a look at my recent work
Local Expertâ„
Designing a Self‑Serve Ad Configuration Tool for Real Estate Agents​
Overview and Challenge
​
Local Expertâ„ is a digital marketing solution that provides real estate agents with targeted, measurable brand exposure on realtor.com® and Facebook. To support the product experience, we needed a self‑serve configuration tool that would allow agents to edit their ads after purchase. The work required close cross‑functional collaboration with Product Owners, Designers, Engineers, and UX Researchers across four offices.
​
My role focused on defining and designing the end‑to‑end flow of the configuration tool, ensuring that agents could easily review, customize, and update their ads. My colleague produced the ad creative templates.
Design Approach and Decisions
​​
I reused the card‑based layout from the subscriptions feature I previously designed because agents typically purchased only two to three areas. This structure made it simple for them to browse, compare, and manage their selections.
​
Before the work was handed off to me, another designer had explored an early configuration screen with fewer options and a horizontal layout where inputs sat below the preview. I moved the preview to the right so it remained visible as agents edited their inputs, allowing both panels to scroll in parallel. This also aligned with Facebook’s ad‑configuration pattern. The Facebook representative we partnered with confirmed that this layout made it easier to map our fields to theirs, which helped streamline the integration.
​
Throughout the project, I collaborated closely with our UX researcher to ensure the creation flow felt clear and approachable. I built clickable prototypes in Sketch and InVision and observed usability sessions with real agents to understand where the experience felt intuitive and where it needed refinement. These insights informed several key adjustments before engineering began, and the sessions validated that the layout and editing flow matched agents’ mental models.
Local Expertâ„ ads dashboard experience
The ad configuration for agents adds specific details to enhance their "Spotlight" advertisements
Cross‑Functional Alignment and Collaboration​​
​
During the project, the Product Owner role changed three times within a single year. Despite the churn, we kept the roadmap stable by anchoring decisions to clearly defined goals and shared context. I supported each transition by facilitating knowledge transfer, walking new POs through the problem space, prior decisions, and open questions so momentum wasn’t lost.
​
The work also required tight coordination across four U.S. engineering offices and our Richmond team. To keep everyone aligned, I connected with the PO and developers daily through Slack and Google Hangouts, ensuring questions were resolved quickly and design intent remained clear. I participated in scrums and backlog‑grooming sessions to present designs, clarify edge cases, and collaborate on implementation details. This level of engagement helped maintain continuity across teams and ensured the final experience matched the vision we validated with users.
This feature enables agents to choose which listings they would like to display in the "Listing" advertisement
Outcomes​​
​
-
SUS score of 90 (Grade A): Usability testing showed the flow performed exceptionally well, with agents navigating the configuration process confidently and with minimal friction.
-
The product reached its annual sales target within the first five months of launch.
The performance section informs agents of the views and reach their ads have received on Realtor.com