Fully Remote Home Building

Overview

After signing a construction contract, Homebound customers access a personalized homeowner portal that delivers real-time construction and financial updates, streamlined document access, and visibility into home selections. By providing timely reports, visual walkthroughs, and clear decision points, the portal enhances transparency, reduces uncertainty, and builds trust throughout the build process.

Role
Lead Product Designer, responsible for the end to end design process from discovery to delivery.

Industry
Real estate, Construction

Type
B2B/B2C

Year
2023

Problem

The Homeowner Portal (HOP), initially built for fully custom homes, became outdated as Homebound transitioned to a more streamlined model focused on curated design packages and preset options. Designed as a v0 product, it hadn’t evolved with the company’s operations, leading to bugs and broken functionality. Key features like real-time updates, financial info, and documents were never fully realized due to limited integration with Homebound’s construction software.

User Journey

As we mapped the user journey, we created a plan to connect Homebound’s backend construction software (Blueprint) with the Homeowner Portal (HOP). Previously disconnected, HOP updates were manual and often inaccurate. For real-time construction updates, we identified how to pull data from Blueprint job logs and enable customer experience reps to add photos and notes directly into the portal, creating a more accurate and engaging experience for homeowners.

Real-time updates in action

We successfully integrated the homeowner portal with our backend construction software, Blueprint, enabling our customer experience team to manage construction photos, documents, invoices, and communicate with homeowners. Furthermore, we enhanced connectivity with construction schedules, providing homeowners with detailed insights into the progress of their homes.

Configurator Integration

To continue along in the homeowner journey, after configuring their home and signing a construction contract with Homebound, homeowners are then able to see the reflection of their home selections and options within the portal. They can take a virtual tour of their home, view their receipt, floor plans, and any other imagery available.

Fully Connected

This version of the homeowner portal lives up to its original aspirations, of being truly integrated with our construction softwares budgets, invoicing, schedules, documents, selections, and more.

Outcome

Expanded Blueprint homeowner portal from 0 to 100% project coverage — full construction updates in Colorado and Florida, and warranty access in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Homebound customers were able to follow along with their build from anywhere, receiving real time financial invoices, build progress updates, and direct communication through the new Homeowner Portal.