The First NFT Platform for Real Estate Images
November 2021 - March 2022
HomeJab
Product Designer
background
It was a freelance project from my long-term client.
āHi Andrii, as you know, I run homejab.com, a real estate photography company. We would like to build a photo NFT marketplace so our photographers can upload photos that they have shot in various neighborhoods and cities and sell the NFTs to real estate agents, developers, etc.ā
challenges
With no existing NFT marketplace for real estate photography, there are no established competitor benchmarks.
There are two main group of audience: photographers and real estate professionals, and they have different needs and levels of technical comfort.
Simplifying the NFT and wallet integration processes for non-crypto users, while maintaining security and ensuring authenticity, presents a significant challenge.
goal
I designed a clean user experience for NFT creation process that allowed photographers to easily upload both JPG and RAW files, set prices, control royalties, and manage their collections. On the buyer side, we incorporated real estate-inspired search tools allowing users to filter images by zip code, neighbourhood, or city.
Process
User research
Letās discover the real estate imagery market and what photographers and agents really want
Research goals:
ā¢
Identify photographersā primary concerns and motivations around selling their work through NFTs;
ā¢
Measure the level of interest and readiness among real estate professionals to adopt NFT-based imagery;
ā¢
Evaluate the critical role of trust, authenticity, and licensing in digital asset transactions;
ā¢
Establish a foundational understanding of how location-specific imagery can influence real estate marketing strategies.
Why NFT? Letās jump on a call
I gathered a lot of valuable insights from a high-level call with my client who has deep expertise in the field. I wanted to know more about his idea and how would NFT help photographers and real estate agents.
Analogous Research
After analyzing all of the information from my client I decided to dig deeper and conduct analogous research.
User surveys
I needed to collect real-world insights and validate assumptions about user needs, pain points, and motivations. Iāve done user surveys using Google Forms. A total of 25 people responded which included real estate professionals and photographers.
Key insights form the surveys:
60%
Real estate professionals are curious about innovative ways to enhance listings but are cautious about new technology.
75%
Photographers express interest in digital platforms that offer more flexible revenue streams.
90%
of respondents have heard of or are familiar with NFT.
Thereās a desire for platforms that provide step-by-step guidance on how NFTs work.
Users want assurances about the security and legal validity of digital ownership.
Define
User personas and journey maps
I created simplified user personas and journey maps to capture the key insights gathered during the research phase. For the user journey map I'm predicting the userās experience based on research insights to capture the hypotheses to test against real users.
Letās break down the problems
In this stage, it was crucial to clearly articulate the problem statements and connect them with targeted hypotheses that address our usersā real needs.
Defining the core features
With a clear understanding of users' challenges, I then defined the features necessary to address these issues. Since the client wanted to launch an MVP as soon as possible, I prioritized the features to focus only on the most essential elements.
Letās map out a core task users should perform
With our key features defined, I mapped out simple user flows to show exactly how people will move through the platform. This helped me design an experience that feels natural and intuitive, ensuring users can easily accomplish their tasks while we meet our business goals.
Prototyping
Wireframes
It was time to turn our ideas into testable designs, so we dove straight into creating midāfidelity wireframes.
user testing
Letās test our ideas
Since my client works with photographers and real estate agents, he helped me to arrange testing activities with our core audience. We had 6 participants (4 photographers and 2 agents). I created a clickable prototype in Figma and set up clear goals for this test.
Key insights:
75%
participants found it hard to navigate the list of created collections/items.
I need to rework the navigation to create a more prominent way to get to the created items page.
83%
didnāt know about MetaMask or how to add funds from an exchanger.
Users want to have more tips on unfamiliar technologies like MetaMask.
100%
Didn't know what the equivalent of 1 ETH was.
Users donāt understand the pricing in cryptocurrencies. Need to add $ tags and translate prices.
100%
users wanted to see clear information on licensing.
Agents want to know that the rights for use are explicitly defined, and want to understand benefits from buying NFT items.
Design system
Design system
Once the main iterations were complete, I started working on the design system. My goal was to align it with HomeJabās existing branding while building a consistent and scalable system on top of it.
Final solution
The First NFT Platform for Real Estate Images
Verified, High-Quality Imagery for Enhanced Listings
Each photo is minted as an NFT, serving as a digital certificate that proves authenticity, origin, and ownership.
Easily turn your real estate photos into NFTs with a simple process.
Intuitive, Location-Based Search & Discovery
Quickly find the right visuals by exploring listings through an interactive map and filters.
Clickable prototype
Outcomes
70%
Firstāsession NFT creation success. A large majority of photographers minted and listed their first NFT within a single session, validating our guided creator experience.
76%
Wallet onboarding completion rate. Most users connected their wallets successfully on the first try, proving our streamlined onboarding flow is intuitive.
80%
Buyer conversion from search to purchase. Most real estate professionals found and purchased an image in their initial search, demonstrating the effectiveness of our search and discovery flow.
Next steps
Development
During development, I delivered a clickable prototype that brought our core user flows and features to life, working closely with the dev team to ensure our designs translated perfectly into code. By integrating real-user insights and iterating quickly based on feedback, we achieved a smooth launch.
Marketing
Our innovative NFT marketplace for real estate images launched successfully and quickly grabbed industry attention. My client, Joe, actively promoted the platform on YouTube and in the pressāhighlighted by a feature on PR Newswireāthat showcased its unique value and helped drive significant engagement.
Takeaways
A Journey of Learning and Connection
Throughout this project, I discovered how vital it is to blend innovation with genuine user needsāit's not just about building cutting-edge tech, but about making something truly useful for real people.
The Power of Collaboration and Bold Ideas
Working on this project showed me that when creative minds come togetherāwhether developers, stakeholders, or end-usersāthe outcome can exceed all expectations.
