CBRE’s Build-a-Map application is a self-service online map builder where brokers can add and style points, demographic layers, radius rings, polygons, text, logos (and more!) to a map in order to present potential sites to their clients.
Initiatives include:
Spearheading a reusable map component for use by other engineers
Sharing the power of user feedback and analytics when measuring product priorities and success
Workshopping complex site selection topics i.e. 'querying’ vs ‘displaying’ data
Launching new product features such as logos as points, text annotations, drive times and demographic layers
Leading a mapping pattern design system contribution for user by other designers
Rebranding the application UI to adhere to the a design system (and stress-testing it)
Goals
Increase adoption (and retention) of Build-A-Map monthly users by 5% YOY
Reduce custom map requests to the internal custom mapping department by 30% YOY
Diverse Maps Produced by Build-A-Map
I partnered closely with my product manager to develop and consistently refer back to our product canvas when making UX decisions to ensure both the user needs and business requirements would be met.
Application Usage and Map Export Statistics (April 2022)
19% YOY reduction in April MOS requests
1,650 unique U.S. monthly users
300 unique monthly international users
33.5k monthly maps exported via BAM UI
4.5K monthly maps via BAM export API
Users
Our users consisted of 2 key personas: brokers and broker assistants. Our map creators were often the broker assistants who were more familiar with the intricacies of BAM and actually created the maps using our application. Whereas the brokers themselves, who know the client’s specific site requirements and which information is relevant to include on the map, would provide feedback on the maps their assistant’s created.
User Feedback Loop
We consistently solicited direct feedback via phone calls and emails from our map creators (broker assistants). We organized each pieces of feedback separately in AirTable in order to track the date, job title, office/market and categorized it to ensure the most important (and most commonly requested) feedback was considered during our product prioritization exercises.
Notable Features Launched
Feature 1/4: Demographic Layers
Feature 2/4: Text Annotations
Feature 3/4: Drive Times
A sample of our competitive review of existing Drive Time features in other mapping applications
Feature 4/4: Logos as Points
“I didn't even train the latest NY team on how to create logo maps because they can do it in BAM now.” - CBRE Manager
Challenges
Developing a scalable mapping application design pattern:
How can we make elements on a map stand out, without making everything stand out?
Internal communications require improvement:
Since the map creators (‘broker assistants’) users are familiar with our application, but their managers, the ‘brokers’, are not…. How can we ensure communication of new solutions and workflows are shared with the brokers?
Balancing application ease for beginners vs complex feature requests from vocal power users:
Since our end user’s knowledge of the application varies widely… How can we write descriptive instructions, use in-app guidance, and map templates to create a good user experience for users of all levels.
Leading Design System Contribution: Mapping Patterns
Examples of the type of color accessibility, pin, basemap and popover guidance we provided other designers along with documentation for the layout and structure of all applications centered around mapping experiences.
Leading Internal Communications
Despite my role as a UX Designer, I recognized that in order for our product to be successful, our users needed a medium to learn more about the application and how it could solve their problems. We were consistently launching features based on user feedback, but our users didn’t know they existed. We explored several opportunities to increase adoption including in-app guidance, solution-specific video tutorials, and monthly email newsletters. Outside of the basic duties of my design role, I also built out and regularly maintained a brand new Sharepoint page where internal CBRE broker and broker assistances could find information about existing capabilities, upcoming features, and watch tutorials based on their required map styling.
We also recognized from user feedback and reviewing maps that were created, that users need inspirational examples to understand what types of maps are possible to build in BAM. When we shared product demos with users they would be shocked at how quickly and easily they could build their own map (which would have normally taken the mapping department 3 days to complete). We realized the need for a set of map templates and an anonymized map showcase which showed how real users were leveraging the tool to meet their needs.
““We’re the world’s largest commercial real estate firm, so maps are kind of important.” ”
Due to confidentially restraints I'm not able to disclose details of specific business challenges and our solutions. Contact me for a more in depth explanation of our thinking process and reasoning.