Rent-to-own real estate
Dojohome A path to homeownership
01 Overview
A third option between renting and a mortgage
A new way to climb the homeownership ladder. Instead of choosing between staying a tenant and qualifying for a mortgage, members rent a home they want to own and buy equity on demand, at their own pace.
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My role
Product and brand designer
With the founders, I shaped the experience and visual identity of the MVP and its marketing website.
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The problem
Locked out of homeownership
Renters built no equity while mortgages demanded bank approval many could not get, and sellers with hard-to-sell homes had no outlet — no rent-to-own experience served both sides.
Five chapters, one structure
Each chapter opens with its challenge and outcome, then the decisions that got it there.
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2019
Discovery
Five platforms scored along the core flow, six personas built from real pain points.
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2019
Structure & flows
Paper sketches to task flows and a sitemap that keeps discovery public and roles separate.
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2019
Platform
A front page for both sides, a synced map, a property page with a live equity slider and a dashboard.
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2019
Mobile
Every key flow for the palm of a hand — from discovery to the price card.
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2019
Brand & identity
A friendly identity for a serious decision: mark, palette, illustrations and UI kit.
02 Discovery
Five platforms, six personas, one gap to close
Challenge
Rent-to-own rivals scored lowest on design, navigation and search, sellers had no way to list, and reviews kept surfacing the same struggles — no experience served both sides.
Outcome
Five platforms scored along the core flow, six personas built from those pain points, and a clear job for each side: members buy equity over time, sellers list hard-to-sell homes.
The market Dojohome stepped into
Over a third of US households rent; roughly 40% are paying off a mortgage. Getting one means a long approval, and even then owners risk losing the home if their income can’t keep up.
Dojohome removes the binary: tenants rent, buy equity on demand, and become owners without signing into a decades-long contract.
The market Dojohome stepped into
As of 2019
- US households renting
- 36% building no equity
- US households with a mortgage
- 40% after bank approval
- Equity on move-in day
- 3% with Dojohome
What the competition left open
I scored rent-to-own startups and established marketplaces along the path every user takes: landing page, search or listing, property details, application.
UI/UX competitor evaluation
| Criteria | Divvy | Unmortgage | Roofstock | Flyhomes | Rentberry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design | |||||
| Images | |||||
| Navigation | |||||
| Sign up | |||||
| Search | |||||
| Filters | |||||
| Property card | |||||
| Property view | |||||
| Application | |||||
| Sell a property | |||||
| Reviews |
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Rent-to-own lagged behind
Divvy and Unmortgage, the closest competitors, scored lowest on design, navigation and search — room for a clearly better experience.
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Sellers were left out
Neither rent-to-own platform let owners list a property, so a seller flow became core to the MVP, not an afterthought.
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Reviews revealed real pain
User comments on each competitor surfaced the struggles people kept hitting, which became the personas.
Two audiences, one platform
Dojohome talks to two kinds of people, so each got a name of their own.
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Members
Future homeowners
They rent a Dojohome property, apply through the platform and buy equity over time.
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Sellers
Owners ready to sell
They list a home and connect with members who pre-lease it on their way to owning it.
Personas built from real pain points
Competitor reviews showed the same struggles again and again. The most common became six personas, three per side of the platform.
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Member
Mark Turner
Works part-time at a night club and sometimes takes on well-paid gigs at concerts and events.
Needs
Owning a home means a lot to Mark, but without a stable income no bank will qualify him.
Member
Sofia Reyes
Works full-time as a live-in caregiver and sends part of every paycheck to her family abroad.
Needs
Sofia pays rent every month and can’t save a down payment on top of it, so no bank takes her seriously as a buyer.
Member
James Carter
Drives delivery routes six days a week and shares custody of two kids.
Needs
James earns enough to cover a mortgage, but a divorce wrecked his credit score and every bank turns him away.
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Seller
Bill Vayner
A retired police officer who suddenly inherited his mother’s house, mortgage included, and has no steady income.
Needs
A house that still carries a mortgage is hard to sell: nobody wants it, and Bill can’t afford to pay it off first.
Seller
Linda Marsh
Widowed last year and rattling around a four-bedroom house she can no longer maintain.
Needs
Linda wants to downsize fast, but the house needs repairs she can’t afford, and buyers lowball her because of them.
Seller
Tom Becker
Relocated for work and now pays rent in a new city while his old house sits empty.
Needs
Tom carries a mortgage on an empty house he rarely sees, and a slow traditional sale keeps draining him every month.
03 Information architecture
From notebook sketches to a clear structure
Challenge
Two journeys to map — members browsing and applying, sellers listing — with sign-up only at commitment, and ideas still living on paper.
Outcome
Task flows that stay open until commitment then pass through one short sign-up, plus a sitemap where discovery stays public and member/seller areas unlock after signing up.
Many iterations with the founders settled how the platform should work for each side. I mapped both journeys on paper, then turned them into task flows, a sitemap and wireframes.
Task flows
Exploring needs no account. Sign-up appears only at the moment of commitment — a member applying for a home, a seller listing one — and had to be seamless.
Both journeys stay open until commitment, then pass through one short sign-up.
Sitemap
One goal: a coherent experience for both roles. Each gets its own area; discovery and account pages are shared.
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Explore
Open to every visitor
- Map
- Property details
- Apply
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Member
Future homeowners
- My home
- Applications
- Favorites
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Seller
Owners listing a home
- Dashboard
- Properties
- List a property
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Account
Shared by both roles
- Profile
- Messages
- Help
04 Platform
Find a home, decide, apply, or list one
Challenge
A front page that had to speak to both sides, a map that keeps list and pins in sync, and a property page that answers every question before someone applies or lists.
Outcome
A landing page with a header switch for members and sellers, a map with clustered previews, a property page with a live equity slider and step-by-step listing, plus a personal dashboard for the journey after approval.
A landing page that speaks to both sides
The front page leads with the promise — “Skip the down payment, move in today” — then shows real listings, explains how it works and compares it with the alternatives. Friendly illustrations keep a big financial decision approachable.
Switch between users
Members and sellers need different stories and different navigation. A header switch and page tabs split the experience, so each side sees only what matters to them.
Every property on the map
Every property lives on a map that stays in sync with the list — where homes are, at a glance, before the details.
Everything needed to decide
The property page answers every question: photos, amenities, details, nearby schools, neighborhood data, location. A price card stays close with rent, down payment and starting equity — and one action: apply.
Price card, rebuilt in code
Listing a property in minutes
Listing had to be effortless. A step-by-step form asks only for what matters, and everything else members see on the property page comes from third-party services.
A personal space for the ownership journey
Once the offer is approved and the contract signed, both sides get a personal area for the equity plan, statistics and payments or payouts.
05 Mobile
Designed to fit in the palm of a hand
Challenge
Every key flow had to work on mobile web too — from the front page and map to listing a property and the price card — without losing what makes the desktop version clear.
Outcome
Twelve mobile screens as swipeable carousels and sheets, a persistent member/seller switch by the logo, and the price card repositioned to follow description and amenities.
Every key flow was designed for mobile web too, from the front page and map to listing a property and the price card.
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Front page
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Listings carousel
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For members
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For sellers
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How it’s different
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Map clusters
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Map preview
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List a property
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Listing details
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Property page
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Price card
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Property details
Mobile decisions
- The member and seller switch stays next to the logo
- Listings become swipeable carousels
- The map keeps filters and a property preview in reach
- The price card follows the description and amenities
06 Visual identity
A friendly identity for a serious decision
Challenge
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions people make — the identity had to feel trustworthy but warm, with a system that scales from product to marketing.
Outcome
A calm navy and sky palette with leaf for commits, a mark joining a dojo roof to a box-shaped home, cheerful line-art neighborhoods and a compact UI kit of 25 components.
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions people make, so the identity balances trust with warmth: a calm navy and sky blue palette, a mark joining a dojo roof to a box-shaped home, and cheerful illustrations.
Core elements
Color palette
Select a swatch to copy its hex
Logo
Illustrations
The front page had to feel delightful, with forms that read instantly and stay distinctive. A line-art neighborhood sets the scene; spot illustrations explain each benefit.
UI kit
A compact kit kept the MVP consistent: Roboto, soft blue shadows, clear input states — sky blue for primary actions, green for committing ones like applying or listing.
Dojohome UI kit: primary, commit and secondary buttons in default, hover, active and disabled states; text inputs in basic, focused, error and disabled states; checkboxes and the member and seller switch; an upload dropzone; and a property card.
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Property cards
Listings at a glance: price, specs, address and a save action.
07 Impact
An MVP ready for both sides of the market
Research, iteration and close work with the founders turned a new financial model into an approachable product: an MVP prototype and marketing website that serve members and sellers alike.
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Qualifying
Challenge: Mark can’t get a mortgage without a stable income
Design response: Move in with 3% equity, buy more at his own pace
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Selling
Challenge: Bill can’t sell an inherited house that still carries a mortgage
Design response: List it for members who pre-lease on their way to owning
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Commitment
Challenge: Early sign-up walls push curious visitors away
Design response: Explore freely; sign up only to apply or list
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Applications
Challenge: Identical equity plans make applicants hard to compare
Design response: Custom down payment offers reveal each applicant’s intent
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Listing
Challenge: Long forms slow sellers down
Design response: Step-by-step listing, with extra details pulled from third parties
Delivered for the MVP
Counted from the final Figma file
- Desktop screens
- 34
- Mobile screens
- 12
- UI kit components
- 25
08 Takeaways
What this project taught me
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Design both sides of a marketplace
Members and sellers want different things from the same deal. Giving each its own story, navigation and goal kept the platform simple for both.
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Commitment at the right moment
Explore first, sign up only to apply or list. That respects how people make big decisions.
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Make money tangible
Equity, down payments and plans are abstract. Sliders, live numbers and illustrations turn them into something people can see.
