ING First Home Truths
Overview
ING sought to create an educational hub specifically for Australian first-time home buyers, offering crucial insights and guidance for achieving home ownership. The goal was to develop an engaging resource that guides users from saving and researching to finding and purchasing their first home. This comprehensive hub includes practical tools like a cost breakdown calculator, a jargon-busting truth translator, and curated content to educate and empower potential homeowners.
My Role
Collaborated with project manager, and development team throughout all project stages. Involved in wireframing, concept development, design, production, and testing, ensuring user-friendly designs aligned with project goals.
The Team
2 × Designers 2 x Developers 1 × Project Manager
Year
2021
Agency
Lash Creative
Process
Customer pain points
Australian first-time home buyers were overwhelmed by the complexity of the home-buying process and confused by real estate jargon. They needed an easy-to-navigate, informative platform to help them understand and manage the steps involved in purchasing their first home.
Wireframing and conceptual development
During the wireframing stage, collaborated with the project manager and design lead to structure and organise each module on the page, ensuring a clear and intuitive layout. Iterative improvements were made to the calculator module to enhance usability, offering a transparent financial breakdown for first-time home buyers.
Guide users through the home-buying process
Organised the hub to guide users through each stage of the home-buying process, including saving, researching, looking, and buying. Within these sections, we curated a diverse selection of articles and videos to provide comprehensive guidance and support.
Interactive article progress
Implemented a feature where, after reading an article, its card transitions to a “viewed” state, providing users with a sense of progress and accomplishment. Each article was designed to open in a slide panel, ensuring optimal ease of access and readability.
Breaking down real estate jargon
Real estate can be full of confusing terms that can overwhelm newcomers. To simplify this, we created a section that breaks down jargon into plain language, including an alphabetical guide for quick reference.
Making learning easy with the “Truth Translator”
The “Truth Translator” is an interactive feature that explains real estate terms through clickable cards, making learning about real estate fun and engaging. Users can click on terms like “exclusive” and “all about the view” to reveal their clear meanings.
Calculating Costs
Understanding the costs involved in buying a home is crucial. The hub includes a handy calculator that breaks down everything from upfront costs to ongoing expenses, providing users with a clear financial picture. This tool acts like a personal financial guide.
These features weren’t just about building a website—they were about creating a supportive tool to help first-time home buyers navigate the journey to homeownership. Each design choice was made with the user in mind, aiming to make the process as smooth and understandable as possible.
Outcome
Released a comprehensive educational hub that provided a user-friendly, engaging experience aligned with ING’s brand. The hub helped users navigate the home-buying process with confidence and clarity. Although specific metrics weren’t measured, the design aimed to improve user understanding and interaction.
Impact and next steps
The hub positioned ING as a supportive resource for first-time home buyers, enhancing its market presence. The design system and tools will support future updates, ensuring continued relevance and effectiveness in meeting users’ needs.