganized Information Management: Brokers lacked a centralized system, relying on spreadsheets and WhatsApp.
Fragmented Communication: No seamless tool existed for managing client interactions across platforms.
Preference Matchmaking Challenges: Manual property matching led to inefficiency and delays.
Design Strategy
To address these challenges, we focused on three opportunity areas:
Preference Matchmaking: Introduced a system to analyze client preferences and recommend properties.
Streamlined Communication: Integrated tools like WhatsApp for seamless client interactions.
Centralized Information Management: Built a dashboard to manage leads, activities, and property details.
Process
Brainstorming & Ideation: Conducted Crazy 8s sessions to generate concepts for dashboards, client management, and lead tracking.
Wireframing: Created low- and mid-fidelity wireframes of key workflows, including lead management and client profiles.
Prototyping & Testing: Built high-fidelity prototypes in Figma and tested with a seasoned PropTech professional.
Solution Highlights
1. Dashboard:
Centralized access to metrics like leads, scheduled visits, and negotiation statuses.
Easy navigation for managing activities and tracking communication.
2. Client Database:
Organized profiles with preferences and interaction history.
Tools for adding new clients and managing leads.
3. Preference Matchmaking:
Automated lead and property matching based on client filters.
Real-time notifications for potential matches.
4. Communication Integration:
Chat features with clients via WhatsApp, integrated directly into the CRM.
Tools for sharing personalized property recommendations.
Reflection & Future Scope
Key Learnings:
The human element remains irreplaceable in real estate. The CRM complements brokers by enhancing their expertise, not replacing it.
Collaboration with stakeholders ensured alignment with real-world workflows.
Future Scope:
AI-driven insights for predicting client preferences.
Integration with other PropTech platforms for broader data sharing.
Collaborative tools for multi-broker agencies.
