Project Overview
In July 2011 domain.com.au released it's app for iPad to critical acclaim. This has attracted a huge volume of downloads, over 900 ratings with a 4.5 star rating on average. This is the premiere app for searching for property to buy, rent, or share.
Organisation
Team
James Fitzgerald, Irene Ongkowidjaja, Elizabeth Wilton, Tanya Maddalena, Maty Paule, Jason Bayly, Jasmina Tomljanovic, Adi Widodo, Aurelien Garreau, Geeta Obireddy, Virgilio Neto, Daniel Kang, Philip Kewley, Payal Thakare
Project Brief
the domain.com.au iPad app is the first app specifically built by a property portal for the iPad.
It has generated extremely enthusiastic reviews, huge volumes of downloads and has even been featured as 'App of the Week' by Apple in the app store.
It provides users with a pleasurable way to search for a home, taking much of the hardwork out of the equation. It uses maps as its key interface, helping users drill down to those particular locations that suit them, define the criteria a property needs to meet (size, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc), and allows the user to view large landscape images, contact the agent or add it to their inspection planner to help them navigate their way through their weekend's viewing schedule.
This app has been meet with rave reviews from property industry publications, and users alike.
Project Innovation / Need
We noticed that a large number of people were accessing either our website or our iphone app via their iPad, and thought they deserved an experience that best suited the abilities of the iPad.
The 'mobile' nature of the device meant we could explore great tools like 'around me' functions whereby the user could see what is either on the market right now near them, or even what properties have been recently sold near them. We also knew that the 'mobile' nature of the device meant that tools like an inspection planner would be a great asset in making a typical saturday of property viewing far more enjoyable.
Another innovative feature was ensuring that the device was an extension of a users domain life rather than a separate component of it. That is, making sure that the shortlists and inspection planning a user creates on either their desktop computer, their iphone or their ipad could all sync with one another to make sure they get the best out of domain regardless of where and how they are using it.
User Experience
From the outset we knew that the domain iPad search should utilise maps as its key interface. The user can expand or shrink their search area with their fingers, swipe the map with their fingers to move the map entirely, and select pins showing available properties on the map to view details and images on that property. We also incorporated the 'around me' function to help users get a good picture of what the property market is like in the area they are currently in.
We also knew that tools to help the mobility nature of the device would be important too, with users taking their ipads with them for their weekend of viewing. We built tools to help them with this, to help plan and navigtate their weekend viewing with the map based interface lending itself to this to great effect.
Another great feature of the interface is the use of images. A user can either view a smaller thumbnail (along with property details) beside the map, or they can drill down to larger full screen images and floor plans by tapping into an individual property.
The app is also designed to optimise viewing in either landscape or portrait mode.
Users can email and contact agent direct from their iPad, as well as email any property to a friend.
Project Marketing
We have worked closely with Apple to ensure we have a feature set that best showcases the abilities of the iPad, and as such have been fortunate enough to be included as their 'App of the week' in our first week of going live.
We have also included promotion of our app across SMH, The Age, and other Fairfax publications both online and in print.
Also, we provided the option for users to rate the app, fully aware that in many instances it is the ratings of other users that prompts a potential new user to download the app. This has worked to great effect.
We always try to showcase the features of the app and how it will make a users property search so much easier.
Best New Service or Application
This category recognises the best new service or application on a mobile platform.
More Details