Importance of maps
Berkadia’s RedIQ software is a leading platform in the commercial real estate industry, dedicated to streamlining the analysis and underwriting of multifamily properties. While we have established ourselves as the industry standard in multifamily underwriting, analysis, and management, we recognized that our users sought even greater capabilities from our platform. Through extensive feedback loops with clients, I noticed one recurring theme; the importance of maps in their workflow. This insight revealed an opportunity to deliver an exceptional enhancement to our platform, All Deals Map View.
Quick Summary
After noticing the importance of maps in client feedback, I aimed to enhance our "All Deals" page by integrating a map view that visualizes all properties, providing better perspective. Despite challenges with our new design system, we developed a basic MVP with plans for additional features. The All Deals Map View offers the same functionality as the list view, now with the added benefit of a map, crucial for stakeholders to assess investments. Usability testing with 5 users showed a 100% task completion rate and valuable feedback confirming the feature's value, and leaving us with only a few minor adjustments before handoff to engineering.
Pain points
Limited Visability
Previously, maps within RedIQ were available only in one location: the comparables reports. This required a user to either navigate or create a comps report to view the map. However, the map’s smaller size limited their utility.
Stakeholder Presentations
Both internal and external users emphasized the need for maps in stakeholder meetings, highlighting their importance as a visual tool in board discussions. This feature is particularly valuable for underwriters and private real estate investors representing their teams in property acquisition decisions
Multiple Tabs
Typically users would need to open a separate tab and utilize google maps to learn more about the area. They’d look for certain items such as location assessment, potential liabilities, emergency response, and neighborhood characteristics.
Project Research
Deliverables
We utilized two of our personas (underwriter, investor-buyer) shown below to have a better understanding of what our target users were. I also worked on a competitive analysis to identify and brainstorm for the low-fidelity wireframes.
Qualitative
We held multiple feedback loops, conducted usability tests, and interviewed users throughout the entire project. This helped identify and justify the value in adding more map functionality for the users.
Quantitative
When it came to quantitative outcomes to this new design, we focused on ensuring the task success rate was 100% and the System Ease Questions (SEQ) was in a passing range of at least 5.
Personas
Personas are incredibly important in the research phase. Although we had conducted tons of feedback loops and discovered the need for maps, I had to ensure I understood the full roles and responsibilities of the users I was talking to as commercial real estate investment companies can be quite different dependent on size.
OLD Design
Although, there was never an All Deals Map View, the map view that did exist is only visible from the “Comps” page. This would either make a user create a comparable report, or have to navigate to a deal, then select the rent roll tab that would provide an option to view and build a comps report with the selected property. However the user would not be able to see any other properties they own/owned/underwritten unless they built out a full report and added them individually.
*note: Some data needed to be censored/blurred due to an NDA.
Map View Design
The Map View I created was implemented directly into the All Deals page, where a users needs to just select the “map view” button to go from a table view to a map view of their properties.
Card Design
One of the simplest, yet trickiest items was knowing the exact information to put on the cards once a user selected a pin. This was something we discussed in our user testing sessions leading the six fields you see here.
Functionality
Just because you weren’t looking at the table version of the All Deals page, didn’t mean you couldn’t do everything you’d normally do. In fact, I ensured you’d have nearly all of the same functionality offered. Some of which includes allowing you to create a new deal, portfolio, and a comparable reports just to name a few.
Next Steps
Street View
We recognize the value of Google Street View; however, for the MVP product, we agreed to implement this feature in either the second or third phase of the newly modernized RedIQ. Including it in the initial launch would have required delaying the release.
Export Map
I advocated for an export map feature to enable our users to seamlessly integrate maps into presentations or share them directly via email with their teams. This also did not make MVP, but would be a feature most likely available in the third delivery phase.
Colored Pins
One of the enhancement requests we received from testing was the ability to color pins, especially for Portfolio Deals (group of properties). Although not critical, one user suggested it would provide more clarity on the map if you could select a pin color for a specific Portfolio Deal.
Looking Back
Overall, I believe this project was a significant win for both our users and the business. After extensive discussions with underwriters and small investment firm investors, it was clear that they were eager to use the new map view feature. However, I wish I had been able to advocate more strongly for the inclusion of at least one of the three "next step" features. I understand that at the time, the project was becoming increasingly complex due to the implementation of an entirely new design system, including patterns and pages that did not exist in the previous version of RedIQ. This complexity posed challenges for both developers and the architecture team, necessitating compromise. If I were to rate my satisfaction with the final research, design, and collaboration on this project, it would be a 9 out of 10 and is still one my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.