TEN-X CUSTOMER RESEARCH
RESPONSIBILITIES
Qualitative Research
User Interviews
Visual Design
TEN-X CUSTOMER RESEARCH
RESPONSIBILITIES
Qualitative Research
User Interviews
Visual Design
This was a research project I led working closely with the VP of Customer Experience. This research work would go on to eventually patent a concept for Ten-X that was essentially a “buy-it-now” for the consumer to consumer business. But before it could get to that point, we had to convince the board that this was a worthwhile product. Part of the conveying process was to have a visually communicated Customer Journey Map, along with research findings, to present to the board.
This was a research project I led working closely with the VP of Customer Experience. This research work would go on to eventually patent a concept for Ten-X that was essentially a “buy-it-now” for the consumer to consumer business. But before it could get to that point, we had to convince the board that this was a worthwhile product. Part of the conveying process was to have a visually communicated Customer Journey Map, along with research findings, to present to the board.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
The problem is that buying a home can be a very arduous and often stressful & tedious process. Both sides of the home purchasing journey goes through various and definitive pain points.
The problem is that buying a home can be a very arduous and often stressful & tedious process. Both sides of the home purchasing journey goes through various and definitive pain points.
WHAT IS THE GOAL?
WHAT IS THE GOAL?
WHAT IS THE GOAL?
The goal was to identify, understand and potentially resolve these pain points through a product that could help facilitate this processsing our online platform.
The goal was to identify, understand and potentially resolve these pain points through a product that could help facilitate this processsing our online platform.
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?
One of the major challenges we hit right away was how jaded the Bay Area housing market was. Having a house sell well beyond the asking price as well as having bidding wars with 10 other potential home buyers was not a common occurrence around the country. The Bay Area was an anomaly and we knew in order to get more reasonable feedback, we had to do our focus group sessions outside of California. The area we focused was Las Vegas Nevada because of their quickly expanding consumer market and more reasonably diverse middle class. We needed to clearly identify within our research if there really was a need for a product like this in the market.
One of the major challenges we hit right away was how jaded the Bay Area housing market was. Having a house sell well beyond the asking price as well as having bidding wars with 10 other potential home buyers was not a common occurrence around the country. The Bay Area was an anomaly and we knew in order to get more reasonable feedback, we had to do our focus group sessions outside of California. The area we focused was Las Vegas Nevada because of their quickly expanding consumer market and more reasonably diverse middle class. We needed to clearly identify within our research if there really was a need for a product like this in the market.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
We outlined and began a lengthy research process. Process work that arose from the customer and user experience studies for the Customer Journey Map and eventual products were,
Whiteboarding
Brainstorming Sessions
Use Case Storyboarding including:
Scripts
Storyboards
Video marketing promo
Multiple detailed focus group sessions with:
Home Buyers who purchased property in the past year
Agents & Brokers who’ve sold property in the past year
Early concept of Retail Flowchart for Product
Sketching and Ideation of Journey Map including:
Notebook sketches & concepts
Early Map variations (for feedback & updates)
Final Visual Customer Journey Map
This entire process would eventually lead to the Unsealed Bid beta, Offer Select and Own-It-Now Product for Ten-X.
We outlined and began a lengthy research process. Process work that arose from the customer and user experience studies for the Customer Journey Map and eventual products were,
Whiteboarding
Brainstorming Sessions
Use Case Storyboarding including:
Scripts
Storyboards
Video marketing promo
Multiple detailed focus group sessions with:
Home Buyers who purchased property in the past year
Agents & Brokers who’ve sold property in the past year
Early concept of Retail Flowchart for Product
Sketching and Ideation of Journey Map including:
Notebook sketches & concepts
Early Map variations (for feedback & updates)
Final Visual Customer Journey Map
This entire process would eventually lead to the Unsealed Bid beta, Offer Select and Own-It-Now Product for Ten-X.
DESIGN PROCESS
Whiteboarding & Brainstorming Sessions (had whiteboarding sessions and concept brainstorming with the Director of Design and VP of User Experience)
Whiteboarding & Brainstorming Sessions (had whiteboarding sessions and concept brainstorming with the Director of Design and VP of User Experience)
Scripts (drafts of different script of what the white glove service we wanted to achieve as a product for the customer experience and feelings we wanted to invoke)
Scripts (drafts of different script of what the white glove service we wanted to achieve as a product for the customer experience and feelings we wanted to invoke)
Storyboards & Video Marketing Promo (based on the scripts we devised as a unit, I began to draw out storyboards to imagine what the experience was like, at the time there was also talk of a commercial with marketing budgets)
Storyboards & Video Marketing Promo (based on the scripts we devised as a unit, I began to draw out storyboards to imagine what the experience was like, at the time there was also talk of a commercial with marketing budgets)
Focus Group Script (precision opinion focus group from 3 sets of different personas all ranging from home buyers to agents with different incomes and recent purchases/sales)
Focus Group Script (precision opinion focus group from 3 sets of different personas all ranging from home buyers to agents with different incomes and recent purchases/sales)
Focus Group Sessions (facilitated focus groups sessions and took whiteboard notes which were later the basis for the concepts and final customer journey map)
Focus Group Sessions (facilitated focus groups sessions and took whiteboard notes which were later the basis for the concepts and final customer journey map)
Journey Concept & Sketches (started mapping out and sketching out ideas of what the customer journey pain points)
Journey Concept & Sketches (started mapping out and sketching out ideas of what the customer journey pain points)
Journey Visual Design Ideas Sketches (I started to narrow down the direction by having a few different variants of how to visualize the customer journey)
Journey Visual Design Ideas Sketches (I started to narrow down the direction by having a few different variants of how to visualize the customer journey)
Visual Design Explorations (I then created early concepts for the buyer/seller journey retail flows called "Unsealed Bid" using the all the qual data I had collected from the research. This initial map help set the way for the final map seen at the top of the page)
Visual Design Explorations (I then created early concepts for the buyer/seller journey retail flows called "Unsealed Bid" using the all the qual data I had collected from the research. This initial map help set the way for the final map seen at the top of the page)
High Fidelity Design (example of one of the final design variants, I also did different variant colors for posters and prints)
High Fidelity Design (example of one of the final design variants, I also did different variant colors for posters and prints)
CONCLUSION
The Customer Journey Map when completed was printed largely and hung outside the main meeting room in order to begin conversations and illicit feedback from anyone within Ten-X. It helped to facilitate conversations and in the end and the board agreed to fund the project. However, during the rebranding, the product was dropped for the consumer business. The research however did not go to waste, as it was the initial data that began the process for products on the commercial side named Offer Select and importantly, into my flagship product and commercial real estate equivalent Own-It-Now.
The Customer Journey Map when completed was printed largely and hung outside the main meeting room in order to begin conversations and illicit feedback from anyone within Ten-X. It helped to facilitate conversations and in the end and the board agreed to fund the project. However, during the rebranding, the product was dropped for the consumer business. The research however did not go to waste, as it was the initial data that began the process for products on the commercial side named Offer Select and importantly, into my flagship product and commercial real estate equivalent Own-It-Now.