Home Construction Web App
Homebound’s original Homeowner Portal couldn’t scale, requiring 40+ hours of manual updates per project and lacking real-time updates, financial tracking, and document sharing due to its disconnect from the backend system. I partnered with engineering and led the end-to-end design to rebuild the portal as a fully integrated, automated experience. The new system required no manual upkeep and quickly went from zero usage to 100% of home projects managed through it.
Industry
Real Estate / Construction
Year
2023
Problem
App remained unused due to is disconnect with project metatdata as Homebound's business model evolved
The Homeowner Portal (HOP), originally built for fully custom homes, became outdated as Homebound shifted to curated design packages. Lacking integration with the backend system, Blueprint, it required 40+ hours of manual updates per project and was only used on one trial, leaving it largely unused for three years. Low adoption meant key features like real-time updates, financial info, and document access were never fully realized.
Process
Held six discovery workshops with cross-functional stakeholders
Since HOP had been the first product Homebound had created when it started as a strictly custom homebuilder and was sitting unused for 3 years, I wanted to do a thorough audit from different ops areas (finance team, architecture, construction, design, etc) within Homebound to help determine what should or should not be visible to homeowners? What are current shortcomings or known issues with HOP today?
Solution
Creating connected construction ecosystem
After mapping data points, we automated HOP by linking Blueprint project data—financials, documents, selections, and status. To deliver real-time updates, I designed a new workflow that pulled from Blueprint job logs (daily photo and progress updates from trades and crews) and enabled customer experience reps to select photos and add personalized notes, giving homeowners a more accurate and engaging experience.
Impact
From no projects on HOP to 300+ with system driven updates
We expanded homeowner portal project coverage from 0% (in pilot) to 100%, with mid-construction projects in Colorado and Florida getting full construction updates, and providing warranty access for completed projects in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Homebound customers were now able to follow along with their build from anywhere, receiving real time financial invoices, build progress updates, and direct communication through the new connected design.
