CoStar
The biggest tech firm you’ve never heard of
The Challenge
In the realm of commercial real estate, CoStar, a tech giant often operating under the radar, sought to enhance its Propex Portal—a vital tool for the UK's leading funds, property companies, and agents.
The aim was to revamp the website and application, making it more intuitive, trustworthy, and aligned with the evolving needs of the industry.
The Solution –
Leveraging Design Thinking
As a member of the B2B Web team, tasked with this challenging project, I embraced Design Thinking as the guiding framework. Recognizing its capacity for a solution-driven approach, I adopted the five-stage process—Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
This methodology, influenced by IDEO’s Human-Centered Design and Lean UX, ensured that design decisions were not only user-centric but also aligned with comprehensive user research and feedback.
Stage 1 — Empathise
To build a website that resonated with users, a departure from assumptions was imperative. User interviews and testing of the existing website allowed us to identify pain points, understand market dynamics, and delve into user habits. This stage unveiled crucial insights, such as the paramount importance users placed on the website's aesthetics for building trust.
Stage 2 — Define
Analysis of observations culminated in defining core problems, crafting a problem statement that navigated the user-centric approach while accommodating business needs. This phase demanded a delicate balance, considering the broader priorities of CoStar, including the promotion of its entire suite of products.
Stage 3 — Ideate
With the goal of a worldwide release and a stringent timeline for a new back-end system, the Ideation stage unfolded in short and long-term goals.
Sprinting through brainstorming sessions, we aimed to improve introduction speed, visual appeal, and overall trustworthiness. Trello boards housed our ideas, ensuring a repository for continual communication.
Stage 4 — Prototype
Implementing chosen ideas involved creating prototypes—scaled-down versions of the end product. Mock-ups served not just as visual representations but also as tools to elicit specific questions, garnering insights into user behavior and preferences.
Stage 5 — Test
Testing commenced during soft and full releases, with in-house testing focusing on UI details and external testing involving a diverse mix of investors and agents. The real-world feedback was instrumental in refining the product.
The Result
Post the official release, the Propex Portal witnessed a 40% increase in introductions/conversions, along with heightened engagement with the broader CoStar suite.
Conclusion
Design Thinking, with its non-linear and iterative nature, facilitated a deeper understanding of the market, customers, and partners, underscoring the power of a collaborative and empathetic design process.
Key Takeaways
A collaborative process rooted in empathy always enables the development of products that truly resonate with customers. The iterative nature of jumping between stages proved instrumental in gaining diverse perspectives and honing in on the core challenges at hand.