Hubzu Homepage

Information Architecture | UX/UI Design | Design Systems

Background

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When I joined Hubzu's team in 2020, their homepage had not been updated since 2012, and the outdated, cluttered design was leading to a high bounce rate. As the company's lead UX designer, I led our Hubzu.com homepage redesign that led to a 4% increase in homepage-to-search traffic, and decreased the page's bounce rate by 11%.

Research

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The initial page analytics for the homepage showed that there was plenty of room for improvement. An understated value prop and unclear CTA's meant that user didn't know where to go, and heatmaps showed that their clicks were all over the place. Furthermore, a high bounce rate indicated that many users took one look and decided they weren't interested in exploring the site at all.

In my competitive analysis, I looked at competitors like Zillow, Auction.com, and Xome. Although their layouts were similar to Hubzu's, they utilized bright colors, modern design trends, and inviting photography to appeal to users. Additionally, they used clear visual hierarchies and concise messaging to help users pick out the most important information on the page.

Information Architecture

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I knew that the most important part of the page was the search bar. Ultimately, our goal was to drive more users to the search results page, so I made sure to keep search functionality visible, both at the top of the page and in a sticky header as the user scrolled. I also identified an area for opportunity in the space beneath the search bar. For returning users with previous searches, this became a place to pick back up where they left off, with recent or saved searches. For new visitors to the site, I decided to display deals and offers that might interest them.

Below the search area and the hero image, I devoted more space to promotions - in the investment property market, target user tend to be more interested in finding a deal than finding the perfect home. Below promotions, I included property cards to encourage users to engage with active auctions.

Design

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After creating wireframes and laying out all the sections, we moved into UI design. Hubzu had gotten a new logo and new branding in 2019, but hadn't implemented it across the site, and didn't have a solid design system, or even consistent design elements. I took this opportunity to solidify Hubzu's brand identity and design components. Like many of our competitors, we utilized bright colors and clean lines to communicate a sense of simplicity.

A parallel effort that we worked on at this time was the redesign of the property cards. As one of the most important elements on the site, the property cards needed to convey a lot of information at once, without overwhelming the user. In addition to beds, baths, square footage, location, and (most importantly) price, we also needed to communicate the asset type (bank-owned, foreclosure, short sale, etc.), the auction information (including a countdown timer, if the auction was live), and if the property fell into any special categories (for example, cash only). Using typography, icons, and badges, we managed to create a versatile design that could be used not only across the website, but in the app as well.

Impact

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The impact of the new homepage was immediate and noticeable, resulting in a $900k business impact. Analytics showed that more users initiated searches, particularly using the Recent Searches feature. With so many users taking advantage of content above the fold, fewer scrolled down the page, but even sections below the fold saw an improvement in navigability, particularly on mobile.

In addition to having a significant business impact, this project allowed our design team to familiarize ourselves with Hubzu's brand elements, and begin creating a streamlined design system in Sketch. This would allow for consistency when we began working on the Hubzu app overhaul a few months later.