AI Design Sprint
Designed feature concepts for Sykes’ Owner App, leveraging AI to streamline property listing
Role
UX Designer
Team
2 UX Designers | 4 POs | UX Researcher
Tools
Figma | UserZoom | Miro
Duration
1 week
Challenge
This design sprint allowed exploration into how AI could shape the future of Sykes' app products. My group created two feature concepts to improve the Owner App onboarding experience.
Approach
Identified pain points in the existing user journey.
Ideated and designed two app feature concepts.
UX research conducted moderated usability tests with property owners, enabling feedback and iterations.
Presented final concepts to senior leadership for feedback.
Research Review: Onboarding
Reviewing existing user research, personas and journey mapping revealed key pain points:
Onboarding Time: New owners took an average of 232 days to go live.
Limited Availability: Owner support only available 9-5 via phone.
Inefficient Communication: Emails delayed contract signing.
No Listing Preview: Owners couldn’t preview listings, affecting satisfaction and bookings.
“I started my onboarding journey with Sykes in March 2024, and my property has only just been listed today.”
-Owner, November 2024
App Feature Ideation
Key Questions
How might we give users control over onboarding?
How might we improve description transparency?
Using a Crazy 8s session, we generated ideas around automating owner data entry and providing in-app feedback. Concepts were prioritised through team voting and discussion.
Final Concepts
We narrowed our ideas down to two features for the Owner App, which could be implemented together or in isolation during the onboarding process.
Concept 1: Property Listing Builder
AI gathers all available details for a property to provide a listing preview, using just an address.
Concept 2: AI Smart Companion
AI-powered image recognition to identify features in a property, speeding up the listing process.
Concept 1: Property Listing Builder
Get started – After ID verification, users can begin their property listing journey.
Find property – AI can gather key location information and property details from the address, saving time and effort.
Create listing preview – AI gathers data from multiple sources, keeping users informed.
Preview listing – Data is auto-populated into a draft listing, highlighting any missing fields. Users with listings on other platforms see a complete draft.
Concept 2: AI Smart Companion
Finalise listing – AI image recognition identifies property features and guides owners through optimising their listing.
Complete listing – Owners review the AI-generated listing and confirm all details before confirming, ensuring it meets their expectations.
Concept Testing
Throughout the sprint, UX Research conducted moderated usability tests of mid-fi concepts with existing property owners, enabling iteration before the final presentation.
Both concepts explored ways to reduce friction in the owner app onboarding journey, while maintaining user trust and control. Initial feedback is promising, but refinement is needed.
Key insights
First-time listers appreciated earnings estimates.
Users valued preview functionality before going live.
Some users who weren’t as comfortable using technology, preferred human support. Clear explanations of AI data usage built trust.
Reflections
Explored innovative AI opportunities in listing process.
Cross-squad collaboration enhanced solution ideation.
Senior leadership responded positively to presentation.
Next Steps
Evaluate technical feasibility with engineers.
Share insights with other squads for visibility.
Further refine concepts based on initial feedback.