IRVINE COMPANY
Five by Five, 2020
Reimagining Irvine Company’s flagship website IrvineCompanyApartments.com
When I started, ICA’s site was essentially an outdated brochure that offered an unintuitive search experience for apartment hunters and performed poorly on mobile devices, even though mobile accounted for the majority of site traffic. My engagement began after I completed an emergency project for owner Donald Bren, earning high praise and leading to one of my favorite client testimonials: "I have worked for Donald Bren for 20 years and not once have I ever heard him call anything Fantastic until now." As a result of this trust, the CMO bypassed the usual bid process and awarded us the ICA redesign directly. Together with producer Jesse Knack, we transformed their most important digital asset.
Transforming the Apartment Search
The previous site was built at a time when online leasing seemed unimaginable to most, so the digital experience was limited to replicating printed brochures. As customer expectations evolved, a seamless self-serve digital experience became essential.
Project Scope:
UX Design
UI Design
Interaction Design
Design System
Reimagining Irvine Company’s flagship website IrvineCompanyApartments.com
When I started, ICA’s site was essentially an outdated brochure that offered an unintuitive search experience for apartment hunters and performed poorly on mobile devices, even though mobile accounted for the majority of site traffic. My engagement began after I completed an emergency project for owner Donald Bren, earning high praise and leading to one of my favorite client testimonials: "I have worked for Donald Bren for 20 years and not once have I ever heard him call anything Fantastic until now." As a result of this trust, the CMO bypassed the usual bid process and awarded us the ICA redesign directly. Together with producer Jesse Knack, we transformed their most important digital asset.
Transforming the Apartment Search
The previous site was built at a time when online leasing seemed unimaginable to most, so the digital experience was limited to replicating printed brochures. As customer expectations evolved, a seamless self-serve digital experience became essential.
Project Scope:
UX Design
UI Design
Interaction Design
Design System
Our goal was to create a premium, intuitive journey on par with platforms like Airbnb and Zillow, while addressing the complexities of apartment rentals such as multiple buildings, floor plans, and amenities. ICA had invested heavily in high-quality content like 3D walkthroughs, videos, and photography. We made this content easy to access and explore, and we also built tools for users to discover more about neighborhoods and cities.
We worked closely with ICA’s SEO team to structure the site with multiple entry pathways that reflected different consumer shopping behaviors. We also designed specialized search components for landing pages, balancing overall consistency with unique requirements.
My Role and Challenges
At Five by Five, I was always eager for hands-on involvement. While a UX consultant was initially brought in, I ultimately took over the UX for the comprehensive site search application. After that phase, I collaborated with Steve Kobb on the remaining UX and led design for the bulk of the project, bringing in other designers for specific pages as needed. The site was built by ICA’s internal development team. Although they delivered a solid result, I was not able to perform a final round of Quality Assurance, and a few client compromises in development meant some parts of the site did not fully align with my original design vision.
The Self-Guided Tour App
Shortly after the site launched, the COVID-19 lockdowns began and ICA needed a self-guided tour app urgently. Because of our previous rapid-response success, we were the first team they called. I developed a strategy for accelerated collaboration, encouraging the client to streamline their approval process and adopt a more agile approach.
Shortly after the site launched, the COVID-19 lockdowns began and ICA needed a self-guided tour app urgently. Because of our previous rapid-response success, we were the first team they called. I developed a strategy for accelerated collaboration, encouraging the client to streamline their approval process and adopt a more agile approach.
We delivered two applications: an internal tool for associates to create tours, and a mobile app for prospects to schedule and navigate self-guided tours using GPS. This system guided users through properties, handled entry, and included solutions for locations with challenging cellular coverage. I led strategy and UX, with a designer supporting UI.