User Journey &
Persona
User research is the backbone of creating products that are not only useful and usable but also delightful. It allows us to understand our users’ needs, expectations, and desires, challenging our existing designs to ensure continuous improvement.
Role:
Research Planning, User Interview
Date:
MAY 2021
UX Research
Data Triagulation
Personas
Personas are fictional characters based on real data, representing commonalities among user groups. In this study, our focus was on Real Estate Agents, who are the core of Engel & Völkers’ business.
Methods
To achieve this, we employ a blend of quantitative and qualitative research methods, each providing unique insights into user behavior and preferences. To reduce blind spots, I used triangulation by leveraging multiple data sources, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and needs.
QUANTITATIVE
These methods help us gather large amounts of data to broadly understand user behavior and test product usability. We use tools like Userbrain for quick, unmoderated usability tests and Hotjar for heatmaps and session recordings, which effectively visualize user interactions.
QUANLITATIVE
For deeper insights, we focus on a smaller, selected group of users. This approach allows us to generate detailed "research nuggets" by conducting online meetings and interviews, and using Loom to record these sessions and mark key moments for easy reference.
Preparation and Team Collaboration
Before diving into the research, we gathered existing materials and insights from various teams, including marketing, content, and brand. We collaborated with the data team to understand how consumers interact with our website, especially the search tool, collecting crucial quantitative data. We then conducted a workshop with stakeholders to align our knowledge and clarify our qualitative research goals.
Qualitative Research: A Deeper Dive
For a more nuanced understanding, we conducted user interviews with Real Estate Agents (brokers). We selected five agents for one-hour online video calls, aiming to uncover their expectations, motivations, and reasons for staying or leaving Engel & Völkers. We also explored their onboarding experiences and sources of frustration.
In this application there are several levels of information provided to drivers, visual content helps them to better and faster read it and understand.
Insights, and Challenges
Reasons to Join
Our research revealed key insights into why agents join and leave Engel & Völkers.
Included the strong brand appeal ("Everyone knows the brand, without really knowing how EV works") and international network opportunities ("Network across different areas, countries").
Reasons to Leave
Concerns centered on the absence of career advancement, as the licensing structure is remarkably restrictive, making it unfeasible to progress within the organization. Additionally, inadequate reconstruction and development opportunities were highlighted, with efforts to augment income possible, but the likelihood of remaining an agent high.
While we saw a boost in agent recruitment, keeping these recruits became a major problem. Our task was not limited to producing more leads, but crucially, ensuring we held onto our high performers. This conclusion is reinforced by empirical data, illustrating a modest uptick in recruitment, against a notable decline in retention, regardless of their start date.
Deliverables, Impact, and Outcome
The key deliverables from our research were detailed personas and user journeys. These deliverables provided consistent knowledge across teams, enhancing empathy and clarifying main pain points. The biggest gain from this research was fostering a shared understanding across the company. The personas helped build empathy, and the user journeys pinpointed critical areas needing attention. This process, though challenging, laid the foundation for more effective and user-centered design improvements.
