Proptech
Collective
Overview.
Proptech Collective, is a community-driven platform that connects innovators in the property technology space through curated events, resources, and networking opportunities.
The challenge: Create a low-maintenance, high-impact website that clearly explains who they are, what they do, and why it matters within one minute of landing on the site. The platform needed to drive engagement, not necessarily signups, and align with existing tools like Squarespace, Beehiiv, and Luma.
Timeline: 4 weeks
Team: 4 UX Designers
My Role: Led end-to-end design for the About Us page by conducting site mapping, comp analysis, user interviews, and affinity mapping. Translated insights into low-to-high fidelity wireframes and refined the design through multiple rounds of usability testing to improve clarity, usability, and alignment with user needs.
Tools Used: Figma (wireframing, prototyping), Miro (affinity mapping), Maze (usability testing), Squarespace (platform constraints)
Research.
The existing site was scattered, difficult to navigate, and failed to clearly communicate Proptech Collective’s value within one minute. Users struggled to find niche-specific insights, meaningful partnerships, and a supportive community. This limited both engagement and growth potential.
To begin, we mapped the site’s current structure and conducted a heuristic evaluation to identify usability issues such as unclear calls to action, broken links, and inconsistent labeling. We also conducted a comparative analysis of similar platforms to explore how others organized content and fostered community engagement.
To better understand user needs, we conducted 10 Zoom interviews with participants, most of whom were recruited by our client:
2 Proptech Collective members
6 non-members referred by the client
2 external industry professionals recruited independently
Key Insights: Users wanted easier access to insights, better networking tools, and a clearer understanding of community value. Many discovered Proptech Collective through platforms like Eventbrite instead of the website. Existing resources felt outdated, and users preferred interactive, searchable formats. Some were unclear about membership benefits and didn’t realize the organization had a global reach.
Define.
After completing our user interviews, we synthesized insights using affinity mapping in Miro to uncover patterns and key themes. This process helped us make sense of the qualitative data and transform user feedback into actionable direction.
We identified three core needs: niche-specific content, easier access to events and reports, and a stronger sense of community. We worked closely with the client to validate these themes and prioritize features based on user and business goals.
After organizing the findings into actionable themes, one persona stood out!
Meet Dave: A 42-year-old founder of a mobile-first facility maintenance app and former CMO in construction.
After synthesizing Dave’s goals and pain points, we crafted a problem statement that captures his core challenges with Proptech Collective.
Problem Statement
Dave sees the potential value of Proptech Collective but struggles to fully engage and access its core benefits. Without a clear path to niche-specific insights, meaningful partnerships, and a supportive community, he finds it difficult to grow his business within the PropTech ecosystem.
Information Architecture.
Important resources like newsletters, events, and reports were difficult to locate and spread across different tools. Users couldn't grasp the platform’s full value at a glance.
Solution: We consolidated content into a central Resources Hub and embedded Luma events directly into the site, keeping users in-platform.
The new architecture improved discoverability with clear labels, grouped content by user intent, and made navigation simple and action-oriented.
Design.
We started with rough sketches focused on clean, modular sections to make the experience easier to scan and digest. Each team member contributed ideas, which we brought together into a cohesive layout. From there, we translated the sketches into low-fidelity wireframes in Figma, refining the structure and content flow collaboratively. These wireframes became the foundation for our high-fidelity designs, which emphasized clear calls-to-action, member impact, and intuitive navigation.
As we moved into high-fidelity designs, I took the lead on the About Us page to ensure it clearly communicated the organization’s story and mission. Drawing from client feedback and our design system, I crafted a layout that balanced visual storytelling with content clarity.
To create a strong first impression, I reused the homepage’s icon style for consistency and to guide user attention. Our client also emphasized the importance of showcasing the four community chapters: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. These would each eventually have dedicated pages. I designed a section with thumbnail images, names, and short descriptions for each chapter, followed by a prominent "See Upcoming Events" call-to-action to keep users engaged.
At the bottom of the page, I included a team spotlight using the same circular photo pattern from the homepage to maintain visual cohesion. This section honored the founding team and our client while reinforcing the platform’s community-driven identity.
High-fidelity designs added visual elements and branding, featuring a sticky nav bar, bold hero section, clear CTAs, engaging visuals, trust-building stats and quotes, and embedded tools like Beehiiv and Luma.
We improved the About and Events pages to highlight community impact and set clear user expectations. The Home page evolved into a quick, compelling brand introduction with strong calls to action. The Resources section centralized reports, newsletters, and insights, anchored by a featured CTA for the 2024 Proptech in Canada Report.
Feedback.
After running multiple usability tests; users regardless of Proptech familiarity quickly understood the platform. Based on feedback, we improved visual hierarchy, simplified CTAs, and made the Resources hub more visible, leading to better navigation and user confidence.
The redesign transformed Proptech Collective’s website from a fragmented, confusing experience into a clear, engaging, and low-maintenance platform.
Post-test feedback:
+43% increase in homepage comprehension within 1 minute
Users found key content twice as fast
90% of users rated the platform more trustworthy and credible