The Art of Candid Moments: Creating Authentic Lifestyle Images

Intro

“I have to be comfortable with my realtor, otherwise I'm going to regret hiring them.” That single line from a user interview sums up the real problem people face when choosing an agent. They aren’t just looking for someone to handle a transaction — they’re looking for someone they can trust to guide them through an emotional, high-stakes journey.

Hector, a local real estate agent in South Florida, had built his career the old-school way. He knocked on doors, chatted with neighbors, mailed flyers, and grew his clientele through referrals and word of mouth. Ninety percent of his clients were sellers, ten percent were buyers — and every single one came from personal connections, not a website. He had no digital presence because he never saw the benefit of having one. 

That skepticism set the stage for my design challenge: could I create a digital experience that captured the trust Hector builds so naturally face-to-face?

Problem

Through interviews with Hector’s past clients and other homeowners, patterns became clear. Trust had to come first. Sellers and buyers alike wanted to see proof before they even thought about reaching out: who Hector was, how he worked, testimonials from real people, and most importantly, homes he had actually sold in their neighborhood. The traditional “Contact Me” form wasn’t enough — as one participant put it, “He hasn’t earned that contact yet.”

Both buyer and seller personas I created underscored the same gap: in person, Hector stood apart. Online, he was impossible to find. Monica, the wary seller, wanted reassurance and stories from people like her. David, the strategic mover, wanted structure, proof, and a clear process. Sellers needed confidence that Hector had sold in their area. Buyers, though fewer in number, still needed to feel valued and supported. Designing for this balance — prioritizing sellers while ensuring buyers weren’t excluded — became a critical part of the project.

Process

I started by gathering insights into an affinity map, then translated them into design opportunities. The ideas weren’t about flashy tech — they were about presence. A buyer/seller journey that mirrored Hector’s real approach. A success map showing every home he had sold. Transparent pricing guides. And testimonials tied to real past client experiences.

When I tested the mid-fidelity wireframes with five participants, the feedback was immediate. Chrystal hesitated at the top of the page: “I’m not ready to talk to him yet.” Dwight went straight to Sold Homes: “If I see he’s sold in my area, that changes everything.” Another participant added, “I want to see what other people like me have said about working with him.” It wasn’t the need to look at houses in general that built confidence — it was knowing who Hector was, learning about his experience, and seeing houses he represented in the area that people were interested in.

^^^show low fidelity wireframes here

This insight reshaped the design. I reframed the hero CTA to “Ready to Buy” or “Ready to Sell” for the network of people who already knew Hector and wanted to find him online. I rewrote the About section in his real voice, highlighting his decades of experience. I turned the buyer/seller journey into his process, laying out his actual steps. I enriched the Sold Homes section with filters, prices, and context. 

When I brought these updates into high-fidelity wireframes, the design finally started to feel alive. The homepage introduced Hector with warmth and credibility. The process was clear, structured, and calm. The map split into “Available Homes” and “Recently Sold,” Testimonials were being shown one at a time, but during testing, users asked for even more. “I’d rather see two or three at once,” a buyer who had never met with Hector before has said. “That way I can find the story that feels most like mine.” This communicated that testimonials weren’t just proof. They were mirrors.

Before and after ^^^

Solution

The second round of testing revealed that small details had big consequences. Participants wanted testimonials moved higher on the page — trust first, listings later. The map confused them when it mixed sold and available homes. Dwight summed it up: “Am I looking at houses for sale in general, or what he specifically sold?”

I refined again. Testimonials rose to the top and were displayed in groups. Navigation became anchored and responsive. The map became split between “Represented Buyer” and “Represented Sellers”, with filters for city, price, and property type. Small refinements layered trust upon trust, until the site no longer felt like a template. It felt like Hector himself.

The solution wasn’t just about usability. It was about storytelling. And the story was this: Hector has been here, he knows this place, and he’s helped people just like you.

different devices mock upschanging with diferent screens^^^

Impact

The redesign reframed how people experienced Hector before the first handshake. Instead of rushing them into a call, it gave them reasons to believe: testimonials, sold homes in their neighborhood, and a process that felt approachable. One user said, “If I see he’s sold in my area, that changes everything.” Another said, “Reading what his clients said makes me feel like I could work with him too.”

For the first time, Hector’s old-school reputation had a digital extension. The trust he once built solely on door knocks, neighbor chats, and flyers was now visible online. Where the old absence of a website left him impossible to find, this prototype gave potential clients a reason to pause, explore, and consider him seriously.

The impact was more than functional. It was emotional. And that emotional readiness was what transformed hesitation into confidence.

A video of him talking.^

Reflection

Looking back, this project reminded me that trust is the true product in real estate. Order matters. Showing proof too late, and users bounce. Push too soon, and they resist. Bring them along at the right pace, and they lean in. As one homeowner put it: “I’d rather see his sales and stories first, then decide if I want to reach out.”

From Hector’s perspective, he believed that websites had little value because none of his clients came from finding him online. He was convinced his old-school methods — referrals, door knocking, flyers in the maibox — were the only paths that worked. But seeing the feedback homeowners gave about hime, the site, his sales, and his testimonials changed his perspective. “I imagined homeowners would only be interested in the houses they were looking to buy or sell, and that was it. I never thought that who I am, and my approach, could be shown on there.” What once felt unnecessary now felt like an extension of his own reputation.

If I continued, I’d add a Spanish-language toggle and explore a lightweight client portal for repeat clients. But the bigger lesson is one I’ll carry forward: design is storytelling. And when you tell the right story, in the right order, people don’t just notice — they trust.

(reflection on how Hector feels about it, how his view has changed, and explain) spanish toggle and video where everything changes.