Nekst Directory MVP Design & Development
Francois Brill
Nekst.com had already built a successful transaction management platform helping real estate agents streamline the complex process of property purchases. Their users faced a recurring problem: finding qualified professionals to support transactions.
The market gap they identified:
Real estate agents constantly search for transaction coordinators, virtual assistants, marketing specialists, and admin support
No centralized directory existed for vetted real estate service professionals
Agents needed to filter by location, tools, skills, and availability to find suitable partners
Quality control was critical. Generic freelance marketplaces had too much noise
The strategic opportunity: A professional directory would serve two purposes:
Solve an immediate pain point for their existing user base
Introduce new professionals to the Nekst platform, expanding their ecosystem
They needed to validate demand quickly with an MVP that felt polished enough to represent their brand but flexible enough to evolve based on user feedback.
We built a two-sided marketplace connecting real estate agents with qualified service professionals. The focus was on three critical user experiences: professional onboarding, agent discovery, and quality control.
Core Features
Professional Onboarding & Profile Builder:
Multi-step registration flow guiding professionals through profile creation
Service category selection (transaction coordinator, admin, VA, marketing, etc.)
Geographic coverage settings (cities, regions, states)
Tool proficiency indicators (Nekst, DocuSign, Transaction Desk, etc.)
Skills and specialization tagging
Rate and availability information
Portfolio and credential uploads
Progressive disclosure design to prevent overwhelm
Agent Search & Discovery:
Advanced filtering by service type, location, tools, and skills
Visual profile cards with key information at a glance
Bookmark functionality to save promising candidates
Direct contact capabilities (email, phone, website)
Mobile-responsive design for on-the-go searching
Results sorted by relevance and profile completeness
Admin Approval & Quality Control:
Backend dashboard for Nekst team to review submissions
Approval workflow with notes and status tracking
Profile visibility controls (draft, pending, approved, rejected)
Bulk approval capabilities for efficiency
Email notifications for status changes
Quality metrics dashboard
Two-Sided Value Delivery:
Professionals gain visibility to agents actively seeking help
Agents discover pre-vetted, qualified service providers
Nekst strengthens ecosystem and platform adoption
Foundation for future premium features and monetization
Technical Architecture
Built for rapid validation and future expansion:
Next.js for server-side rendering and SEO optimization
React for interactive search and filtering
Tailwind CSS for professional, responsive design
Firebase for authentication, database, and file storage
Role-based access control (professionals, agents, admins)
Scalable architecture ready for feature additions
The codebase was structured with expansion in mind. As user feedback reveals what features matter most, new capabilities can be added without rebuilding.
Since this is a newly launched MVP, the focus is on validation metrics rather than scale metrics.
Validation Questions We're Testing
For Professionals:
Do transaction coordinators and service providers see value in creating detailed profiles?
Which profile features drive the most engagement?
What motivates professionals to complete their profiles fully?
Do they understand the approval process?
For Agents:
Do agents actually search for professionals this way?
Which filters and search criteria matter most?
Is bookmarking useful, or do they contact immediately?
What information is missing from profiles?
For Nekst:
Does the directory introduce new users to the Nekst platform?
Do working relationships formed through the directory lead to Nekst adoption?
What quality issues emerge that need better vetting?
Should this be free, freemium, or paid in the future?
Strategic Impact
The directory creates multiple growth loops:
Network effect: More professionals attract more agents. More agents attract more professionals.
Platform adoption: Professionals using the directory discover Nekst's transaction tools.
Quality signal: Approved profiles become a trust marker in the industry.
Data learning: Search patterns reveal what agents need most.
MVP Mindset with Quality Bar: We built just enough to test the core hypothesis: Will agents and professionals use a vetted directory to find each other? But we didn't compromise on UX. The onboarding had to feel professional. The search had to work smoothly. First impressions matter, even in MVPs.
Sophisticated Onboarding as Competitive Moat: Most marketplaces make signup too easy, leading to low-quality profiles. We designed a detailed onboarding flow that:
Filters out unqualified applicants (effort creates self-selection)
Collects rich data for better matching
Sets quality expectations from the start
Gives Nekst meaningful information for approval decisions
Admin Tools from Day One: Many MVPs skip admin functionality. We built it first. Nekst needed to maintain quality control from launch. The approval workflow ensures every professional meets their standards before agents see them.
Built for Learning: We didn't build every feature we imagined. We built the minimum needed to test the concept, with a foundation that makes adding features fast. What do users ask for next? That becomes the roadmap.
Development Timeline
Week 1: Discovery, user flow mapping, and wireframes
Week 2: User registrations and admin panel for approval flow
Week 3: Core development (onboarding, search and filters)
Week 4: Bookmarks and contact feature, testing and deployments
Post-Launch: Monitoring usage patterns and gathering feedback
This MVP serves multiple strategic purposes:
Immediate Value: Solves a real problem for Nekst's existing user base. Agents need professionals. Now there's a place to find them.
Ecosystem Expansion: Every professional who joins the directory is a potential Nekst platform user. The directory is lead generation for their core product.
Platform Stickiness: Agents who find great professionals through Nekst Directory have another reason to stay in the Nekst ecosystem. It's not just transaction software anymore. It's a professional network.
Future Monetization Options: The MVP is free while testing demand. But it creates optionality:
Premium profiles for professionals
Featured listings
Advanced search for agents
Verified badge program
Integration with Nekst's transaction tools
Data and Insights: Every search, bookmark, and contact reveals what the market needs. This data informs both directory improvements and Nekst's core platform roadmap.
Two-sided marketplaces are hard, but MVP testing is possible: You don't need thousands of users to validate the concept. You need enough supply (professionals) to make search useful and enough demand (agents) to make joining worthwhile. Start with one geography or specialty if needed.
Quality control is a feature, not a nice-to-have: The approval workflow isn't friction. It's a competitive advantage. It signals to agents that profiles are vetted. It signals to professionals that this is a serious platform. Generic marketplaces fail because they optimize for quantity over quality.
Onboarding is where you differentiate: Anyone can build a directory. Not everyone can build an onboarding flow that collects rich data while feeling effortless. The effort we put into guided profile creation became a moat. Low-effort competitors will have low-quality listings.
Build for learning, not perfection: We shipped without messaging features. Without reviews. Without payment processing. Those might matter later. Right now, we need to know: Will people use this at all? MVPs answer one question well. Everything else is iteration.
MVPs still need to represent your brand: This isn't a throwaway prototype. It has Nekst's name on it. The UX had to feel professional. The design had to feel polished. "Move fast" doesn't mean "ship garbage." It means "ship the smallest thing that's actually good."
“From start to finish, Francois and his team are able to deliver a well thought out, expertly designed and well built product in such a short amount of time. His team takes care of a lot of the little details and just knows the right way to build software. Highly recommended!”
Brett Keppler - Founder of Nekst
Nekst Directory represents a classic UX-first MVP project: 4-6 weeks of development, focused on validating demand with quality execution. The foundation is built. Now we learn what users actually need.
Want to build an MVP that's good enough to validate demand? Schedule a discovery call to discuss your concept and validation strategy.
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Posted Jun 1, 2026
Developed a marketplace MVP connecting real estate agents with service professionals.
