Synctera.com
Doorvest was transitioning from a high-touch, service-heavy investment model to a scalable product-led marketplace. Growth was stalling due to conversion drop-off, long time-to-purchase, and operational overhead tied to manual workflows.
My Role & Mandate
As the founding product designer, I partnered directly with product and engineering leadership to re-architect the core investment experience, shifting Doorvest from an email-driven funnel to a self-serve marketplace optimized for speed, confidence, and conversion.
The be was if we could reduce time-to-value and decision friction at the moment of intent, we could unlock higher conversion, faster purchases, and lower operational cost without sacrificing trust.
Overview & Problem
The existing funnel optimized for control, not momentum. Each manual handoff introduced delay, uncertainty, and cognitive fatigue directly suppressing conversion and repeat engagement. 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. We aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Product Strategy & Design Decisions
From manual handoffs to a self-serve system optimized for speed, clarity, and confident decision-making
Launching the Online Marketplace
We made immediate marketplace access the default.
Instead of gating inventory behind emails and sales coordination, we moved discovery, evaluation, and reservation directly into the product. 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. The experience was intentionally designed to prioritize clarity and trust at moments of financial commitment. 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.
Home Price
$200,000
Down Payment (25%)
$20,000
Projected Year 10 Returns
159% ROI
$270,000
Year 10 Investor Highlights
CoC Return
3.56%
Cap Rate
7.03%
Monthly Cash Flow
$250
YoY Appreciation
6%
Neighborhood Score
A
45 Lansing Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Houston
5 Bed
3 Bath
1989 Build
2000 ft2
Dislike
Like
"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.). We deliberately avoided a standalone swipe experience to prevent novelty-driven behavior and keep users anchored in real investment context. 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 progressively narrowing the decision space without requiring explicit configuration. 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
The Primary blocker wasn't intent, it was effort.
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 . We intentionally designed for psychological completion, giving users a clear sense of progress and closure at the moment of commitment. 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.
Outcome & Impact
The launch of Doorvest’s self-serve marketplace marked a structural shift in how the business converted interest into investment. By replacing manual handoffs with immediate access, guided decision-making, and a shortened path to commitment, the product delivered measurable gains across conversion, engagement, and operational efficiency within months of launch.
Conversion Lift (+13.8%)
Marketplace access immediately after onboarding removed the primary drop-off point in the funnel. As a result, conversion from visitor to active investor increased by 13.8%, validating the decision to eliminate waiting periods and move discovery and evaluation directly into the product experience.
Reservation Volume (+40%)
Simplifying the “Reserve Home” flow and surfacing decision-critical information at the point of intent led to a 40% increase in home reservations. Users were more willing to initiate the purchase process when the cost, returns, and next steps were clear and immediately actionable.
Engagement and Retention (+~80%)
Overall user engagement increased by approximately 80% following the introduction of the marketplace and supporting features. Preference-based recommendations via Doormatch drove repeat visits, while adjacent tools such as Transaction Tracker and Portfolio Creator benefited from increased user return behavior once investors were anchored in the marketplace experience.
Trust, Confidence, and Operational Relief
Qualitative feedback reinforced the quantitative gains. Users described Doorvest as a “one-stop shop” and valued the ability to explore and invest on their own timeline without pressure. This confidence translated into fewer support requests and reduced sales hand-holding, signaling a successful shift toward a self-serve investment model.
Business Impact
By the end of the project, Doorvest had transitioned from a high-touch, manually driven sales process to a scalable digital product. The impact was not cosmetic it materially improved conversion, reduced operational overhead, and enabled the business to close more deals without proportionally increasing support or sales effort.
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 fundamentally changed how I approach product leverage. Early on, it was tempting to solve every moment of uncertainty with more interface, more explanation, or more features. What ultimately moved the business, however, was restraint removing steps, collapsing decisions, and trusting users to act when the system made intent clear. As a founding designer, I learned that scaling a product isn’t about designing more surfaces; it’s about designing fewer, more decisive ones. The most impactful moments came from saying no to “nice-to-have” ideas that added clarity but slowed momentum. This work also reshaped how I partner with product and engineering leaders. Aligning early on a single north-star metric (time from interest to commitment) gave teams a shared decision filter and reduced debate driven by opinion rather than outcome. I carry this approach forward: optimize for momentum, design for trust, and measure success by how little effort it takes for users to move forward confidently.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer
Reflections & Learnings
This project fundamentally changed how I approach product leverage. Early on, it was tempting to solve every moment of uncertainty with more interface, more explanation, or more features. What ultimately moved the business, however, was restraint removing steps, collapsing decisions, and trusting users to act when the system made intent clear. As a founding designer, I learned that scaling a product isn’t about designing more surfaces; it’s about designing fewer, more decisive ones. The most impactful moments came from saying no to “nice-to-have” ideas that added clarity but slowed momentum. This work also reshaped how I partner with product and engineering leaders. Aligning early on a single north-star metric (time from interest to commitment) gave teams a shared decision filter and reduced debate driven by opinion rather than outcome. I carry this approach forward: optimize for momentum, design for trust, and measure success by how little effort it takes for users to move forward confidently.
Lennox Prince Jr.
Senior / Founding Product Designer
Synctera.com
Doorvest was transitioning from a high-touch, service-heavy investment model to a scalable product-led marketplace. Growth was stalling due to conversion drop-off, long time-to-purchase, and operational overhead tied to manual workflows.
My Role & Mandate
As the founding product designer, I partnered directly with product and engineering leadership to re-architect the core investment experience, shifting Doorvest from an email-driven funnel to a self-serve marketplace optimized for speed, confidence, and conversion.
The be was if we could reduce time-to-value and decision friction at the moment of intent, we could unlock higher conversion, faster purchases, and lower operational cost without sacrificing trust.
Overview & Problem
The existing funnel optimized for control, not momentum. Each manual handoff introduced delay, uncertainty, and cognitive fatigue directly suppressing conversion and repeat engagement. 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. We aimed to streamline the user journey from onboarding to investment, boosting conversion rate and speeding up decisions.
Product Strategy & Design Decisions
From manual handoffs to a self-serve system optimized for speed, clarity, and confident decision-making
Launching the Online Marketplace
We made immediate marketplace access the default.
Instead of gating inventory behind emails and sales coordination, we moved discovery, evaluation, and reservation directly into the product. 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. The experience was intentionally designed to prioritize clarity and trust at moments of financial commitment. 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.
Home Price
$200,000
Down Payment (25%)
$20,000
Projected Year 10 Returns
159% ROI
$270,000
Year 10 Investor Highlights
CoC Return
3.56%
Cap Rate
7.03%
Monthly Cash Flow
$250
YoY Appreciation
6%
Neighborhood Score
A
45 Lansing Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Houston
5 Bed
3 Bath
1989 Build
2000 ft2
Dislike
Like
"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.). We deliberately avoided a standalone swipe experience to prevent novelty-driven behavior and keep users anchored in real investment context. 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 progressively narrowing the decision space without requiring explicit configuration. 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
The Primary blocker wasn't intent, it was effort.
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 . We intentionally designed for psychological completion, giving users a clear sense of progress and closure at the moment of commitment. 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.
Outcome & Impact
The launch of Doorvest’s self-serve marketplace marked a structural shift in how the business converted interest into investment. By replacing manual handoffs with immediate access, guided decision-making, and a shortened path to commitment, the product delivered measurable gains across conversion, engagement, and operational efficiency within months of launch.
Conversion Lift (+13.8%)
Marketplace access immediately after onboarding removed the primary drop-off point in the funnel. As a result, conversion from visitor to active investor increased by 13.8%, validating the decision to eliminate waiting periods and move discovery and evaluation directly into the product experience.
Reservation Volume (+40%)
Simplifying the “Reserve Home” flow and surfacing decision-critical information at the point of intent led to a 40% increase in home reservations. Users were more willing to initiate the purchase process when the cost, returns, and next steps were clear and immediately actionable.
Engagement and Retention (+~80%)
Overall user engagement increased by approximately 80% following the introduction of the marketplace and supporting features. Preference-based recommendations via Doormatch drove repeat visits, while adjacent tools such as Transaction Tracker and Portfolio Creator benefited from increased user return behavior once investors were anchored in the marketplace experience.
Trust, Confidence, and Operational Relief
Qualitative feedback reinforced the quantitative gains. Users described Doorvest as a “one-stop shop” and valued the ability to explore and invest on their own timeline without pressure. This confidence translated into fewer support requests and reduced sales hand-holding, signaling a successful shift toward a self-serve investment model.
Business Impact
By the end of the project, Doorvest had transitioned from a high-touch, manually driven sales process to a scalable digital product. The impact was not cosmetic it materially improved conversion, reduced operational overhead, and enabled the business to close more deals without proportionally increasing support or sales effort.