Amass





Introduction

Amass is a revolutionary product designed to facilitate trade in real estate and motor vehicles in Nigeria. As the lead product designer, my task was to create an intuitive user experience while incorporating a Tinder-like swiping function and gamification elements to engage users and reinforce key messaging with a professional twist. Our team of 3 developers received a 3% equity in the product for a job well done.

Understanding the Problem:

The Nigerian real estate and automotive industry has been plagued with trust issues due to fraudulent practices and a lack of knowledge on legal procedures. This has resulted in a lack of trust among buyers, which has been exacerbated by the majority's illiteracy and ignorance. In response, we identified two guiding principles for the app design and functionality:

1. Accessibility: We adopted a Tinder-inspired flow to enable users to sort through a large number of options with ease, without being bombarded with unnecessary information.
2. Trustworthiness: We allowed only vetted agents and landlords to sell on our platform after undergoing an initial Know Your Customer (KYC) process and providing proof of ownership and other necessary legal documents for the asset (land, houses, and vehicles).

Design Process:

Our product design process involved brainstorming, ideation, design, and testing.

Brainstorming and Ideation:

We had our first physical meeting, where we discussed product boundaries, definitions, and valuable context. We set out 10 minutes to quickly drop ideas and then discussed them to come up with deliverables for the next week. My deliverables were the logo, UX research, and high fidelity screens for the onboarding process.

Research, Wireframes & UX Structure:

I conducted virtual interviews with freelance realtors and vehicle salespeople to understand their pain points and issues with their workflow. Based on the research, we came up with criteria for becoming an Amass agent, including an agents Dashboard for reviewing and approving prospective agents and requiring agents to submit a list of documents proving ownership of any asset before listing it. I created a sitemap and wireframes to offer a visual representation of the page structure, layout, and content.

Color Scheme/Visual Design:

We settled on a Tinder-like flow to enable users to swipe through different product listings without overloading them with too much content. We chose a color scheme of charcoal grey, white, and yellow, with charcoal grey as the background color to create a stable and calm feel and yellow as the accent color for balance and excitement.

Prototyping & Handoff:

I created a prototype to allow stakeholders to understand how the app would look and feel. Once I was done with my deliverables, I went over the screens and prototype to ensure everything was functional and delivered it to the front-end engineer for development.

Conclusion:

Amass was my first independent project, and it allowed me to gain a thorough grasp of the product design process and engage with developers outside of the confines of a regular office or team. The app's intuitive user experience and design have addressed the trust issues that have plagued the Nigerian real estate and automotive industry. With the Amass app, buyers can now access verified listings, and sellers can rest assured that their properties are only accessible to verified buyers. Our team's efforts have resulted in a revolutionary product that has disrupted the traditional way of buying and selling real estate and motor vehicles in Nigeria.

















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