Scaling Proxima's Virtual UX
Transforming a single-screen COVID-era showroom into a responsive platform for real estate clients, from 65-inch lobby displays to mobile, without losing the storytelling thread.
Impact
- →Sole UX designer at Proxima HQ across a full year of product development
- →Designed for web, mobile, and 65-inch lobby displays within a single cohesive system
- →Preserved the narrative-driven realtor flow that was central to closing property sales
As the sole UX designer at Proxima HQ, I was tasked with transforming their virtual property showroom from a single-screen experience into a responsive, scalable application suitable for a range of environments, including large showroom displays, desktop, web, and mobile devices.
Originally designed during the COVID-19 pandemic to replicate physical property tours, the app quickly became central to Proxima HQ's real estate clients. My goal was to evolve the product into an intuitive, cohesive platform that empowered realtors and effectively engaged potential buyers.
The Challenge
Initially built for a 65-inch showroom screen, the software needed significant redesign to scale effectively across multiple platforms without sacrificing usability or its compelling storytelling aspect.
Key challenges included:
- Creating a consistent and accessible user experience across all devices.
- Maintaining and enhancing the realtor's narrative-driven flow, essential for property sales.
- Improving usability for realtors to manage listings efficiently.
- Making the buyer experience intuitive, with easy browsing and saving capabilities.
Research & Insights
My process began with competitive analysis and desk research, alongside in-depth interviews with Vancouver-based property developers and realtors. Early prototypes were validated through beta testing sessions.
These interviews highlighted the crucial role storytelling plays during in-person tours, revealing that realtors naturally guided clients through a structured narrative about each property. This insight became central to the app's structure, allowing realtors the flexibility to either follow a prepared narrative or quickly address buyer questions as needed.
Additionally, inherited designs lacked scalability and accessibility, particularly problematic for large screens. By observing usage patterns in public spaces, I identified accessibility practices suitable for diverse user heights and physical abilities.
Design Strategy
I developed a unified, scalable design system ensuring visual consistency and seamless functionality across all device formats. While each device-specific flow was carefully optimised, core interactions and components remained consistent, allowing users to transition easily between devices without losing context.
Special attention was given to large-screen usability, incorporating a persistent bottom navigation bar accessible for users of varying heights and those using wheelchairs.
Personas and journey maps guided my approach throughout:
Realtor personas emphasised ease of listing management and effective storytelling tools.
Buyer personas focused on intuitive browsing, saving and sharing listings, and easily comparing property features.
Prototyping & Testing
I iterated designs across all screen sizes, extensively testing realtor and buyer experiences. Large-screen testing in live showrooms uncovered challenges related to text scaling and resolution fidelity, prompting substantial layout improvements.
On mobile and desktop, I ensured critical interactions, such as saving favourite listings and generating shareable summaries, felt intuitive and consistent. Designing the property comparison feature required considerable iteration to effectively handle multiple unit types, layouts, and configurations clearly and usefully.
Accessibility considerations guided all design choices, with rigorous testing for visual contrast, touch-target sizing, and ergonomic usability for seated and standing users alike.
Results & Impact
The redesigned platform directly supported Proxima HQ's growth, onboarding more than 20 new property development clients across Canada. Continuous feedback from realtors and buyers further enhanced usability, particularly around the comparison and sharing features which became a key differentiator in sales demos.
Key Learnings
Designing for a 65-inch public display is a genuinely different problem from designing for a phone. Ergonomics, ambient lighting, multi-person viewing, and accessibility all compound in ways that standard responsive design thinking doesn't account for.
The insight that mattered most, though, came from the realtor interviews: the app needed to support a performance, not just browsing. Realtors were telling a story. Every design decision had to ask: does this help or interrupt that narrative?
