2 weeks design sprint bringing scalability to institutional investors
A complete redesign of our gig economy mobile app for property management, now live in three markets
January 20, 2025
5 min read
The viewer app is a gig economy app that brings scale to the operationally heavy property management industry.
The Viewer network comprises independent contractors who use our app to make money performing these tasks. This model eliminates the need for localised real estate agents, massively disrupting the operational capital needed to maintain these physical legacy branches.
Viewers are highly vetted, trained, and onboarded to the platform. Our in-house viewing manager oversaw this process. I worked closely with her and the broader investment and property management team to deeply understand our business and viewers' needs.
Challenge
The project faced several significant challenges that impacted both the technical implementation and design process:
- The project timeline was set at a minimum of two months, with only one developer available.
- The team needed to develop for both Android and iOS using React Native but had no prior experience with the framework.
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Design complexity increased due to:
- Addition of five new viewing types
- Improvement of existing Acquisition viewing type
- Integration with Investment and Tenant platforms
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Complete UI/UX redesign needed, covering:
- Home screen
- Offer acceptance/rejection system
- Payment receipt management
Research
Working with the team, we mapped out each journey step, including how to handle management tasks and edge cases where agents requested different meeting locations.
We identified essential data points for underwriting single-family rental properties. Viewers need clear directions and a structured approach when collecting property information, as their findings directly influence our valuation model and due diligence process.
Build Complexity
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We uncovered a unique insight where property availability is tied to key location:
- Properties are unavailable when keys are in transit
- Careful coordination needed during renovations and tenant transitions
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The Investment Platform required updates to accommodate multiple app integrations
since it:
- Serves as central operations hub
- Manages viewings, keys, tenant transitions
- Handles documentation and payments
Empathy For The Viewer Experience
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Inexperienced viewers face several challenges during Acquisition viewings:
- Managing interactions with unfamiliar real estate agents
- Completing detailed property documentation
- Taking comprehensive photos and videos of all rooms
- Documenting specific defects like wall cracks and mould
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These challenges led to two key app requirements:
- A clean, intuitive interface
- Efficient data collection tools that work within agent time constraints
Ideation and Design
Due to the short timeline of two weeks, we needed to act quickly. Sketching out concepts and reviewing those ideas took two days.
This process was highly beneficial, allowing us to review the concepts and swiftly adapt them before creating high-fidelity designs.
Design Assumptions
We took a creative approach to app navigation, avoiding the standard use of a bottom app bar. The decision was backed by most of our user flows, which are trenched through a one-direction process. Once they have a task, they complete it. We also assumed that the app would be mainly used for this purpose.
Screens
Development Strategy
Obtaining the full backing of the engineering team, we aligned on a minimum viable release as our first iteration, allowing a functioning app to be built within a month.
We planned to improve this version through sequential updates and obtain iterative user feedback.
Unfortunately, the founder vetoed this strategy, saying that a sequential release plan does not fit our objectives.
Outcome of Delivery
The developer who took on the challenge of building this app had never used React Native before. He was learning a new language structure and racing against the clock to meet unrealistic expectations.
The whole project was overran by 6 months due to its complexity and the technical challenges we faced.
The biggest problem was releasing an app for the two app stores, Android and Apple. As we had to release a full app, the bug fixes took a long time to figure out.
Results & Impact
The project faced both technical challenges and business impacts that led to mixed outcomes:
Technical Challenges
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The developer was new to React Native.
- Steep learning curve while working under tight deadlines.
- The project exceeded the timeline by 6 months.
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App Store Implementation Issues
- Simultaneous release on Android and iOS proved difficult.
- Many bugs emerged in the complete application.
- Bug fixes were time-consuming due to limited experience.
Business Outcomes
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Successes
- We successfully launched in three markets: the UK, France, and the Netherlands.
- Which generated more interest from international investment firms and led to a further €8m in funding.
- The new app created new business opportunities.
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Setbacks
- The developer became overwhelmed by project demands.
- Poor work-life balance led to the developer's departure, and we lost a valuable team member.
Reflection
- Project Management Insights
- Development Strategy Learnings
- Startup Reality Check
- Key Success Factors
This project highlighted crucial lessons about effective project management in a startup environment. The most significant takeaway was the importance of realistic timeline planning through better bottom-up communication. Our experience showed that breaking down complex development work into smaller, manageable chunks makes progress more measurable and helps prevent developer burnout.
Early release to the app store in developer mode and focused sprints on priority features would have provided valuable feedback and allowed for more iterative improvements.
The startup environment taught us valuable lessons about adaptability and resilience. The CEO founder was probably under pressure from Venture Capitalists to get up and running. While they could have understood the importance of proper development planning, the emerging obstacles from constraints became opportunities for growth and learning.
The experience reinforced that success in a startup isn't just about technical skills or perfect planning - it's about adapting quickly, solving problems creatively, and maintaining clear communication throughout the development process. Building strong foundational blocks first and remaining flexible in our approach would have better served our team and the project's ultimate success.
