UX — the user experience in digital products. Scrolling around the site, filling out a feedback form, pressing the button to go to another page, and thousands of other scenarios. All of these relate to the user experience.
The site’s UX should take care of every customer. Did he or she get what he or she wanted from the blog post? Were the audience’s expectations met when they clicked on a link or interactive button? These moments can both take a builder’s sales to the next level and lose some traffic, leads, and customers.
In this article, we’ll talk about the secrets of UX design that doesn’t scare customers away, but scales profits and leads.
7 principles of correct UX design for real estate
The big question is, «Why would a website owner want to know the details of the user experience when developers and designers do all the work?» And they really do. But it’s also not.
We have identified 3 reasons:
- The developer needs to know that customers come to the site and browse the pages. And they’re interested. Otherwise, why spend the budget to develop the site and get a loss.
- Something worked in past projects, and some chips should be abandoned because they did not bring results. In a new project, you need to advise and control the designer.
- Get the idea of the project. Basic knowledge of UX is enough to understand: the client needs a simple design, not a luxurious site with hundreds of pictures. It distracts from the main thing – the closing of the sale.
So, without what UX site design will not sell.
Simplicity
Most visitors aren’t coming in to appreciate your stylish design. They come for the information they need. That said, unnecessary elements with no functional load only make it harder for users to get to their destination.
How easy it is for a customer to navigate your site is called «usability». To get good usability, enough 2-3 colors for the site and 1-2 fonts, no more. Graphic objects should help to make the target action, to guide the buyer, and to familiarize him with the proposal. But not distract.
With this approach, pages are focused on key elements, and the site looks attractive.
Visual Hierarchy
The layout and organization of the site elements depend on which button customers will reach first, what they will read next and how they will go to the feedback form.
All the optimization of the site comes down to bringing the user to perform the desired action in a comfortable and natural way for him.
Navigation Buttons
With clear and simple navigation, the customer is sure to find what they’re looking for. UX design assumes that the movement of traffic from point A (for example – the home page) to point B (a form of feedback) will be painless. In other words, there will be no need to dance with a tambourine to find the search box or button to order a call.
Consistency
Consistency should be not only in navigation but also in the overall style of all pages of the site. The style should take into account the background, color scheme, fonts, and text styles. Thus, the user will be easier to understand what type of information he finds on a particular page.
For this are responsible designers. But you also do not hurt to know which competitors made the site without consistency of elements.
Adaptability
The client should get a good impression of the site from any device. A March 2022 report from Similarweb found that only one-third of users view sites through a desktop computer.
It would be a shame to lose the budget and let the responsibility go to the sales department or CRM bugs. The problem, though, was that the site worked fine on some devices and didn’t adjust to the monitor on others.
Traditionalism
A few simple rules have been used in UX design for years:
- A navigation bar at the top of the page. Less often on the left side of the screen.
- The clickable logo is in the upper left corner.
- The link changes color on mouseover.
Traditional — what the client is used to. And what your project should have. You don’t have to invent a bicycle with a handlebar on the trunk for a website to surprise and close the needs of your audience.
Trust
We’ve already talked about how important it is for customers to get value from a website. If you use elements and strategies familiar to the user in your web design, it will generate more trust in your site. This approach will have a direct impact on the website experience.
Don’t make visitors pore over dozens of pages to figure out what it is that you actually do. Instead, talk about the value of your business from the first screen.
Audience Orientation
Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes and think of them every step of the way. You can’t be surprised by a beautiful website.
Statistics show that 68% of visitors don’t convert because they think you don’t care about their convenience. And if you’re going to promote your site through SEO, then poor usability will also affect the site’s low position in the rankings.
Now let’s move from theory to practice and look at how the principles of UX are implemented in the Tresor project for the Wunder Haus housing estate.
What UX looks like at Wunder House
Potential buyers are sure this is not the first time they’ve been to your site. Dozens of pages of new buildings have been viewed, but you need more facts and arguments to make a final decision. By adding quality UX we will retain the customer and walk them through the site map.
First screen
Getting to know Wunder Haus housing starts with the visualization of the townhouse — the company’s product. Here the user has three ways: order a call to the manager, browse other sections or immediately sign up for a tour. All points of contact are clearly marked and not covered by unnecessary visualization.
If the client is ready to walk through the site, it’s enough to scroll down the page. On the main visitor will see the benefits of buying a townhouse and even a day of life in the complex: from a cup of coffee at 8 am to an evening workout and dinner. Targeted action buttons are implemented on each of the key blocks.
Here it is immediately clear where the complex is located and how to contact the sales department: contacts, feedback form.
Choosing the right apartment
No matter how well-thought-out the site. The main thing is that he helped the customer to choose the property. It’s what he wants to buy in the end and for the sake of it came to the site.
There are 2 approaches to selecting a townhouse:
A master plan, where the client chooses the type of home.
And a detailed plan with the layout of the house, numbers, and action buttons.
In multi-family projects, it’s best to show apartments as a chessboard. This is an interactive panel that displays the housing number and floor. And when you click on the square of the panel other views open — layouts and renderings. Detailed about chessboard and the benefits told in this article.
In any of the options, the result is a visual card of the selected apartment. Bring the client to the section with clear navigation and buttons for targeted actions. Give more information regarding the property. No more UX design is needed at this stage.
Preparing the customer for the targeted action
The customer is looking for a way to save money. Or arguments that justify the cost of the object in the housing estate. In order to screen out all the objections of customers, we have allocated several blocks:
- An interactive map with the infrastructure near the townhouse. In the area, there are a lot of supermarkets, schools, pharmacies, kindergartens, and fitness clubs. Do not have to go far.
- Features. The client clicks on the point of the photo and learns more about the future of the house.
- Q&A, where the staff of the residential complex will answer actual questions from the audience.
Even the most demanding buyers can find information without contacting the sales department.
What else to add to the site to improve the UX
For the townhouse website, we made a minimalistic design. At the same time, the customer was not left “hungry” without numbers and facts. Feedback buttons in several blocks were designed for consultation.
This is enough for the client to «wander» through the site, realize the information, and not get distracted from the offer.
The site of the apartment building can be supplemented with sections:
News — to tell about the progress of construction, events, and promotions. A potential buyer should be aware of the latest news about the developer if he wants to buy an apartment with him.
About us — to communicate the company’s experience and principles of work to the audience. Are there any past projects? — you can and should tell about the past results in order to make your clients more loyal to your properties.
A gallery of projects, and cases — you can see how many objects were built, and you can view and easily return to the site or go to one of the objects.
In order not to load the site, you can put the information sections into newsletters by installing a simple lead magnet. This way, you’ll get customers ready to interact, who will read and finish reading. Plus, the base will fill up with contact information from the lead magnet.
Summary
A well-thought-out UX design is not hundreds of colorful visualizations that give a wow effect without meaning. It’s numbers, facts, and the competent arrangement of sections and buttons. The site may not be as flashy as a competitor’s. But it gives everything the client needs to make a decision: a checkerboard, accessible contact forms, a chatbot for consultation, and calculators.
At Tresor, we approach each project individually, developing user-friendly designs for developers. What matters is what this kind of UX sells.
Check out our other cases on our website or fill out a request for a personalized proposal.