Introducing Pillow: A prototyped website dedicated to making your search for your new home as easy as a good night's rest!
Pillow is an app that helps you search for homes and properties while also getting financially prepared. It includes tools to find the right realtor, guides on the steps to buying a home, and plenty of other helpful features!
I originally prototyped this app in early 2024, and I absolutely loved the idea. But, I decided to use my current skillset to make the app even better! See my process below:
Planning (Low-Fidelity):
I had an idea of what I wanted the app to look like--the features, the basic layout, and its overall interactivity.
Features I wanted to add:
-Financial dashboard (so users can keep track of their savings and even categorize it)
-Homepage with "Feed" that attracts users to scroll and easily find resources like links to help for the process of buying a home.
-Profile page with user information and a calendar that automatically updates based on property tours you have scheduled.
-A page to find Realtors who are best fit for users. Go through ratings, reviews, and quick bio.
Wireframing (Medium-Fidelity)
Based on my initial sketches, I moved into the wireframing stage to start shaping the app’s structure. After finalizing a color palette that suited the concept, I researched user scrolling behaviors to ensure the interface would feel intuitive and seamless. My goal was to create an app with a natural flow—one that homeowners could easily navigate. I prioritized including features that support every stage of the homeownership process, so users could manage or reference everything they need within the app itself. Wireframing helped me visualize how to distribute resources efficiently across pages to enhance usability.
These are the general frames I came up with:
Prototyping:
Link to Figma (Still prototyping, Link Coming Soon)
Loading Brand Page
The loading screen introduces users to Pillow’s brand identity. It features an illustration of a family in a warm, homely environment—even before they’re in a physical home—highlighting the emotional connection and comfort Pillow aims to offer. This sets the tone for the user experience and reinforces Pillow’s mission to bring families closer to finding their perfect home.
The loading screen introduces users to Pillow’s brand identity. It features an illustration of a family in a warm, homely environment—even before they’re in a physical home—highlighting the emotional connection and comfort Pillow aims to offer. This sets the tone for the user experience and reinforces Pillow’s mission to bring families closer to finding their perfect home.
Sign In / Create Account
This secure entry point ensures users can confidently save their favorite homes, manage chats, and access personalized features. Privacy and security were top priorities here, allowing users to trust the platform with their sensitive information.
This secure entry point ensures users can confidently save their favorite homes, manage chats, and access personalized features. Privacy and security were top priorities here, allowing users to trust the platform with their sensitive information.
Personal Profile Page
Functioning like a personal assistant, this page includes an integrated calendar to manage upcoming house tours, meetings, and personalized reminders. It’s designed to help users stay organized and engaged throughout their home search.
Functioning like a personal assistant, this page includes an integrated calendar to manage upcoming house tours, meetings, and personalized reminders. It’s designed to help users stay organized and engaged throughout their home search.
Chat
The chat feature enables seamless communication between all parties involved in the home-buying process—users, agents, and service providers—conveniently managed within the app.
The chat feature enables seamless communication between all parties involved in the home-buying process—users, agents, and service providers—conveniently managed within the app.
Recommended Realtors
This page uses data such as user preferences, reviews, and ratings to suggest realtors that best fit the user's needs. Each realtor profile includes a short bio, real-time ratings, and verified reviews to help users make informed decisions.
This page uses data such as user preferences, reviews, and ratings to suggest realtors that best fit the user's needs. Each realtor profile includes a short bio, real-time ratings, and verified reviews to help users make informed decisions.
Finance Dashboard
The finance section provides users with an overview of their financial readiness, including credit check details and savings tracking. It empowers users to understand and manage their finances as they prepare for one of life’s biggest purchases.
The finance section provides users with an overview of their financial readiness, including credit check details and savings tracking. It empowers users to understand and manage their finances as they prepare for one of life’s biggest purchases.
Original Prototype:
At first, Pillow was only a webpage and wasn't adaptable as a mobile app. All the features I am including will be a better fit as an app because they enhance usability, accessibility, and the overall user experience.
Noted Changes/Design Explanation:
By transitioning to a mobile app, Pillow will take advantage of features like push notifications, offline functionality, and a more intuitive, touch-friendly interface.
This allows users to interact with the app seamlessly on the go, making it more practical and engaging for daily use. Additionally, the app design prioritizes responsive layouts, faster load times, and personalized user experiences, ensuring that Pillow adapts effortlessly to diverse user needs and devices.
Added Features
Financial Dashboard:
-Provides a clear overview of your financial readiness for buying a house, including budget tracking, savings goals, and estimated costs.
-Helps users monitor credit scores, mortgage pre-approval status, and spending habits to prepare for the financial commitment.
The Financial Dashboard puts all finance elements into one place, empowering users to stay on top of their finances and make the most informed decisions. Visual aids, like graphs and charts, make complex financial data easy to understand at a glance.
The Financial Dashboard puts all finance elements into one place, empowering users to stay on top of their finances and make the most informed decisions. Visual aids, like graphs and charts, make complex financial data easy to understand at a glance.
"Feed"-Like Home page:
-Personalized page for house recommendations, educational resources, and quick access to app features.
-Keeps users engaged with fresh content and up-to-date property listings based on their preferences.
This dynamic, feed-style homepage adds to navigation by offering curated suggestions and relevant tools, reducing the need to browse aimlessly. It also fosters a sense of progress with reminders, tips, and shortcuts.
This dynamic, feed-style homepage adds to navigation by offering curated suggestions and relevant tools, reducing the need to browse aimlessly. It also fosters a sense of progress with reminders, tips, and shortcuts.
Realtor Finder page:
-Connects users with trusted, well-reviewed realtors in their area, ensuring quality service and better outcomes.
-Filters by expertise, responsiveness, and client satisfaction to match users with the best fit for their needs.
This feature simplifies the process of finding a reliable realtor, utilizing user reviews and ratings to build trust and transparency. It saves time and prevents users from going through multiple realtors or being stuck with one that isn't perfect for them.
This feature simplifies the process of finding a reliable realtor, utilizing user reviews and ratings to build trust and transparency. It saves time and prevents users from going through multiple realtors or being stuck with one that isn't perfect for them.
Search/Filters Page:
-Allows users to narrow down options based on criteria like price, size, location, and amenities, speeding up the house-hunting process.
-Reduces overwhelm by filtering out irrelevant listings, focusing only on homes that fit the user's needs.
The advanced search feature ensures that users can tailor their browsing experience, eliminating wasted time and energy while increasing the chances of finding their dream home.
The advanced search feature ensures that users can tailor their browsing experience, eliminating wasted time and energy while increasing the chances of finding their dream home.
Chat Page:
-Provides a space for real-time communication with key parties like realtors, loan officers, and sellers.
-Keeps conversations organized, reducing the need for external apps, giving out phone numbers, having to receive too many, or losing important information in scattered emails.
This feature ensures ethical and efficient collaboration throughout the home-buying journey, making it easy to ask questions, negotiate offers, or clarify details with all relevant parties in one place.
This feature ensures ethical and efficient collaboration throughout the home-buying journey, making it easy to ask questions, negotiate offers, or clarify details with all relevant parties in one place.
Profile Page:
-Keeps personal and account information organized while offering quick access to settings and preferences.
-The integrated calendar ensures users never miss scheduled tours, meetings, or deadlines.
This page serves as the user’s hub for managing their account and staying organized, with everything they need in one easily accessible location.
This page serves as the user’s hub for managing their account and staying organized, with everything they need in one easily accessible location.
