Blackbird

The Problem

Blackbird was initially an internal project for this client. Its goal was to provide insights into properties, their surrounding markets, and overall demographics. At this time, Blackbird was more of an “exploration tool” (think Google Earth) as opposed to a resource to help present to clients. It had poor UX and was therefore daunting to learn. For that reason, when brokers needed specific information from Blackbird - presentations, reports, etc. - they were forced to communicate with their internal researchers who were most knowledgeable on how to use it so that they could assemble the info.

This client needed a solution that would improve the UX, create easy workflows, and empower the brokers so that they could provide fast service to their clients.

The Solution

The improved Blackbird enables a patented 3D approach for brokers to help clients explore property options across the country to gain a more complete sense of a property's attributes without the time and cost of an onsite physical inspection. Users can assess potential markets based on real-time market data like demographics, tax incentives, and access to transit. It even showed details on current construction projects to highlight what a property would have. The solution ensured that brokers, researchers, and clients could all easily organize the robust information they needed in a logical and engaging way.

The Outcome

After gaining a deep understanding of what their end users needed, the new updates created resulted in Blackbird having the highest usage EVER:

+30% increase in number of users
+40% rise in the number of sessions
-10% decrease in bounce rate

For Blackbird's innovative design, it received several awards as brokers started to heavily adopt the new technology.