GOALZ
Design concept for AI-powered app providing real-time home loan estimates, progress tracking, pre-filled applications, and seamless connection to a loan providers.
Role
Research
UX / UI Design
Marketng
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Results
Digital Solution MVP
Brand Identity
Marketing Website
Why Home Loans?
As I have entered the time in my life where conversations with friends and colleagues trend towards marriage and family, I have noticed a distinct absence of conversations around home loans and creating a path towards home ownership. With housing prices and interest rates on the rise, it is common to hear sentiments such as ‘I would have to win the lottery in order to afford my own house’.
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The perceived unattainable nature of homeownership has left a social divide between people who have managed to afford a house and people who feel shut out of the market. I set out to find a way to open up this dialogue by harnessing the power of technology to help people understand their borrowing power and visualize a path to homeownership.
Real World Problem
Millennials &
The Housing Market
An increasing number of young Americans are showing interest in guidance and information to help move toward homeownership, but are facing significant barriers.
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​In addition to financial obstacles, many feel that the housing market is harder to manage today than it was even just a few years ago.
Digital Solution
GOALZ
GOALZ is a mobile application that enables users to consolidate their financial data effortlessly. Powered by AI, it offers instant, up-to-date home loan estimates, assists users in defining and monitoring their path to homeownership, and seamlessly connects them to certified lending partners—all through one cohesive platform.​
User Interviews
Insights From Real People
I kicked off the design process with a set of user interviews to gather insights from real people experiencing this problem first-hand. This helped me identify knowledge gaps, pain points and opportunities for intervention.
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I kept the interview topics structured but encouraged the responses to be conversational. This allowed me to gather more contextual information and deeper qualitative data from each question.
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*Interviewee names have been changed to protect their identity.
User Journey Map
Design Opportunities
Through affinity mapping, patterns in the interview responses were identified and distilled into key themes. I summarized these themes into actionable insights.
I found that what factored most heavily in deterring people from entering the housing market was feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the overall complexity of the home loan process.
Current User Journey
Many of the key barriers for interviewees involved unnecessary complexity and process redundancies. I mapped out the Home loan process from the point of view of my users to help visualize these redundancies and identify areas for improvement.
User Persona
Designing With Empathy
Personifying the user's journey, I introduced "Wendy the Window Shopper." Wendy's aspiration is to buy her first home within three years and she is seeking to maximize her borrowing power. Wendy's preference for simplicity and efficiency provided a crucial focal point for my design decisions.
How might we make the home loan process more efficient and approachable so that Wendy can feel empowered to buy her first home?
User Stories & Epics
Ideation
Building upon Wendy's persona and insights, I embarked on a creative ideation process. This involved sketching potential solutions and iteratively refining them based on user feedback.
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To ensure my solution would address all of the user's needs, I wrote a series of user stories from the perspective of a first-time home buyer. I consolidated these user stories into epics, laying the foundation for feature development. ​
Epic 1: Calculate
Epic 2: Learn
Epic 3: Connect
Ideal User Journey
After identifying opportunities for added efficiency, I reimagined the user journey through the home loan process with the assistance of an AI powered application.
Ensuring Viability
Uniting Perspectives with Subject Matter Experts
Understanding that the success of my solution hinged on its viability and practicality, I sought to bridge the gap between user needs and industry realities. With this goal in mind, I embarked on a series of enlightening subject matter expert interviews with lenders and real estate agents. Through these interview, I was able to create a clear picture of a solution that both satisfied user needs and functioned well within the industry.
Wireframes
Creating Core Functionality
Armed with data from secondary research as well as interviews with users and subject matter experts, I started building out digital wireframes of my solution. ​
Onboarding
I concentrated on creating an onboarding process that harnessed users' financial history via their social security numbers and connected financial accounts.
Estimates & Tracking
The app also allows users to set home loan goals, providing personalized educational tools to bolster user confidence and understanding while tracking progress toward their goals.
When the user is satisfied with their loan estimate, they can send a loan request to a lending partner in one click. Using AI and connected accounts, the app is able to collect the necessary documents and format them to lender specifications.
Two Rounds of User Testing
Iterating for Optimal Usability
To ensure the app's effectiveness, I stitched my wireframes into a working prototype of my solution to be user tested. I created a user testing guide to streamline my testing process and ensure I was collecting the data I needed to improve my designs.
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I conducted two rounds of user testing with ten different millennial first-time home buyers. I introduced a series of general and specific tasks to be completed using the app and took notes on their verbal and non verbal feedback during task completion.
Refining the Experience
Prioritized Improvements
& User-Centered Focus
User feedback showcased the app's intuitiveness, but underscored areas needing attention.
Drawing from user interviews, testing, and feedback, I identified core frustrations and revised my designs accordingly.
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By discovering usability issues early in the design process, I was able to quickly iterate on my designs and experiment with different ideas. This helped to better align my solution with user needs.
UI Design
Discovering Brand Identity
With a user-tested and refined wireframes in hands, I began the process of creating a brand identity that resonates with users.
I started the process by creating a moodboard that reflected both the modern feel of AI technology and the security and empowerment of owning your first home. Delving into the core values and desired emotions of the brand was essential to set the tone for the visual journey.
Brand Name & Colors
In the process of defining the brand, the name "GOALZ" emerged as a powerful embodiment of aspiration and accomplishment.
Reflecting the significant life goal of home ownership, the unconventional spelling added a modern and memorable twist. The name's versatility also allows for potential expansion beyond loan estimation, embracing a broader range of goal-achievement tools.
Introducing the Final Design
A Symphony of UI Updates & Branding Choices
In the culmination of this journey, the final design emerged—a symphony of user insights, refined UI elements, and strategic branding decisions.
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The user-centered design approach seamlessly merged with innovative elements, resulting in an app that simplifies complex processes and empowers millennial homebuyers.
Calculate
Real-time Estimate
Upon landing on the home screen, users are greeted with an informative dashboard displaying their current home loan estimate and real-time financial health tracking. The home loan estimates are dynamically updated to align with market rates and the user's evolving financial status.
Learn
Create a Loan Goal
From the home screen, users can compare their current loan estimate against the average market rate in their area. If their estimate falls short of the market rate, they can set a home loan goal. The Home Loan Goal calculator visualizes for users how changes to their financial health can increase their borrowing power. After setting a home loan goal, the app offers personalized tips and progress tracking.
Connect
Create Loan Request
If the user is satisfied with their home loan estimate, they can send a loan request to get pre-qualified by a lender directly from the app. The app will use AI to gather documents and financial data from the user's connected accounts, allowing users to create loan requests in one click.
What Comes Next
Success Metrics
After the launch of this product, it's essential to monitor various metrics to assess its performance and user engagement. Product health metrics I would want to track after launch include:
Loan Estimate Accuracy
Comparison of estimated loan values to actual loan values obtained by users.
Goal Achievement Rate
Percentage of users who achieve their set home loan goals.
Loan Request Rates
Loan request submission rates through the app.
Marketing Website
Connecting With Future Home Owners
In today's digital age, online presence is critical for reaching and engaging potential users. Recognizing this, I designed a GOALZ Marketing Website. This will serve as a central hub designed to promote and connect with individuals aspiring to own a home.
Conclusion
The convergence of empathetic design and cutting-edge technology yielded an app that transcended its digital realm, resonating with users on a personal level. From brand inception to the final interface, every step of the journey reflected a commitment to understanding users, solving their real-world challenges, and empowering them to achieve their dreams of homeownership. The result? An elegant and purpose-driven solution that stands as a testament to the power of human-centered design.