NOMAD HOMES
Redesigning a High-End Web Experience for Dubai’s Homebuyers
Nomad Homes is a global company redefining the home-buying experience. Combining cutting-edge technology, concierge service, and expert guidance, they make purchasing a home smarter, simpler, and more personalized. With exclusive access to off-market properties and end-to-end support, Nomad Homes helps buyers in cities like Dubai, Paris, and Madrid find their dream homes with confidence.
Nomad Homes’ Dubai website required a strategic redesign to align with its high-class, exclusive audience. The focus was on refining the messaging and enhancing the visual design to better appeal to this sophisticated target. Additionally, the project aimed to optimize the site’s structure and user experience, ensuring a seamless journey that not only resonated with visitors but also drove higher conversion rates.
MY ROLE
As part of a team of two product designers, I co-led the end-to-end redesign and development of Nomad Homes’ Dubai website. My role encompassed:
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User Research: I led both phases of research, starting with analyzing user behavior and identifying gaps in the existing website, followed by testing and validating new prototypes with potential users to ensure alignment with their needs.
Design and Development: Alongside my co-designer, I was responsible for crafting the new visual design and building the website in Webflow, ensuring a polished, user-friendly experience.
Collaboration: I worked closely with a Backend Developer to integrate custom JavaScript solutions, ensuring scalability and technical excellence.
PROBLEM
The existing website faced critical challenges that limited its effectiveness as a conversion channel:
Low traffic acquisition: The site attracted significantly fewer visitors compared to other lead-generation channels, limiting its reach and impact.
Short session durations: Users spent very little time engaging with the site, indicating that content or navigation was not compelling enough to retain their attention.
Low conversion rates: Few users advanced through the customer journey to reach key registration pages, highlighting a disconnect between site performance and user needs.
Dependence on external channels: A significant portion of leads came from external platforms, reducing the website's role in driving direct conversions.
While addressing these issues may also require improving other channels, it was evident that the website itself needed significant optimization to become a more effective and autonomous tool for attracting, engaging, and converting users.
GOAL
The project’s main objective was redesigning Nomad Homes’ website to address its key performance challenges and enhance its role as a primary conversion channel. This includes increasing traffic, boosting user engagement by extending session durations, and driving more users to complete the registration process. The ultimate aim is to reduce reliance on external channels and establish the website as a standalone, effective tool for lead generation.
[01]
USER RESEARCH
To ensure a data-driven approach for the redesign, we conducted user research with the following goal:
Evaluate what works and what doesn't in our current website and branding to avoid repeating mistakes and make informed decisions for the rebranding.
Research Objectives
Understand user needs and the decision-making process in real estate searches.
Evaluate users’ understanding of our services and the benefits we offer.
Identify any information that users feel is missing or confusing on the current website.
Research Method
We conducted interviews with 5 participants, where they shared their screens while navigating the website.
Explored users’ property search processes, motivations, and concerns, alongside their impressions of the current site.
Provided insights into user pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Hypothesis
The low conversion rate is due to:
Low traffic is sent to our website.
Users struggling to understand services, benefits, and CTAs.
How we measured success
Understanding users’ property search processes.
Clear insights into effective and ineffective messaging.
Actionable recommendations for improving branding and design.
Learnings & Conclusions
Through the interviews, we gained valuable insights into the user experience with the current website and their broader property search processes. Participants highlighted key needs, frustrations, and gaps that affected their ability to engage effectively with the platform. The main takeaways were:
Strengthen Messaging and USP: Clear value proposition highlighting unique benefits, focusing on saving or earning money, with consistent messaging across the site.
Build Trust with Evidence: Use case studies, testimonials, and success stories to showcase expertise, emphasize user-aligned services, and highlight impartial, client-focused advice with concrete examples.
Clarify Target Audience: Define the primary target—investors, homebuyers, or both—and tailor messaging with dedicated sections for each segment’s needs.
Enhance User Experience: Redesign the hero section to highlight the unique value proposition, using targeted images and content. Ensure key information is accessible, clear, and not overwhelming.
Showcase Market Knowledge: Offer insights into macro and city-specific trends, highlight exclusive deals with clear benefits, and use data visualizations for better engagement.
[02]
IDEATE & DESIGN
During the ideation phase, we explored two distinct visual directions for the rebranding:
Modern Elegance: A darker, more refined aesthetic.
Serene Tradition: A lighter, brighter palette with a calm, natural feel.
After developing and presenting both directions in a team session, we gathered feedback and chose Serene Tradition. This option better aligned with Dubai's identity, evoking the luxury and brightness of spacious villas in natural settings.With the direction decided, we defined typography and a color palette. We created initial brand assets and prototypes to test with users, to collect feedback so we could validate the approach.
[03]
USER VALIDATION
To ensure the redesign resonated with our audience, we conducted user validation interviews with 5 participants. These sessions focused on testing our prototypes, gathering feedback, and confirming whether our approach aligned with user expectations.Participants provided insights on usability, messaging clarity, and overall design effectiveness and the pieces selected to test were: 1) some sections of the Homepage, 2) a project page and 3) a social ad.
We tested prototypes with rebranding applied using: 5-Seconds Test for first impressions & Usability Test to evaluate clarity and functionality.
We validated initial design decisions and identified areas for refinement.
Learnings & Conclusions
Through the interviews, we gained valuable insights into the user experience with the current website and their broader property search processes. Participants highlighted key needs, frustrations, and gaps that affected their ability to engage effectively with the platform. The main takeaways were:
User Needs & Pain Points: Users need clear branding, trustworthy information for confidence, and visually appealing yet informative content addressing their concerns.
Common Themes and Patterns: High-quality visuals create a strong first impression, trust builds through credible details, and users value community and family-friendly property features.
Opportunities for Improvement: Enhance branding for recall, provide accessible service and property details, and refine messaging to convey value and build trust.
[04]
REFINE & DELIVER
In the final phase, we applied the insights from user validation to optimize the prototypes. To improve messaging and overall copywriting, the marketing team held several sessions to define our USP, key benefits, and brand tone. We aimed for a style that was clear and understandable while conveying a sense of security, expertise, and deep knowledge of the Dubai real estate market.
Rather than simply adapting the existing content, we rethought the structure of the homepage and identified essential sections to add or revise. This allowed us to create a more coherent and impactful narrative that aligned with the newly defined branding and user needs.
Also, we prioritized a mobile-first approach, recognizing that nearly 80% of our users accessed the site via mobile devices.
Once the designs were finalized in Figma, we built them in Webflow and we added the animations. For specific interactions and tracking requirements, we collaborated with our backend developer, whose expertise supported the final delivery.
FUTURE STEPS
Building on the progress achieved with the redesign and initial optimizations, our next steps will focus on ongoing enhancements to further elevate the website's performance and user experience. Future improvements include creating dedicated landing pages for each service and target audience, as well as developing calculators and simulators to provide users with interactive tools that add value and enhance engagement. These initiatives aim to adapt to evolving user needs, explore new opportunities for interaction, and ensure the site continues to drive growth and deliver lasting impact.
