We begin with understanding your current customer journey and identifying critical touchpoints where digital experiences can create the most impact. Our Experience Thinking framework examines four key areas: brand experience, content experience, product experience, and service experience. This holistic approach ensures your digital transformation addresses real user needs rather than just adding technology for its own sake.

Tip: Start with a current-state journey mapping exercise to identify your highest-impact opportunities before investing in new technology.

Construction UX projects typically span 8-16 weeks depending on scope and complexity. We structure projects in phases: discovery and research (2-4 weeks), analysis and insights (1-2 weeks), design and prototyping (3-6 weeks), and testing and refinement (2-4 weeks). This phased approach allows for iterative learning and ensures the final solution addresses real user needs.

Tip: Plan for key stakeholder involvement during the discovery phase, as their industry expertise significantly enhances research quality.

We assess your user ecosystem first - property managers, tenants, maintenance staff, and owners all have different needs and workflows. Our scoping process examines current pain points, business objectives, and technical constraints. We recommend starting with the most frequent user interactions and expanding based on initial findings. This ensures research investment delivers maximum value.

Tip: Focus initial research on users who interact with your platform daily, as they provide the richest insights into workflow improvements.

Prepare current user data, existing customer feedback, business objectives, and access to key stakeholders. We also need understanding of your current technology stack, budget constraints, and timeline expectations. Having examples of competitor solutions you admire or want to avoid helps frame the research direction. Any existing user personas or journey maps provide valuable starting points.

Tip: Organize customer service logs and support tickets as they often reveal the most pressing user pain points.

Each real estate market has unique characteristics, regulations, and user behaviors. We develop market-specific research plans that account for local preferences, legal requirements, and cultural nuances. Our approach involves conducting parallel research streams while identifying universal patterns that can inform platform-wide improvements. This ensures solutions work across markets while respecting local differences.

Tip: Include local market experts in research planning to ensure cultural and regulatory considerations are properly addressed.

Construction project management involves multiple stakeholders with varying technical skills and information needs. We map the complete project lifecycle from planning through closeout, identifying key decision points and information flow requirements. Our research planning considers field conditions, mobile usage patterns, and integration with existing construction workflows. This ensures recommendations fit real-world construction environments.

Tip: Include site visits during research planning to understand the physical environment where your digital tools will be used.

Real estate markets have natural seasonal patterns that affect user behavior and business priorities. We adjust research timelines to capture both peak and off-peak periods, ensuring insights reflect year-round usage patterns. Our planning accounts for market cycles, helping you understand how seasonal changes impact user needs and platform usage. This comprehensive view supports better long-term planning.

Tip: Schedule user interviews during both busy and quiet seasons to capture the full range of user experiences and stress points.

We combine multiple research methods to understand the complete buyer journey. Contextual interviews reveal emotional drivers and decision-making processes. Usability testing of listing platforms identifies navigation and search challenges. Journey mapping captures the end-to-end experience from initial search to closing. This multi-method approach provides both quantitative validation and qualitative insights into buyer motivations.

Tip: Include research with both successful and unsuccessful buyers to understand what factors influence final purchase decisions.

Field research requires adapting methods to construction site realities. We use mobile ethnography to observe tool usage in natural work environments. Short, focused interviews respect busy schedules while capturing essential insights. We test mobile interfaces under actual lighting and weather conditions. This approach reveals how environmental factors affect digital tool adoption and usage patterns.

Tip: Schedule research sessions during different weather conditions to understand how environmental factors impact mobile tool usability.

Commercial real estate involves complex stakeholder networks with different priorities and information needs. We conduct stakeholder mapping to identify all parties in the decision-making process. Our research methods include expert interviews with brokers, surveys with property managers, and observation of transaction processes. This comprehensive approach ensures solutions address both deal-making and property management requirements.

Tip: Include research with both successful and stalled transactions to understand what factors facilitate or hinder commercial real estate deals.

Different property types have unique characteristics that affect user behavior and platform requirements. We conduct comparative analysis across residential, commercial, and industrial properties to identify universal patterns and property-specific needs. Our validation approach includes cross-property type testing and stakeholder feedback sessions. This ensures research findings are both comprehensive and actionable.

Tip: Test key findings with users from different property types to ensure solutions work across your entire market segment.

Construction projects involve numerous stakeholders with varying technical expertise and information requirements. We use stakeholder journey mapping to understand how different roles interact with project information. Service blueprints help visualize complex approval processes and communication flows. This systematic approach ensures digital solutions support all stakeholder needs throughout the project lifecycle.

Tip: Map information handoffs between different stakeholder groups to identify opportunities for digital workflow improvements.

Property listing platforms serve multiple user types with different search behaviors and information needs. We conduct user journey research to understand how buyers, renters, and agents interact with listings. Card sorting exercises help optimize property categorization and search filters. Usability testing reveals navigation pain points and content gaps. This comprehensive approach ensures platforms support all user goals effectively.

Tip: Research both successful and abandoned search sessions to understand what factors lead to inquiry generation versus user drop-off.

Construction software users range from tech-savvy project managers to field workers with varying digital comfort levels. We adapt testing methods to accommodate different skill levels and work environments. Our approach includes both controlled usability tests and field observations. We use progressive disclosure techniques to test complex workflows without overwhelming participants. This ensures insights are representative of your entire user base.

Tip: Include users with different levels of technical experience in your testing to ensure solutions work for all skill levels.

Experience Thinking recognizes that real estate platforms must work seamlessly across brand, content, product, and service experiences. The brand experience establishes trust and credibility essential for high-value transactions. Content experience ensures property information is discoverable and actionable. Product experience makes search and comparison tools intuitive. Service experience connects digital interactions with human expertise. This holistic approach creates connected experiences that support the entire real estate journey.

Tip: Ensure your platform design reflects your brand values consistently across all touchpoints to build the trust necessary for real estate transactions.

Construction environments demand mobile-first design that works under challenging conditions. We prioritize essential functions, use large touch targets, and ensure readability in bright sunlight. Our design process includes testing on actual construction sites to validate usability under real conditions. We design for one-handed operation and consider how tools perform when users are wearing gloves or hard hats.

Tip: Test mobile designs with users wearing typical construction safety equipment to ensure interfaces remain usable in real work environments.

Property databases contain vast amounts of structured and unstructured information that must be organized to support different user tasks. We use card sorting and tree testing to understand how users categorize and search for properties. Our information architecture considers both browsing and search behaviors, ensuring users can find relevant properties regardless of their search strategy. This approach reduces cognitive load and improves search success rates.

Tip: Test your information architecture with users who have different levels of real estate knowledge to ensure it works for both professionals and consumers.

Construction workflows involve sequential processes with multiple decision points and approval stages. We create interactive prototypes that simulate real workflow scenarios, allowing stakeholders to experience the complete process before development. Our prototypes include error handling and exception scenarios common in construction projects. This approach validates workflow logic and identifies potential process improvements early in the design phase.

Tip: Include edge cases and exception scenarios in your prototypes to ensure the system handles real-world construction project complexity.

Property management involves juggling multiple properties, tenants, and maintenance issues simultaneously. Our design approach emphasizes dashboard functionality that provides at-a-glance status information and quick action capabilities. We design for task-switching and interruption recovery, recognizing that property managers often handle urgent issues. Alert systems and notification design ensure critical issues receive immediate attention.

Tip: Design interfaces that support rapid task switching since property managers often need to handle multiple urgent issues simultaneously.

Real estate search involves complex criteria with interdependent relationships that affect search results. We design progressive disclosure systems that reveal relevant filters based on user selections. Our approach includes smart defaults and saved search functionality to reduce repetitive tasks. Map-based search integration helps users understand property locations and neighborhood characteristics. This creates efficient search experiences that match user mental models.

Tip: Design search systems that remember user preferences and suggest relevant properties based on previous search behavior.

Construction project dashboards must work effectively across devices from mobile phones to large desktop monitors. We use progressive enhancement to ensure core functionality works on all devices while taking advantage of larger screens for detailed views. Our responsive design approach prioritizes the most critical information for smaller screens while maintaining access to comprehensive data. This ensures project visibility regardless of device or location.

Tip: Prioritize the most time-sensitive project information for mobile displays since construction teams often need quick updates while on-site.

We provide detailed design specifications, interactive prototypes, and ongoing design support throughout development. Our implementation support includes design reviews, code consultations, and usability testing of beta versions. We work closely with development teams to ensure design intent is maintained while addressing technical constraints. This collaborative approach ensures final products match design vision and user expectations.

Tip: Schedule regular design reviews throughout development to catch potential usability issues before they become costly to fix.

Real estate platforms often require training agents and staff on new workflows and features. We design onboarding experiences that introduce key functionality gradually while providing contextual help for complex tasks. Our training approach includes creating user guides, video tutorials, and interactive walkthroughs. We also design admin interfaces that allow platform owners to customize training content for their specific needs.

Tip: Create role-specific training materials since different users will need different levels of platform functionality.

Property listing platforms must handle diverse data types and user workflows reliably. We conduct comprehensive usability testing across different browsers, devices, and user scenarios. Our testing includes data validation, search functionality, and integration with third-party services. We also test platform performance under various load conditions to ensure stability during peak usage periods.

Tip: Test your platform with real property data and actual user workflows to identify potential issues before launch.

Digital platforms require continuous optimization based on user feedback and changing market conditions. We provide analytics setup, user feedback collection systems, and regular usability audits. Our ongoing support includes identifying optimization opportunities, prioritizing improvements, and testing new features. This ensures platforms evolve with user needs and market demands over time.

Tip: Establish regular user feedback collection processes to identify optimization opportunities early and maintain platform relevance.

Construction companies often use multiple software systems that must work together seamlessly. We design integration touchpoints that maintain data consistency and reduce duplicate data entry. Our approach includes API design consultation, data migration planning, and workflow integration testing. We ensure new systems enhance rather than disrupt existing construction processes.

Tip: Map all existing software systems and data flows before implementing new solutions to ensure seamless integration.

Real estate platforms often serve agents, buyers, sellers, and administrators with different needs and technical comfort levels. We recommend phased launch approaches that introduce functionality gradually while monitoring user adoption and feedback. Our launch strategy includes user onboarding, support documentation, and feedback collection systems. This ensures smooth adoption across all user groups.

Tip: Start with your most tech-savvy users and use their feedback to refine the platform before broader rollout.

Implementation success requires tracking both technical metrics and user experience indicators. We establish baseline measurements before launch and monitor key performance indicators throughout implementation. Our measurement approach includes user adoption rates, task completion times, error rates, and user satisfaction scores. This data-driven approach ensures implementations deliver intended business and user benefits.

Tip: Establish success metrics before implementation begins so you can track progress and make adjustments as needed.

ROI measurement requires tracking both direct and indirect benefits of UX improvements. We establish baseline metrics before research begins and monitor changes in user engagement, conversion rates, and operational efficiency. Our measurement approach includes reduced customer service costs, increased transaction completion rates, and improved agent productivity. This comprehensive view demonstrates the business value of UX research investment.

Tip: Track both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback to understand the full impact of UX improvements on your business.

Construction UX research typically improves project completion times, reduces errors, and increases user adoption rates. We measure impact through reduced training costs, decreased support tickets, and improved workflow efficiency. Our approach includes tracking both productivity gains and cost reductions. These metrics demonstrate how better user experiences directly contribute to construction project success.

Tip: Focus on metrics that align with your core business objectives, such as project completion times or error reduction rates.

Experience Thinking creates connected experiences that build customer loyalty and drive repeat business. By addressing brand, content, product, and service experiences holistically, real estate companies create differentiated value propositions. This approach leads to higher customer satisfaction, increased referrals, and improved agent retention. The connected experience approach ensures all touchpoints reinforce business objectives consistently.

Tip: Measure customer lifetime value and referral rates to understand how connected experiences impact long-term business success.

UX improvements typically show initial results within 4-12 weeks of implementation, with full benefits realized over 6-18 months. Early indicators include reduced support tickets, improved task completion rates, and increased user engagement. Long-term benefits include higher customer satisfaction, increased retention, and improved operational efficiency. This timeline allows for both quick wins and sustained improvement.

Tip: Set both short-term and long-term success metrics to track progress and maintain momentum throughout the improvement process.

Improved property search experiences impact both user satisfaction and business performance. We measure search success rates, time to find relevant properties, and conversion from search to inquiry. Our quantification approach includes tracking user engagement metrics, repeat usage patterns, and ultimately, transaction completion rates. This data demonstrates how better search experiences drive business results.

Tip: Track the complete funnel from search to transaction to understand how search improvements impact overall business performance.

Construction workflow optimization reduces project delays, minimizes rework, and improves resource utilization. We measure cost savings through reduced project completion times, decreased error rates, and improved communication efficiency. Our approach includes tracking both direct cost reductions and productivity improvements. These savings often exceed initial UX research investment within the first year.

Tip: Calculate both direct cost savings and productivity gains to understand the full financial impact of workflow optimization.

Real estate executives need clear connections between UX research and business outcomes. We present findings using business language and metrics that align with executive priorities. Our approach includes demonstrating competitive advantages, market differentiation opportunities, and revenue impact. We use case studies and industry benchmarks to contextualize research value within the broader real estate market.

Tip: Present UX research findings in terms of market opportunity, competitive advantage, and revenue impact to gain executive support.

Akendi has extensive experience with real estate platforms, including our work with the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) redesigning their house listing website. We helped CREA develop new search parameters, redesign map functionality, and create icon sets for property assessment. Our work with Royal LePage involved intranet design and user research. We've worked with over 46 real estate projects, giving us deep understanding of industry challenges and user needs.

Tip: Review case studies from similar real estate projects to understand how proven approaches can be adapted to your specific needs.

Our construction experience includes working with EllisDon Corporation on their intranet redesign, helping employees share content across a distributed construction workforce. We understand the unique challenges of construction environments, including mobile usage under harsh conditions, complex project workflows, and diverse stakeholder needs. Our experience with the Canadian Construction Association provides insight into industry standards and best practices.

Tip: Consider how construction industry best practices can be integrated into your digital tool design from the research phase forward.

Real estate UX research addresses high-stakes decision making, complex information needs, and emotional purchase processes. We understand that real estate transactions involve significant financial commitments and emotional investment. Our research approach considers trust building, information credibility, and decision support tools. We also address the unique needs of different property types and market segments.

Tip: Focus research on building trust and credibility since real estate transactions involve significant financial and emotional commitments.

Real estate regulations vary by jurisdiction and affect how information can be presented and transactions conducted. We research applicable regulations during the discovery phase and ensure designs comply with legal requirements. Our approach includes consulting with legal experts and building compliance checks into user workflows. This ensures platforms meet regulatory requirements while maintaining excellent user experiences.

Tip: Include regulatory compliance requirements in your initial research scope to avoid costly redesigns later in the process.

Construction presents unique usability challenges including harsh environmental conditions, safety equipment constraints, and diverse technical skill levels. Our research addresses mobile device usage with gloves, screen visibility in bright sunlight, and workflow interruptions common on construction sites. We understand that construction software must work reliably under challenging conditions while supporting complex project workflows.

Tip: Test your construction software under actual site conditions to ensure it performs reliably when users need it most.

Commercial real estate transactions involve multiple stakeholders, complex approval processes, and sophisticated financial considerations. Our research approach maps the complete transaction ecosystem, identifying all decision makers and their information needs. We design solutions that support both deal-making and due diligence processes. Our Experience Thinking framework ensures all aspects of the commercial transaction experience work together seamlessly.

Tip: Map all stakeholders involved in commercial transactions to ensure your platform supports everyone's information and workflow needs.

Property management involves juggling multiple properties, tenants, and maintenance issues while ensuring regulatory compliance and financial performance. Our research reveals how property managers prioritize tasks, handle emergency situations, and maintain tenant relationships. We understand the importance of mobile access, notification systems, and integration with existing property management workflows. This insight ensures solutions fit real property management needs.

Tip: Research property manager workflows during both routine operations and emergency situations to ensure your platform supports all scenarios.

We integrate closely with internal development teams through collaborative workshops, regular check-ins, and shared project documentation. Our collaboration approach includes design system development, code review participation, and ongoing usability consultation. We ensure knowledge transfer occurs throughout the project so your team can maintain and evolve the solution independently. This partnership approach builds internal UX capability while delivering immediate results.

Tip: Establish regular collaboration touchpoints with both research and development teams to ensure alignment throughout the project.

Construction projects involve diverse stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds and communication preferences. We adapt our communication style to each audience, using visual prototypes for design stakeholders and technical specifications for development teams. Our approach includes regular progress updates, preliminary findings sharing, and collaborative decision-making sessions. This ensures all stakeholders remain aligned and engaged throughout the project.

Tip: Tailor communication formats to different stakeholder groups to ensure everyone can effectively contribute to project success.

Real estate markets can change rapidly, affecting project priorities and resource allocation. We maintain project momentum through flexible project structures, regular priority reassessment, and clear success metrics. Our approach includes scenario planning and adaptable research methods that can respond to changing market conditions. This ensures projects remain relevant and deliver value regardless of market fluctuations.

Tip: Build flexibility into project timelines and scope to accommodate market changes while maintaining core research objectives.

AI enhances our research capabilities through automated data analysis, pattern recognition, and user behavior prediction. We use AI to process large datasets, identify user behavior patterns, and generate insights that inform design decisions. However, AI supports rather than replaces human insight and empathy in understanding user needs. Our approach combines AI efficiency with human understanding to deliver more effective research results.

Tip: Use AI to enhance research efficiency while maintaining human insight for understanding emotional and contextual factors that affect user experience.

Building internal UX research capability requires structured knowledge transfer and skill development. We provide training workshops, research methodology documentation, and mentoring support for internal teams. Our approach includes creating research templates, establishing evaluation criteria, and developing ongoing research processes. This ensures your organization can continue UX research independently while maintaining quality standards.

Tip: Invest in training key internal stakeholders on research methods to build long-term UX capability within your organization.

Different construction project types have unique requirements, stakeholders, and workflows. We develop research frameworks that identify common patterns while accommodating project-specific needs. Our approach includes comparative analysis across project types, stakeholder mapping, and workflow documentation. This ensures research insights are both broadly applicable and specifically relevant to each construction context.

Tip: Document common patterns across different project types to identify opportunities for standardized solutions while respecting unique requirements.

Scaling research across multiple markets requires balancing consistency with local adaptation. We develop standardized research protocols while allowing for market-specific modifications. Our approach includes local market expertise, cultural consideration, and regulatory compliance. We ensure research quality through rigorous methodology, cross-market validation, and continuous quality monitoring. This maintains research integrity while accommodating market differences.

Tip: Establish core research standards while allowing flexibility for local market conditions and regulatory requirements.