Capturing Stewart's Brand, Message & User's Attention.
CLIENT
AREA
DURATION
Stewart Property Management
UI/UX web redesign & branding
4 months
TOOLS
Figma, Appfolio
My Role
UI/UX DESIGN & DEVELOPEMENT
I was responsible for heading up the UX/UI design process, producing all major deliverables, and building the site on appfolio.
BRANDING
Worked with the client to create a new color scheme, brand aesthetic, and logo.
Description
WHO IS STEWART?
Stewart is a property management company located in Klamath Falls, OR, has been in business since 1993, and is one fo the largest property management companies in the Klamath basin. Ownership if the company had recently changed and the new owner wanted a new look.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I was asked to update their website as it was dated and didn't reflect the high quality of service they provide. After meeting with the client to define the project scope, I dove into researching customers and competitor websites. From there I gathered my thoughts and outlined my plan for the redesign, presented it to my clients, and got the okay to begin designing. Later I received feedback on those designs and iterated.
Starting Out
BEFORE THE REDESIGN
The website didn't capture the professionalism of Stewart as a business. The logo was very dated, the color theme lacked excitement, and the home page was very wordy.
The Challenge
How might we design to entice both prospective tenants and property owners?
If property owners drive profits by hiring services and a steady stream of tenants keeps the business going, how do we design a home page that is interesting and useful for both?
The Challenge
How might we design to entice both prospective tenants and property owners?
If property owners drive profits by hiring services and a steady stream of tenants keeps the business going, how do we design a home page that is interesting and useful for both?
Client Objectives
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DESIGN & BRANDING
Update the website's design and style with the aim to improve overall brand perception.
The Goals
01
Increase user posting follow-through by decreasing barriers and friction to users.
02
Simplify UI to be less distracting but still maintain the playful nature of the brand.
03
Improve the navigation and interactions to be more intuitive and easy to use.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
I looked at three competitor property management companies' websites local to Southern Oregon and identified their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for Stewart, and threats to Stewart.
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Ideation
During the ideation process, I made sure to address the needs of both tenants, property owners as well as keep in mind the property manager.
After research and discussions with the client, we determined that the homepage's main goal was to convert property owners as well as remain functional for current and prospective tenants.
Setting Goals
1. BRAND
Enhance the brand's personality on the website to capture Stewart's professionalism and attract customers.
2. TENANT NEEDS
Redesign the hero section to provide easy access to essential tenant interactions such as paying rent, vacancies and maintenance requests.
3. PROPERTY OWNER NEEDS
Redesign the homepage to prominently feature information on services provided, who Stewart is, and a call to action for property owners.
4. PROPERTY MANAGER NEEDS
Design an FAQ for tenants that addresses common questions when wanting to apply for a vacancy or for maintenance troubleshooting to avoid unwanted calls and save time.
The Results
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The Goals
01
Increase user posting follow-through by decreasing barriers and friction to users.
03
Improve the navigation and interactions to be more intuitive and easy to use.
02
Simplify UI to be less distracting but still maintain the playful nature of the brand.
Branding
COLORS & LOGO
After discussions with the client, we landed on a teal to represent the company. We felt picking a blue hue color would capture the company's professionalism while picking a blue with an undertone of green would highlight the beautiful nature found in and around Klamath Falls, Oregon.
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Understanding & Research
TWO PRIMARY USERS
After performing secondary research online and speaking to my client, I categorized our users into two groups to focus on while designing.
OPTIMIZATION & USABILITY
Streamline communication and important actions for important customers.
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INCREASE BUSINESS
Increase business from both property owners and future renters.
Design Solutions
TENANT NEEDS
Quick and easy access to important interactions.
PROPERTY OWNER NEEDS
Convincing and needed information to make an informed decision on selecting the correct property management.
PROPERTY MANAGER NEEDS
An in-depth tenant FAQ with questions reported by my client as the most common to be asked by prospective and current tenants.
Reflection
Working to redesign the website and branding of a property management company was an incredibly exciting process. I was able to learn about how property management companies work and then strategize with Stewart on what to communicate to optimize business, improve the user experience, and capture Stewart's brand.
One of the main challenges I encountered when designing for a property management company was balancing the needs of two distinct customer groups: prospective tenants and property owners.
Balancing the home page to appeal to both tenants and property owners was a delicate task. Ultimately, it was understood that property owners drive profits, and a website that appears user-friendly for prospective tenants would instill confidence in property owners that their properties would be quickly rented out.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
With around 80% of Stewart's web visitors viewing the site on a mobile device, ensuring the mobile experience was user-friendly was important.
Results in Numbers
COMPARING THE MONTHS MAY -> AUGUST OF 2022 vs 2023
The website was launched at the end of April of 2023. I wanted a fair comparison, so I compared numbers from the same months of the previous years to the year it was released.
