Transforming a manual home-buying process into a seamless online marketplace to boost user engagement and conversion
Doorvest is an end-to-end real estate investment platform that helps users buy, renovate, and manage rental homes remotelyusehubble.io. Originally, much of the home investment process was handled through emails and one-on-one consultations, leading to user drop-offs and low repeat engagement. Our data showed that many potential investors lost momentum between signing up and actually reserving a property. The core problem was a conversion drop-off and poor user retention in this funnel. We needed to enable users to purchase a home with as few clicks as possible, moving from a cumbersome email-driven flow to an interactive self-serve marketplace. The key success metric (KPI) was to increase the number of users who sign up and enter the marketplace, and then reduce the time it takes for a user to click “Purchase Home.” In other words, we aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Overview & Problem
Doorvest is an end-to-end real estate investment platform that helps users buy, renovate, and manage rental homes remotelyusehubble.io. Originally, much of the home investment process was handled through emails and one-on-one consultations, leading to user drop-offs and low repeat engagement. Our data showed that many potential investors lost momentum between signing up and actually reserving a property. The core problem was a conversion drop-off and poor user retention in this funnel. We needed to enable users to purchase a home with as few clicks as possible, moving from a cumbersome email-driven flow to an interactive self-serve marketplace. The key success metric (KPI) was to increase the number of users who sign up and enter the marketplace, and then reduce the time it takes for a user to click “Purchase Home.” In other words, we aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Process & Tools
Research & Analysis: We kicked off by analyzing user behavior data and feedback to pinpoint where and why users were dropping off. Using Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity, I reviewed heatmaps and session recordings of our existing sign-up and onboarding flow, uncovering friction points (e.g. users would sign up via a marketing email link but then disengage due to the slow, manual process). I also partnered with our marketing and sales teams to gather qualitative insights from sales calls and support tickets. Some of the common themes were confusion about next steps and impatience with waiting on emailed property lists. These findings reinforced the need for a more flexible method to show what home were able to be purchased.
Strategy & Planning: In planning the solution, I worked with the Head of Product to define a streamlined marketplace experience. We mapped out a user journey that would take a new user from account creation straight into browsing available investment homes, with clear CTAs to guide them toward making a reservation. I prioritized features by business impact and user value, focusing first on the critical path to purchasing a home. We set a goal that any user should be able to find a suitable property and initiate a purchase within just a few minutes of signing up (a dramatic improvement over the days or weeks it previously took via email).
Design & Ideation: I used Figma as the primary design tool to create wireframes and interactive prototypes of the marketplace. We explored several concepts. One bold idea was a “Tinder-style” interface where users could swipe right or left on properties to like or dismiss them. The thinking was to add a fun, low-effort way for users to express preferences. However, after internal discussion and early user tests, we decided not to build a separate swipe screen. Instead, I integrated a simple like/dislike mechanism directly on each property card in the marketplace – a feature we coined “Doormatch.” This approach kept the main experience focused (no context-switching to a different mode) while still capturing user preferences in the background. The Doormatch algorithm would record what types of homes a user liked or skipped and then surface better-matched properties over timedoorvest.comdoorvest.com. By simplifying this feature and embedding it into the core browsing UI, we avoided additional complexity while still achieving the goal of matching users to ideal investments faster.
Throughout ideation, I collaborated with engineers to ensure our designs were technically feasible and aligned with our data models (for example, ensuring the like/dislike data would feed into our recommendation engine). I also kept close communication with the marketing and sales teams, so the new features would dovetail with their processes (e.g. sales reps could see a user’s “liked” homes to better assist them).
User Testing & Iteration: We adopted an agile, test-and-iterate approach. Using our Figma prototype, I conducted remote usability testing sessions with a few existing Doorvest users and some new sign-ups. Test participants were asked to go through the new onboarding and try to find and “reserve” a home. Their feedback led to several refinements: for instance, I clarified the labeling of financial metrics on the home cards (so users could quickly scan cash flow, appreciation, etc.), and I added a progress indicator to the purchase flow to set expectations on next steps. We also rolled out an in-product survey (using a lightweight Google Form integrated via a banner) to get early feedback from active users in the new marketplace. These continuous feedback loops, similar to how Doorvest’s product team later established with Hubble surveysusehubble.iousehubble.io, ensured we were catching usability issues and opportunities to improve engagement in real time.
Project Management: To keep the rapid timeline on track, I used Linear and Asana to manage design tasks and coordinate with engineering. Each design iteration and copy tweak was documented, and I led daily check-ins during development to address any UX discrepancies immediately. This close collaboration minimized back-and-forth and kept implementation aligned with the design vision.
Key Solutions & Designs Changes
Launching the Online Marketplace: I designed a centralized Marketplace hub accessible immediately after user onboarding. Instead of waiting for an email with curated properties, users could now browse available rental homes in-app at their own pace. Each home listing page was crafted to provide all key info at a glance this includes property photos, financial projections, neighborhood data, and a clear “Reserve Home” button. I wanted the design to emphasized clarity and trust: I incorporated a progress bar showing the home’s status (e.g. “Available” or “In Due Diligence”) and used consistent icons for property features, drawing from a new Doorvest design system I built for consistency. This self-serve marketplace directly tackled our conversion issue by removing delays; users were empowered to move forward immediately, without needing to schedule a call or await an email.
“Doormatch” Preference Matching: Rather than a separate swipe app, we implemented Like/Dislike buttons on each property card, subtly reminiscent of the swipe idea but contained within the browsing experience. When a user liked a property, the system logged the property’s attributes (location, price, home type, etc.). This data fueled the Doormatch algorithm, which would highlight properties likely to fit the user’s criteria. The goal was to reduce analysis paralysis by helping users focus on options that fit their investment goals in turn effectively decreasing the time needed to choose a home. This feature not only improved UX by personalizing the marketplace, but also gave our sales team insight into what each user was looking for without constant back-and-forth.
Doormatch ultimately sped up the process of finding a “yes” property, an internal analysis later showed a notable uptick in users signing Letters of Intent after this feature was introduced on doorvest.com. (We saw that even if users didn’t immediately purchase, they were more engaged in browsing when the options felt tailored to them.)
Streamlined Purchase Flow: I reworked the “Purchase Home” flow to be as short and intuitive as possible. Previously, indicating interest in a property meant filling a long form or scheduling a call. In the new design, clicking “Reserve/Purchase” on a listing would prompt a concise modal with key confirmations (desired down payment, etc.) and then immediately log a reservation with our sales team. The interface gave instant feedback, a confirmation screen and an email follow-up . Research showed users felt a sense of completion with this new flow. By cutting out unnecessary form fields and letting users use saved profile info, we reduced the reservation process to just a few clicks. This was critical to our KPI of shortening time-to-purchase.
Onboarding & Education: To address any trust issues and reduce confusion, I also designed a new onboarding flow for first-time users. This included a brief, skippable tour of the marketplace features (pointing out how to use filters, how to like homes for Doormatch, etc.) and a dashboard showing next steps in their investment journey. This orientation helped new users feel confident in using the marketplace, reducing reliance on customer support. (Notably, after launch we saw a drop in support tickets related to “how do I find a property?” – evidence that the product was more self-explanatory, aligning with the 20% reduction in customer service requests noted in our internal metrics.)
Throughout these changes, every design decision was tied back to the core problem: make it easier and faster for users to go from interest to investment. We consciously eliminated or automated any steps that didn’t directly serve that goal.
Outcome & Impact
The launch of Doorvest’s online marketplace and associated UX improvements led to significant business and user experience gains. Within a few months:
Conversion Rate Increased by 13.8%, meaning more visitors and sign-ups were converting into active investors than beforejrprince.design. This uplift in conversion was directly tied to the smoother onboarding and immediate access to the marketplace (users no longer lost interest during a waiting period).
Home Reservations Jumped by 40%, as users more readily clicked “Reserve Home” to start the purchase processjrprince.design. By simplifying the reservation flow and building user confidence through richer information and guidance, we saw many more properties being reserved (and ultimately purchased) per week than prior to the redesign.
Faster Time-to-Purchase: Although we can’t share exact proprietary figures, qualitatively the time from a user’s first sign-up to placing a reservation dropped dramatically. What used to take days of back-and-forth could now happen in a single session on the marketplace. Users were completing the reservation steps in minutes, and our internal tracking noted a sharp reduction in drop-off between signup and LOI (Letter of Intent).
Increased User Engagement: Users were spending more time exploring properties and interacting with the product. In fact, overall user engagement surged ~80% after introducing the Marketplace (alongside new features like Transaction Tracker and Portfolio Creator), showing that once engaged by the marketplace, users kept returning to use other features. The Doormatch feature also contributed to repeat visits – users would come back to see new recommended properties matching their criteria.
Qualitative Feedback: We gathered feedback from users that reinforced the quantitative results. New investors reported that “Doorvest now feels like a one-stop-shop” and that they appreciated being able to “browse and buy on my own time without pressure.” Importantly, hesitant users said that seeing all the numbers and data in one place (and being able to compare properties easily) made them more confident to make an investment decision. This boost in trust and ease-of-use is also reflected in fewer support queries and hand-holding needed — the UX was truly enabling a self-serve model.
By the end of this project, Doorvest had effectively moved from a manual, high-touch sales process to a scalable digital product. The business impact was clear: more deals closed with less overhead. The design changes didn’t just make things “prettier”; they delivered tangible business value in conversion and retention.
Overview & Problem
Transforming a manual home-buying process into a seamless online marketplace to boost user engagement and conversion.
Doorvest is an end-to-end real estate investment platform that helps users buy, renovate, and manage rental homes remotelyusehubble.io. Originally, much of the home investment process was handled through emails and one-on-one consultations, leading to user drop-offs and low repeat engagement. Our data showed that many potential investors lost momentum between signing up and actually reserving a property. The core problem was a conversion drop-off and poor user retention in this funnel. We needed to enable users to purchase a home with as few clicks as possible, moving from a cumbersome email-driven flow to an interactive self-serve marketplace. The key success metric (KPI) was to increase the number of users who sign up and enter the marketplace, and then reduce the time it takes for a user to click “Purchase Home.” In other words, we aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Overview & Problem
Doorvest is an end-to-end real estate investment platform that helps users buy, renovate, and manage rental homes remotelyusehubble.io. Originally, much of the home investment process was handled through emails and one-on-one consultations, leading to user drop-offs and low repeat engagement. Our data showed that many potential investors lost momentum between signing up and actually reserving a property. The core problem was a conversion drop-off and poor user retention in this funnel. We needed to enable users to purchase a home with as few clicks as possible, moving from a cumbersome email-driven flow to an interactive self-serve marketplace. The key success metric (KPI) was to increase the number of users who sign up and enter the marketplace, and then reduce the time it takes for a user to click “Purchase Home.” In other words, we aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Process & Tools
Research & Analysis: We kicked off by analyzing user behavior data and feedback to pinpoint where and why users were dropping off. Using Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity, I reviewed heatmaps and session recordings of our existing sign-up and onboarding flow, uncovering friction points (e.g. users would sign up via a marketing email link but then disengage due to the slow, manual process). I also partnered with our marketing and sales teams to gather qualitative insights from sales calls and support tickets. Some of the common themes were confusion about next steps and impatience with waiting on emailed property lists. These findings reinforced the need for a more flexible method to show what home were able to be purchased.
Strategy & Planning: In planning the solution, I worked with the Head of Product to define a streamlined marketplace experience. We mapped out a user journey that would take a new user from account creation straight into browsing available investment homes, with clear CTAs to guide them toward making a reservation. I prioritized features by business impact and user value, focusing first on the critical path to purchasing a home. We set a goal that any user should be able to find a suitable property and initiate a purchase within just a few minutes of signing up (a dramatic improvement over the days or weeks it previously took via email).
Design & Ideation: I used Figma as the primary design tool to create wireframes and interactive prototypes of the marketplace. We explored several concepts. One bold idea was a “Tinder-style” interface where users could swipe right or left on properties to like or dismiss them. The thinking was to add a fun, low-effort way for users to express preferences. However, after internal discussion and early user tests, we decided not to build a separate swipe screen. Instead, I integrated a simple like/dislike mechanism directly on each property card in the marketplace – a feature we coined “Doormatch.” This approach kept the main experience focused (no context-switching to a different mode) while still capturing user preferences in the background. The Doormatch algorithm would record what types of homes a user liked or skipped and then surface better-matched properties over timedoorvest.comdoorvest.com. By simplifying this feature and embedding it into the core browsing UI, we avoided additional complexity while still achieving the goal of matching users to ideal investments faster.
Throughout ideation, I collaborated with engineers to ensure our designs were technically feasible and aligned with our data models (for example, ensuring the like/dislike data would feed into our recommendation engine). I also kept close communication with the marketing and sales teams, so the new features would dovetail with their processes (e.g. sales reps could see a user’s “liked” homes to better assist them).
User Testing & Iteration: We adopted an agile, test-and-iterate approach. Using our Figma prototype, I conducted remote usability testing sessions with a few existing Doorvest users and some new sign-ups. Test participants were asked to go through the new onboarding and try to find and “reserve” a home. Their feedback led to several refinements: for instance, I clarified the labeling of financial metrics on the home cards (so users could quickly scan cash flow, appreciation, etc.), and I added a progress indicator to the purchase flow to set expectations on next steps. We also rolled out an in-product survey (using a lightweight Google Form integrated via a banner) to get early feedback from active users in the new marketplace. These continuous feedback loops, similar to how Doorvest’s product team later established with Hubble surveysusehubble.iousehubble.io, ensured we were catching usability issues and opportunities to improve engagement in real time.
Project Management: To keep the rapid timeline on track, I used Linear and Asana to manage design tasks and coordinate with engineering. Each design iteration and copy tweak was documented, and I led daily check-ins during development to address any UX discrepancies immediately. This close collaboration minimized back-and-forth and kept implementation aligned with the design vision.
Key Solutions & Designs Changes
Launching the Online Marketplace: I designed a centralized Marketplace hub accessible immediately after user onboarding. Instead of waiting for an email with curated properties, users could now browse available rental homes in-app at their own pace. Each home listing page was crafted to provide all key info at a glance this includes property photos, financial projections, neighborhood data, and a clear “Reserve Home” button. I wanted the design to emphasized clarity and trust: I incorporated a progress bar showing the home’s status (e.g. “Available” or “In Due Diligence”) and used consistent icons for property features, drawing from a new Doorvest design system I built for consistency. This self-serve marketplace directly tackled our conversion issue by removing delays; users were empowered to move forward immediately, without needing to schedule a call or await an email.
“Doormatch” Preference Matching: Rather than a separate swipe app, we implemented Like/Dislike buttons on each property card, subtly reminiscent of the swipe idea but contained within the browsing experience. When a user liked a property, the system logged the property’s attributes (location, price, home type, etc.). This data fueled the Doormatch algorithm, which would highlight properties likely to fit the user’s criteria. The goal was to reduce analysis paralysis by helping users focus on options that fit their investment goals in turn effectively decreasing the time needed to choose a home. This feature not only improved UX by personalizing the marketplace, but also gave our sales team insight into what each user was looking for without constant back-and-forth.
Doormatch ultimately sped up the process of finding a “yes” property, an internal analysis later showed a notable uptick in users signing Letters of Intent after this feature was introduced on doorvest.com. (We saw that even if users didn’t immediately purchase, they were more engaged in browsing when the options felt tailored to them.)
Streamlined Purchase Flow: I reworked the “Purchase Home” flow to be as short and intuitive as possible. Previously, indicating interest in a property meant filling a long form or scheduling a call. In the new design, clicking “Reserve/Purchase” on a listing would prompt a concise modal with key confirmations (desired down payment, etc.) and then immediately log a reservation with our sales team. The interface gave instant feedback, a confirmation screen and an email follow-up . Research showed users felt a sense of completion with this new flow. By cutting out unnecessary form fields and letting users use saved profile info, we reduced the reservation process to just a few clicks. This was critical to our KPI of shortening time-to-purchase.
Onboarding & Education: To address any trust issues and reduce confusion, I also designed a new onboarding flow for first-time users. This included a brief, skippable tour of the marketplace features (pointing out how to use filters, how to like homes for Doormatch, etc.) and a dashboard showing next steps in their investment journey. This orientation helped new users feel confident in using the marketplace, reducing reliance on customer support. (Notably, after launch we saw a drop in support tickets related to “how do I find a property?” – evidence that the product was more self-explanatory, aligning with the 20% reduction in customer service requests noted in our internal metrics.)
Throughout these changes, every design decision was tied back to the core problem: make it easier and faster for users to go from interest to investment. We consciously eliminated or automated any steps that didn’t directly serve that goal.
Outcome & Impact
The launch of Doorvest’s online marketplace and associated UX improvements led to significant business and user experience gains. Within a few months:
Conversion Rate Increased by 13.8%, meaning more visitors and sign-ups were converting into active investors than beforejrprince.design. This uplift in conversion was directly tied to the smoother onboarding and immediate access to the marketplace (users no longer lost interest during a waiting period).
Home Reservations Jumped by 40%, as users more readily clicked “Reserve Home” to start the purchase processjrprince.design. By simplifying the reservation flow and building user confidence through richer information and guidance, we saw many more properties being reserved (and ultimately purchased) per week than prior to the redesign.
Faster Time-to-Purchase: Although we can’t share exact proprietary figures, qualitatively the time from a user’s first sign-up to placing a reservation dropped dramatically. What used to take days of back-and-forth could now happen in a single session on the marketplace. Users were completing the reservation steps in minutes, and our internal tracking noted a sharp reduction in drop-off between signup and LOI (Letter of Intent).
Increased User Engagement: Users were spending more time exploring properties and interacting with the product. In fact, overall user engagement surged ~80% after introducing the Marketplace (alongside new features like Transaction Tracker and Portfolio Creator), showing that once engaged by the marketplace, users kept returning to use other features. The Doormatch feature also contributed to repeat visits – users would come back to see new recommended properties matching their criteria.
Qualitative Feedback: We gathered feedback from users that reinforced the quantitative results. New investors reported that “Doorvest now feels like a one-stop-shop” and that they appreciated being able to “browse and buy on my own time without pressure.” Importantly, hesitant users said that seeing all the numbers and data in one place (and being able to compare properties easily) made them more confident to make an investment decision. This boost in trust and ease-of-use is also reflected in fewer support queries and hand-holding needed — the UX was truly enabling a self-serve model.
By the end of this project, Doorvest had effectively moved from a manual, high-touch sales process to a scalable digital product. The business impact was clear: more deals closed with less overhead. The design changes didn’t just make things “prettier”; they delivered tangible business value in conversion and retention.
Reflections & Learnings
This project reinforced the balance between user-centered design and business impact. By tying every decision to metrics like conversion and retention, I built trust across teams and proved design’s value beyond aesthetics. Simplifying the experience—like turning a swipe app into the integrated Doormatch feature—showed that focus often wins over flash. As the founding designer, I led with empathy and data, aligning stakeholders through evidence and vision. Continuous testing and user feedback kept the marketplace evolving post-launch. Ultimately, *From Email to Marketplace* became a case study in how thoughtful UX can scale a business while making complex decisions feel simple and human.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer
Reflections & Learnings
This project reinforced the balance between user-centered design and business impact. By tying every decision to metrics like conversion and retention, I built trust across teams and proved design’s value beyond aesthetics. Simplifying the experience—like turning a swipe app into the integrated Doormatch feature—showed that focus often wins over flash. As the founding designer, I led with empathy and data, aligning stakeholders through evidence and vision. Continuous testing and user feedback kept the marketplace evolving post-launch. Ultimately, *From Email to Marketplace* became a case study in how thoughtful UX can scale a business while making complex decisions feel simple and human.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer
Reflections & Learnings
This project reinforced the balance between user-centered design and business impact. By tying every decision to metrics like conversion and retention, I built trust across teams and proved design’s value beyond aesthetics. Simplifying the experience—like turning a swipe app into the integrated Doormatch feature—showed that focus often wins over flash. As the founding designer, I led with empathy and data, aligning stakeholders through evidence and vision. Continuous testing and user feedback kept the marketplace evolving post-launch. Ultimately, *From Email to Marketplace* became a case study in how thoughtful UX can scale a business while making complex decisions feel simple and human.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer
Reflections & Learnings
This project reinforced the balance between user-centered design and business impact. By tying every decision to metrics like conversion and retention, I built trust across teams and proved design’s value beyond aesthetics. Simplifying the experience—like turning a swipe app into the integrated Doormatch feature—showed that focus often wins over flash. As the founding designer, I led with empathy and data, aligning stakeholders through evidence and vision. Continuous testing and user feedback kept the marketplace evolving post-launch. Ultimately, *From Email to Marketplace* became a case study in how thoughtful UX can scale a business while making complex decisions feel simple and human.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer