Case Study 04 · Home Affordability Tool · MVP
Pre-approval tells you what a bank will lend. Nobody tells you what you can actually afford to live.
How a realtor-shared MVP helped first-time homebuyers replace financial anxiety with a number they could trust — before the first open house.
Lead UX Designer (Solo)
2024–2025
First time homebuyers
Web App · Lovable
Solo project
MVP Design
Fintech
Mobile-first
User Research
0-to-1
Where it started.
Every day, realtors sit across from first-time homebuyers clutching a pre-approval letter — and no real understanding of what that number means for their daily life. The bank approved $420,000. Nobody explained what that looks like as a monthly payment, with taxes, insurance, and PMI folded in.
Buyers fall in love with homes at the top of their range, feel sticker shock when the full monthly cost lands, and sometimes walk away. Realtors spend hours resetting expectations that could have been calibrated before the first showing.
"I got pre-approved for $380K but I have no idea if that means I can actually afford a $380K house. What does that even mean for my monthly budget? — Interview participant"
Listening before designing.
I started with realtors - the distribution channel. They decide whether a tool gets shared or sits unused. I interviewed 5 realtors and 3 first-time buyers. Key finding: buyers felt overwhelmed by financial jargon, mistrustful of numbers they couldn't verify, and paralyzed by the scale of the decision. Realtor branding doubled tool completion rates from 41% to 83%.
From discovery to ship.
Discover & Research
8 interviews with realtors and first-time homebuyers. Competitive audit of Zillow, NerdWallet, Chase, and Fannie Mae tools.
Define & Ideate
Personas, user flows, journey mapping, HMW statements, and wireframe explorations for input flow and results layout.
Prototype
Mobile-first MVP built on Lovable. Rapid iteration on the results screen — the most critical moment in the flow.
Test & Refine
Usability testing with 6 participants. Key insight: users needed a range, not a ceiling — monthly reality before home price.
The people behind the work.
Maya Chen, 31
First-time Homebuyer · Marketing Coordinator
"I've done tons of research but I still don't know if I can afford what I want."
Marcus Webb, 44
Licensed Realtor · 12 yrs experience
"I spend half my time managing expectations that could've been set in the first 10 minutes."
What we built.
Every other affordability tool leads with a maximum home price, a ceiling that becomes an aspiration. This tool leads with monthly reality: what does this home actually cost per month, broken into terms buyers understand? Property taxes. Insurance. PMI. Principal and interest. All of it, upfront.
The results screen shows three scenarios: Conservative, Comfortable, and Stretch, so buyers understand they have a range, not just a limit. Realtors can add their branding so the tool feels like a professional resource, not a random website. And the entire experience is designed for a phone, because the link arrives as a text message.
Userflow
Journey Map
User Research
Wireframes
Hi Fidelity Design
Measurable outcomes.
The best financial tools aren't the most comprehensive. They give people exactly enough clarity to take the next step, and enough trust to believe the number they're looking at. When buyers understand their real budget before they fall in love with a house, everyone wins.
MVP Design
Fintech
Mobile-first
User Research
0-to-1