Case Study

Designing Buyer Seller Chat Feature

"Creating a secure, nonintrusive chat system that allows buyers to make initial inquiries without sharing personal information while enabling sellers to manage multiple conversations efficiently on Housing.com.”

In this fast-paced real estate market, effective communication between buyers and sellers is paramount. Traditionally, platforms require sharing phone numbers for calls or WhatsApp, which isn't ideal for initial inquiries. Often, buyers prefer to ask small questions without revealing personal information. Housing.com aimed to solve this pain point with an innovative BuyerSeller Chat feature. This case study explores the design journey, from conceptualization to implementation, focusing on how I started from scratch to enhance user engagement while ensuring privacy and streamlined communication. Join me as I detail the UI/UX strategies and decisions that brought this vision to life.

The primary challenge in developing the Buyer-Seller Chat feature for Housing.com was addressing the inherent communication barriers between buyers and sellers. Traditional methods required sharing personal phone numbers for calls or WhatsApp messages, which often deterred users from making initial inquiries. Buyers preferred to ask preliminary questions without disclosing their contact information, while sellers needed a streamlined way to manage multiple conversations. The goal was to create a secure, non-intrusive chat system that maintained user privacy, fostered engagement, and facilitated efficient communication.

What did we solve?

Privacy Problems:

  • Buyers were hesitant to share their phone numbers for initial inquiries.

  • Ensuring user privacy while enabling seamless communication was crucial.

Initial Enquiry Barriers:

  • Buyers often wanted to ask small questions before showing serious interest.

  • Sellers needed an efficient way to manage and track multiple conversations.

Engagement:

  • Enhancing user engagement with a familiar yet effective chat interface.

  • Ensuring the chat ecosystem is intuitive and easy to use.

Real-time Updates:

  • Implementing real-time messaging capabilities.

  • Ensuring timely notifications to keep users informed and engaged.

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