The pandemic has forced a massive digital revolution. To create highly user friendly applications that target varied audiences is imperative, now more than ever before.
Real Estate—which was primarily a physically interactive industry—has begun adapting to innovative digital practices to help with their businesses. This new buying experience is convenient and safe. Real estate developers are working diligently towards finding solutions that provide their consumers with a pleasant experience throughout the buying process. Let’s talk about some fitting UX & UI trends that have made a tremendous difference in how people buy real estate online.
#1 Interactive Listings
We are visual creatures. We like to compare, map and envisage before making certain decisions. This interactive listing feature gives us an opportunity to do all that and more.
Map
A whole section is dedicated to a map of the chosen area with small dots that represent properties. It gives a neat overview of the location of all listed properties in a particular locality. To further the experience, a property card would pop-up when hovering over these dots.
Property cards
A stack of property cards do a great job at pointing out a few key features the property has to offer.
#2 Focus on Personalization
The world is moving towards personalization. The filters feature is key to delivering customisable results. We’re seeing better categorisations and use of AI for more comprehensive listings relevant to the consumer in question.
Filters
The population planning to buy a property has a set of expectations when choosing. The filters in today’s real estate applications are extensive, well researched and highly customizable. With fewer picks coupled with the right attributes, certainly makes the decision making process a lot easier and swift.
Save/Wishlist Buttons
In addition to the preliminary personalization, the Save/Wishlist buttons add yet another layer. The customer can now revisit or compare the properties they are interested in.
#3 Engaging Virtual Tours & Walkthroughs
VR has gained monumental traction in the real estate industry over the last few years. With the new normal in play, it has proved to be an asset to developers striving to bring digital upgrades in their organisations. These tours and walkthroughs have helped them reach a wider audience base while ensuring the safety of their customers. The geographical location of the customer is not a concern anymore either.
Apartment tours
With the technological advancements in VR, it has become quite accessible to the end user. There are some exceptional softwares available that are being used by the developers to make highly interactive virtual tours of their projects.
Local Information
Information about the locality has become increasingly important to property buyers. This includes data on closest schools, hospitals and restaurants alongside information on public transport and tools to map commute. Some applications provide statistics as specific as the crime-rate of an area in a city. Custom maps are a huge boon when it comes to delivering diverse information.
#4 In-build calculators
Real Estate applications aspire to become a one-stop shop for all property buying needs. Long gone are the times when one had to look elsewhere to calculate EMI or mortgage. Easy to use online calculators are just yet another feature customary to these apps.
#5 Scheduling one-on-one property tours
Factoring in the COVID-19 situation, this feature is by far the most relevant. Most real estate applications give an option between choosing in-person or virtual tours. Consumers can set up a time slot convenient for them. Guided tours are pre-planned keeping in mind everything the customer needs to know about the property.
The customer walks away with their questions answered and a well informed decision.
Takeaway
Technology decided to stay long before the coronavirus pandemic took over. There is a large group of people who have been forced to adapt to this new society. It is a designer’s responsibility in contributing to make their lives easier. And we have come through with some of the most innovative ideas to serve in these testing times. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.