At Darwin, the process of turning a home between tenants is a complex, multi-faceted endeavor. We call this process a "Turn". A turn begins when a tenant moves out and ends when Darwin successfully repairs the home to make it rent-ready. Many individuals are involved in this process, each responsible for completing a specific stage to move things forward.
A turn is considered successful when we accurately scope all the necessary repairs and list the home for rent, and we align with both the vendor and the owner on a fair price for the work. However, the current turns process at Darwin is a patchwork of different platforms and scattered information and communication streams, making it far from ideal.
Our ultimate goal is to make the turn process as fast as possible, maximizing rent profits for owners. We understand that every day a home sits empty is lost revenue, and we are working to streamline the process to reduce downtime and increase profits for our clients.
“Our goal is to have 85% of Turns meet the time to completion in the Service Level Agreement and have units in Rent Ready status under 21 days”
General turnkey process flow
1. Defining a Design Process
As a designer, I understand the importance of a well-structured design process in order to achieve a successful outcome. That's why, in collaboration with the product manager, I created a detailed project timeline that allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the design process.
We began by dedicating enough time for Discovery, where we explored the challenge at hand, defined problem statements, and established a design direction. Next, we moved on to design ideation and validation, where we generated and evaluated different design concepts. Finally, we reached the high-fidelity prototyping stage, where we brought our ideas to life and created a polished version of the design ready for hand-off to engineering team.
The timeline we created not only gave us the time we needed to go through the design process but also ensured that every stage was given the attention it deserved. By following this timeline, we were able to deliver a final product that was not only visually appealing but also met the needs of our users.
2. Discovery
The Turn process at Darwin is complex due to the use of multiple platforms, causing inefficiencies and roadblocks. The fragmented approach leads to a lack of visibility, coordination and reliance on manual processes, which are error-prone. To gain insights into the challenges and pain points faced by users, I conducted user interviews to understand their goals and needs in relation to the different platforms. These insights will inform the design of a streamlined workflow to improve communication and reduce errors.
The complexity in managing the Turn process at Darwin arises from the use of multiple non-integrated platforms, making it difficult to track progress, maintain visibility and coordination, and reducing the reliability on manual processes. To gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and pain points faced by the different users throughout the process, I conducted user interviews, which will be used to guide the design of a more streamlined workflow that improves communication and reduces errors.
User interviews were a critical component of our process. We spoke with the different users involved in the Turn process to gain a deeper understanding of their goals and the challenges they were facing. These initial interviews helped us uncover pain points and obstacles that were causing delays in the completion of Turns. We were able to gather a wealth of information and gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by the different users and how they impacted the overall process.
User Interviews - Synthesis
3. Problem Definition & Potential Solutions
With the insights gained through the discovery phase, we were able to identify the key issues to be addressed by the team. This helped us develop a clear understanding of the problems that needed to be solved. We also created a current state user flow as a reference point. I then took a lead role in organizing a workshop where the team could come together to create a long-term vision and user flow for the product solution. This helped us establish a clear direction for the project and a roadmap for achieving it.
Current State User Flow
During the workshop, we aimed to tackle the question of what the ideal end-to-end experience for Turns would be. The Turns process involves many different users with varying motivations and objectives, so we also had to consider the individual user journeys and how they fit into the bigger picture. By mapping out the user flow, we were able to identify potential design opportunities and gain a better understanding of the user needs and pain points. This helped us create a clear vision for the project and provided a foundation for the design process.
Strategizing on the future state
End-to-End User Flow Vision
Long-term outlook
4. Ideation
The ideation phase was an exciting time where we explored a range of different information and page layouts. We aimed to generate as many ideas as possible, and then gradually refine our solutions through design critiques, while constantly referencing our previous research. The goal of this exercise was to come up with a wide range of design options and then systematically evaluate and improve them until we arrived at the best solution for the problem.
In collaboration with the design team, we developed a page structure that could be implemented across the Darwin platform and tested through the Turn design. We created a visual information architecture that was designed to be flexible enough to be used in other projects as well. This structure helps organize information in an intuitive and user-friendly manner, making it easy for users to find the information they need.
Page Structure
We created a low-fidelity prototype to test with users, featuring options for a landing page, nested information, and calls to action needed to move the turn to the next stage and complete it. Through this, we gathered feedback on the usability and design, making adjustments accordingly.
Low fidelity prototype containing 2 different options to be tested with users
5. Validation
With low-fidelity options in place, we turned to our users for feedback. I led one-hour sessions in a structured format to gather insights and make design recommendations. This phase allowed us to refine our design further and gave us the confidence to move forward with creating high-fidelity prototypes.
We conducted our user feedback sessions online, where I shared our prototype with users and asked a set of structured questions. The answers were later compiled in a board for synthesis. This process helped us identify key themes and design recommendations, validating our design decisions and highlighting any missing elements.
User feedback - Research synthesis
6. MVP Delivery
The user testing gave us the confidence to move forward with creating high-fidelity mockups and prototypes. I designed screens for the end-to-end experience with specific users in mind and worked closely with the design team to ensure a clear and intuitive visual hierarchy.
With the overall Turn process in place, I also developed a user flow for the high-fidelity prototype. This served as a guide for the engineering team and a visual tool for business stakeholders, effectively communicating the user journeys.
App user flow
I successfully delivered high-fidelity mockups that went through a thorough design process. Through collaboration with partners, the product manager, and the design team, we were able to combine research and design solutions to create a strong and effective product.
Turnkey high-fidelity prototype. Mockups were provided for development based on this prototype
Lastly, the field team completes most of their inspections using iPads on the field. We had to ensure that the design was mobile-friendly, so I created a short prototype showcasing the responsive design utilizing a Figma plugin allowing us to easily create prototypes for tablet devices. Mockups were also provided for development, including some other features not available on web.
Turnkey iPad prototype
