Map search
Overview
Project: End-to-end UX project delivering a completely new map search feature
Role: Senior UX Designer (end-to-end ownership)
Team: PM, two front-end engineers, two back-end engineers - working remotely, with two-week sprints
Timeline: 9 months from concept to delivery
Platform: Responsive web design
Skills: Opportunity ID • User research • UX strategy • Concept to final design • Testing and iteration
Summary impact
Identified the need for a new map search, pitched it as a priority and led the end-to-end UX process, covering opportunity identification, user research, concept development, high-fidelity design and post-launch iteration. Collaborated closely with engineers to deliver a solution within tech limitations, then refined the design based on user research and live data.
Result: +16% uplift in property views for map vs non-map users and parity with industry competition.
Business context
Competative analysis confirms need for map search
Kyero needed to update its UX to match industry competitors and user expectations. Routine research revealed that map search was the most requested feature, offering an opportunity to enhance the buyer experience while signalling to estate agents that Kyero was committed to modernising features.
Overseas buyers, who can be unfamiliar with local geography, often hesitate to explore unknown areas, and providing visual context through a moveable map encouraged users to expand searches beyond fixed locations, increasing property views and enquiries.
User research through moderated testing confirmed strong demand for map search and additional location information such as schools, transport links and expat data, supporting informed property decisions.
The main design challenge was communicating area-level property locations in Spain, where agents do not reveal exact addresses, balancing user expectations of precise pins with clear geographic context.
Further detail:
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Kyero had been working for a long time to update the UX to gain parity with industry competitors. Following routine user interviews, I identified the map search as the most requested feature and pitched to add it to the product road map as a priority over other features in the pipeline, which was a success. The goal of map search to enhance the buyer experience whilst also signalling to estate agents that Kyero is committed to modern feature development and helping their properties gain greater visibility.
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Not completing the new map search feature risked losing users to competitors where map search had become an industry standard, failing to meet user expectations could result in Kyero losing both existing and hard-won new users.
At the same time map search offered an opportunity to achieve competitive parity, while addressing a clearly expressed user need. Overseas buyers unfamiliar with local geography often hesitate to explore unknown areas and by providing visual context in a moveable map, I hypothesised that users would expand their searches beyond fixed locations, for example exploring the wider coast instead of just Malaga town centre. This would increase the number of properties viewed, drive more enquiries, keep agents satisfied and encourage continued investment in the platform.
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The need for the map search to take priority in the product road map was highlighted by 72% of users choosing a map search to be their most desired additional feature to the site. This was in response to the following question, asked at the end of a moderated usability test, “If you had a magic wand, what would you add, change or remove from the site?”. From user research, I identified a clear user need, and there was an additional opportunity to develop the map beyond search to include location information (EG expat numbers, schools, transport links, area overviews) to support users in making informed choices on property locations and pitch Kyero as a one-stop-shop expert voice in moving overseas. These were all key factors in pitching the idea to the engineering lead, marketing lead, and company founders to pull map search to the forefront of the road map.
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Spain is a key market for Kyero, however in Spain estate agents do not reveal the exact location of properties, they only share a vague area EG town or area location. This posed a large design challenge, conveying to users that the properties they were viewing were in an area, but that they were not represented by exact location pins. This was a challenge to convey via UI alone and the majority of users have experienced exact search locations from domestic searches (EG UK users searching in the UK where exact property locations are the norm).
User problem statement
Overseas property buyers often lack familiarity with local geography, making it difficult to understand where properties are located, compare areas and gauge proximity to places that matter to them. As a result, they struggle to confidently narrow down search results using a traditional list-based property index alone.
Business problem statement
As overseas property portals increasingly offered map-based search as a standard feature, Kyero’s absence of a map search created a competitive disadvantage. This increased the risk of buyer drop-off, lower search engagement and reduced perceived value of Kyero both users and for estate agents comparing portals to list with.
Research challenge
The key research challenge was to validate that map search addressed real buyer needs, specifically geographic understanding and confidence, while learning how users expected to switch between list and map views during their search journey.
Key UX Document examples - affinity mapping, user persona, user journey to map
Problem statements
Impact
Detail: what changed because of this work
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Map search became a core part of Kyero’s search experience, expanding beyond list-only results and aligning the platform with modern user expectations and delivering competition parity.
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Buyers gained geographic insights when searching overseas areas they were unfamiliar with, improving confidence in location-based decision-making and making it easier to compare areas and properties whilst widening initial search locations into neighbouring areas.
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The feature strengthened Kyero’s value proposition to estate agents by increasing perceived listing visibility and reinforcing Kyero as a modern, credible platform and the feature was a basis of a marketing campaign to agents, showing Kyero’s dedication to continuous improvement.
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My research insights and clear pitching created clear goals across product, design and engineering on the need for the map search. This helps in reducing debate and accelerating decision-making. It also helped the commercial team when selling to agents, having a clear story of user need prompting feature delivery.
Map search became a core part of Kyero’s experience, increasing user confidence when searching unfamiliar locations, with a 16% increase in properties viewed Vs non-map users.
Adding geographic context to the search meant buyers explored more areas, spending longer on the site and viewing more properties.
Introducing map search closed a major competitive gap while increasing search engagement and property views across the site.
Detail: Business and product impact
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Map search increased the depth of exploration, users spent longer on the site and viewed more property listings by comparing locations and switching between list and map views.
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Buyers naturally used map search without onboarding, a testament to the clear and predictable design, validating it as an intuitive extension of the existing search experience.
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Research and post-launch observation showed users could interpret location and proximity more confidently than with list-based results alone.
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The map search became a headline of Kyero’s agent marketing campaign, with outcomes such as the +16% increase in properties viewed by map users versus regular search users, used to show the value of the feature and reinforce Kyero’s commitment to increasing agent visibility and enquiry potential.
Approach and rationale
Research
All user research was conducted remotely with existing users recruited through Kyero’s annual buyer survey and interviewed on Zoom, and new/naive users sourced and interviewed through usertesting.com test platform.
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Following routine usability testing, prompting and observing new and existing users using the site without prompting. The follow up question of, “If you had a magic wand what would you add, change or remove from the site?” revealed 72% of users would add a map search feature.
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Exploring the context in which Kyero sits from a user perspective, researched other property portals (both domestic and international) to support understanding of users expectations around search functionality and UI. This helped define the minimum viable experience for the feature and inform expected UI for map search.
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Used lo-fi and mid-fi wireframes to quickly test layout, interaction patterns and expected site behaviours without over-investing in pixel perfect visual design. This was particularly needed to iterate a map UI which communicated property locations were by general are and not exact property pins. This helped in de-risking usability, complexity and performance concerns before development to best utilise engineering capability.
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Throughout the design and post-launch stages, I tested and refined the experience with hi-fidelity functional prototypes to identify mismatches in user expectations and the final design. As well as further refining the UI of unspecific property locations, this was impactful for testing and refining the transition between map view from search index and back again. Kyero has an older, traditionally less tech-savvy, user demographic (mainly ages 55-75) and the widescreen, minimal interface on the map search panel lead to some confusion about how to return to map view. The result was a clear, location fixed button with informative icons and action description.
Affinity mapping from moderated useability testing - site feedback
Map label development from lo-fi, through engineering constraints and user testing.
Constraints and revisions
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The UI challenge of communicating to users that properties are being listed by area and not exact location (unlike other domestic property search portals) meant designs for the map were unique and not already supported by to out-of-the-box map APIs and SDKs.
Engineering used Mapbox with custom front-end additions to achieve the required unique search UI. However, customisations were limited in their design variations so I had to balance, and test, desired hi-fi designs against achievable, deliverable front-end needs.
Frequent user testing and great communication with the two front-end engineers meant I designed, iterated, tested and finally delivered an achievable solution within the tech limitations and importantly, met user needs.
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With a limited engineering availability due to core functionality tech debt being remedied in tandem with this project delivery, in the design I focused on the core functionality first and deferred advanced features (like saved map areas or drawn search areas) for future releases.
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The original map design only updated property results when users clicked “Search this area” or added search filters, which caused confusion when areas were actually empty of results - disappointing users. After testing, I advocated for live updates on map moves, including load states and much needed property counts, so users could see real-time results whilst moving the map and applying search filters. Engineering worked on a solution which maintained fast load times, important for SEO, and usability testing showed users loved the instant, informative feedback of the new live updates.
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The biggest design challenge was that agents in Kyero’s territories do not share exact property locations. Properties were grouped by area and exact property locations were not used, the challenge in this lay in communicating through UI to users who expected functionality matching their domestic property search where exact locations are revealed. Through the design process I balanced the unspecific property locations with clear geographic context for informed decision-making.
Unreleased: Map location information feature
What we couldn’t do
Adding additional, valuable location information to the map was considered but not implemented. It was beyond engineering capacity to add deeper location and lifestyle content - but would be valuable for users who use the map to explore and dream.
Build advanced map features in the first release because of limited engineering capacity. We had to focus on core map search, with features like saved areas and drawn searches pushed out in the road map.
Showing exact property locations was not possible due to local regulations that prevented displaying precise property locations. Listings were grouped by area rather than individual pins.
Design exploration
Low-fidelity concepts
Created lo-fi wireframes to explore layout, map to index transitions, property pin representation and ways to communicate area-level (not exact) property locations. Useful for taking stakeholders on the design journey from the beginning.
Alternatives
Tested multiple approaches for dual-view integration, property counts and navigation between list/search index. The goal was to balance clarity of use for older users, matching expected behaviours whilst maintaining a clean UI.
Lo-fi to launch iteration
Incorporated stakeholder input and early usability testing to refine concepts before prototyping. Iteration continued post-launch, using live user data and feedback EG renaming “beta” to “feedback”, increasing understanding for older users.
TO DO: add in hifis across all devices.
Design exploration
Low-fidelity concepts
Created lo-fi wireframes to explore layout, map to index transitions, property pin representation and ways to communicate area-level (not exact) property locations. Useful for taking stakeholders on the design journey from the beginning.
Alternatives
Tested multiple approaches for dual-view integration, property counts and navigation between list/search index. The goal was to balance clarity of use for older users, matching expected behaviours whilst maintaining a clean UI.
Lo-fi to launch iteration
Incorporated stakeholder input and early usability testing to refine concepts before prototyping. Iteration continued post-launch, using live user data and feedback EG renaming “beta” to “feedback”, increasing understanding for older users.
Lo-fi sketches, wireframes and iteration examples
Live design
Outcomes
By adding map-based exploration to search, users felt more confident expanding beyond fixed locations, leading to broader area discovery and improved engagement.
Introducing live property counts and clearer navigation cues reduced confusion, particularly for older users, enabling intuitive adoption without onboarding or increased friction.
Post-launch analysis showed map users viewed 16% more properties per session, validating that the map search
on both user confidence and core business goals.
Further detail:
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Users unfamiliar with local areas often hesitated to expand search boundaries to include neighbouring towns when listed as a suggested area in the search index view. Providing a map view increased ease of area exploration and encouraged buyers to search for properties beyond their search locations.
Result
This insight justified the addition of map view to property search, as it expanded search location engagement and property discovery.
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Users were confused when areas appeared empty under the original “search this area” model. Real-time property counts and load states which are responsive to search filters and map movements made interactions predictable, location labels informative (with property counts) and ultimately reduced frustration.
Result
Implementing live updates directly improved usability, whilst maintaining fast load times, and increased dwell time on the site and increased the number of locations searched.
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Wide-screen map interface caused confusion for some older users (Kyero’s main demographic). A fixed, clear “list view” button and informative icons resolved navigation issues, maintaining UI expectations established by industry competition while adding new value to the Kyero search.
Result
The approach minimised learning friction, supporting adoption without alienating existing users and also ensuring that older, less tech-savvy users, were able to return to the map - reducing search abandonment and site exit risk.
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Post-launch analysis showed a +16% increase in properties viewed per session for map users versus list-only users.
Result
Validated the feature’s impact on top-line business goals, including higher property views, enquiries and increased agent satisfaction.
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In line with industry competition and user expectations, I designed the map search as a complementary view to the existing list-based search, rather than replacing it. This approach supported buyers who were unfamiliar with local geography but still relied on traditional property index lists for filtering, sorting and comparing listings.
By integrating the map alongside the index, I:
Preserved the familiar search workflow for existing users.
Added geographic context, improving confidence for overseas buyers.
Addressed a key competitive gap whilst maintaining a clear UI suited to Kyero’s older user demographic
Low-fidelity prototypes and iterative usability testing allowed me to validate interaction patterns early, ensuring the dual-view experience was discoverable, intuitive and aligned with user expectations - ultimately delivering improved UI to support business goals of more property views and enquiries.
Key re-design: Search page
UI did not match refreshed branding seen elsewhere on-site and in marketing materials; the updated branding reinforced brand values that directly appease users’ worries when looking for property abroad.
Filter behaviour not in-line with industry standard, and filters within a scroll modal meant users were not making full use of the available filters
SEO strategy required an increase in onward links on the page, which also added value for users who are “just dreaming”, encouraging them to explore alternate locations
Before
Search filters: The majority of search filters have reduced visibility on desktop, with a small scroll frame obscuring them on first look.
After
Search filters: Filters housed within a slide-in modal - bringing the design up to spec with competition, improved usability (testing confirmed this) and a spacious design in-line with the Kyero brand + UI.
On-going iteration
Mobile
Updated featured property designs, on mobile, they were in a carousel, an archive from previous versions’ design.
Analytics showed properties 2 and 3 had reduced clicks, which did not complement the business model or user experience.
Solution: Stack featured properties, removed “featured properties” title.
Desktop
Featured properties did have a prime position above the fold; however, they had a reduced level of overview detail compared to “normal” property listings.
Solution: Add these into the stack with a distinctive UI, including a featured tag, which meant there was no need for the “featured properties” title - reducing visual noise in the busy search bar.
The result of these iterations improved click-through onto featured properties, especially on mobile.
Key re-design: Property detail
Improved UI for clearer intake of top-line property information.
Clearer key property features, answering a key user worry of not knowing if a property will meet their needs. An especially pressing worry for users buying in a faraway location that requires a flight to do a property visit.
User interview and survey insights revealed a need for local area information. This was then embedded in the property page, to increase page value. Information added included expat population, schools and airport proximity.
Research
Annual market survey
What
Annual user survey, sent to existing Kyero mailing list subscribers.
Goal
Best understand our market for all department business decisions
Generate invaluable insights we can share with our agents, to further reinforce our market position as the leading expert on international buyers.
How
I project managed from start to finish, including liaising with marketing to create the identity of the email marketing, designing the survey in collaboration with other functions and preparing all translations (four languages).
Analysis + outcome
I translated and cleaned 4,800+ responses
Analysed the data to extract useable insights
Fresh user insights used for a buyer survey report and to update key UX documentation.
Tools
Figma
Trello
Usertesting.com
Confluence
Miro
Slack + gather
Projects are managed through Trello, with engineering working in sprints. I manage my own projects to ensure they’re ready for their allocated sprint.
This includes planning and executing user research programmes, completing design iterations, performing prototype testing, and ensuring that all variables and edge cases are detailed in high-fidelity engineering-ready Figma files.
Details
Details of this work, especially regarding research and concept development, have been held back to protect ongoing business interests. However, I’d be happy to share more details, including research planning, early concept development, reams of lo-fis and design rationale on request.
Please get in touch to organise a study walkthrough.