SAMMA
An experience to tour your apartment from anywhere.
Role
I was part of the launch team, curating materials for the virtual walkthrough and redesigning the UX/UI to enhance functionality and user experience.
Company
Visualiz Inc
Duration
1 Year
Tools
Figma, UE5, After Effect, Substance 3D, Blender
Background
Summary
Samma provides realistic virtual walkthroughs of
in-construction apartments for those unable to visit in person. Originally a video service, we transformed it into an immersive VR and web experience using
client-focused design strategies.
Challenge
Our client, Marimo, a real estate development company, needed a solution to encourage their audience to move into their newly developed apartments quickly to boost revenue.
Result
Sales Improvement
Boosted sales speed and cut operational costs by 20% for our client.
Faster Sellout
It helped our client with securing tenants before the apartment was completed.
Defining Problem
Client's Market Research
In Japan, an increasing number of Tokyo residents are relocating to suburban and rural areas, driving higher demand for new apartments.
Surveys
To better understand user behavior, I synthesized the client’s research and surveys, focusing on user pain points, to create a detailed persona. This process revealed four key insights:
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Difficult to find a place to live in a short period.
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Prefers viewing the apartment rather than just viewing from the pictures.
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It costs a lot to travel from Tokyo to elsewhere just to find a place to live.
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Prefer to communicate with the agent online than visit the place.
Erica Ito
Age: 27
Occupation: Nurse
Location: Tokyo
Erica Ito
Bio
Erica plans to move from Tokyo to the countryside of Hiroshima in 4 months. She is searching for a new apartment online and finds one under development, but the photos are not enough. She wants to see the model room but does not want to take time off or spend a lot to traveling from Tokyo. However, she needs a way to view the model house remotely, so she can decide better with the apartment.
Pains
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Cost too much to travel to view the apartment.
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Cannot take a day off from work.
Needs
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A way to view the model house remotely.
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Needs to feel the space
Wants
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Choose a good apartment.
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Spend less money.
Problem Statement
Erica needs a way to view the model house remotely to feel the space, so she can choose an apartment better while saving her money.
MVP Test
Initial Release to Improvements
We brought our client’s vision to life with a digital twin application that allows users to enter their future space. I designed the virtual environment by selecting and customizing furniture and materials to ensure a realistic experience. To further enhance the product, I conducted an MVP test after delivery.
Findability
It’s hard to locate the menu and other options when the menu bar is closed.
Labels & Icon
The menu and other options are difficult to find when the menu bar is closed.
Apartment Details
Users wanted information about the price, amenities, and perks offered by the new apartment.
Mockup
Ideation
Reanalyzing Design Principles
To gain deeper insights into design issues, I reanalyzed them with a fresh perspective to identify which design principles were effective and which were problematic.
Readiblity
While the content hierarchy improves the layout's clarity, the color selection makes the text difficult to read.
Insightful
In addition to the usability test findings, users should be informed about the perks of living in the new place.
Consistancy
The inconsistent placement of the menu bar makes it harder for users to remember its location.
Discovering User Intention
To clarify the initial user intentions, I created a diagram to organize the common actions performed by users. The frequent intentions were exploring the space and finding apartment details essential to user.
Interaction
To provide clearer guidance, I added a quick step-by-step tutorial to help users learn how to use the ruler feature.
Design Intention
I analyzed the original design and concluded that having a professional feel is more important when presenting to the client. To achieve this, I drew inspiration from current headset UIs, such as Meta and Apple, to bring a more professional look.
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Test Adsujment
I updated the icon based on user feedback and redesigned the UI to create an immersive experience for both headset and web users.
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Information
I added a section to provide users with the key information they typically look for when browsing real estate websites at the right side because Eastern culture reads from right.
Takeaways
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Restrictions: Several factors had to be considered when building the app, with a primary focus on minimizing material and polygon sizes to optimize performance.
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Iterative Improvement: Due to the tight deadline, we adopted an agile approach, enabling us to refine and adjust the design dynamically throughout development.
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Intention: Users were accustomed to viewing apartments online, primarily to narrow their preferences, making it essential to design with their intentions in mind at each step.
Next Step
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Chatbot: Design an agent chatbot to facilitate user communication and address common questions, such as pricing, amenities, and nearby transportation options.
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Interaction: Enhance user engagement by adding interactive features, such as the ability to view details about kitchen and furniture makers, allowing users to use these as references for decorating their rooms.