BACKGROUND
While at Gill & Cetti, I contributed to an emerging real estate website targeted to the Australian market titled Buy My Home. I presented usability ideas focusing on innovative user engagement strategies. The main premise was to put the sale of a home in the home owners hands. One of the main functions of the site was to present as a resource whilst being a platform for brokering a sale.
SOLUTION
While there is nothing new to buying homes in the Australian market, or looking for homes via the internet, real estate agents in this case are secondary in the process with emphasis on the non institutional buyer and seller.
To give this site a user focused orientation I included emotional key points that could relate to the average buyer and seller without the domineering brand of a real estate agency. Ideally engaging the buyer and seller in a more holistic ‘home’ orientation would enable the user to engage on a different level. Features such as internet satellite map technology and the use of active real estate values to help people search, and sell their house was included. This holistic ‘home’ concept was used by zillow.com for the US market. I also suggested that commercial and retail assets could also be used to value add to the experience, allowing for a possible commercial revenue stream. Government and Educational reference points could also be added to the search areas to give the buying public a clear overview of the amenities available within a desired area.interested in.
