Redesign project for the Houzz app - UX-HCI project at Carnegie Mellon.

1. User Experience Improvement
CARNEGIE MELLON | UX-HCI | MAY 20, 2017 | PATRICE HALL

2. Summary: User Experience Improvement
The main goal for users of
the Houzz app is browsing
home inspiration, but the
home experience in the app
has become bloated and
impersonal with too many
choices and multiple
navigation styles.
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL

3. Houzz SWOT
STRENGTHS
- Brand awareness in home renovation niche
- Strong audience & pro network
- Large product selection & merchant
relationships
- Revenue streams from design pros,
merchants, service pros
WEAKNESSES
- bloated experience
- too many options
OPPORTUNITIES
- Build designer ability to merchandise
- Use AI to make better recommendations
- Sell selection data to merchants
- Global growth
THREATS
- Shopping competitors like Amazon, Rise
- Competitive networks for pro designers like
Pinterest, etc.
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL

4. User Feedback
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL
“I used to love Houzz… Now I am daunted by the sheer volume of
pictures available for even the most detailed description….”
“The new layout is difficult to navigate… Every time I return to the
first page I have to start over from the beginning (I don't like
swiping from within because I don't want to see every story-I like to
pick and choose from the teasers).”
“They removed the ability to hide the annoying swaying price tags
when browsing photos”
HKREMER
ITUNES
MAY 16, 2017
KSWL2
HOUZZ FORUM
JAN. 25, 2014
TRISHIDEAS,
HOUZZ FORUM,
JAN. 15, 2016

5. Houzz Heuristic Evaluation
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL
Visibility of system status - generally visible.
Match between system and real world - mostly matching.
User control and freedom - Users have to go through a
series of quizzes to customize feed. Feed doesn’t learn as
user makes choices.
Consistency and standards - Houzz button seems like a
home button but isn’t interactive. Navigation isn’t always
consistent.
Error prevention - Guidance and icons prevent errors.
Recognition rather than recall - Combination of icons and
text make it clear both for first time and experienced users.
Flexibility and efficiency of use - Flexible, but navigation is
too complex..
Aesthetic and minimalist design - Home page is cluttered.
Does not match with user’s core goal of inspiration.
Help users recognize, diagnose, recover from errors -
Errors are rare and easy to correct.
Help and documentation - Help is available by phone/web.
100%
66%
33%
0%

6. Key Improvements
HOME SCREEN AESTHETIC SIMPLIFICATION
Feature inspirational content, reducing clutter.
GOAL-CENTERED FOR USER INSPIRATION
Allow users to achieve goal of inspiration by learning from
user’s saved images instead of lengthy up-front quiz.
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL

7. Information Architecture - current
HOME
IDEABOOKSCAMERA SKETCHSEARCH YOUR HOUZZ YOUR CART PHOTOS SHOP FIND A PRO LATEST
PROFILE
FEED
Take
photo
Access
photos
Add 3d
products
Take
photo
Access
photos
samples
canvases
account
camera
sketch
Add
ideabook
View
indiv.
ideabook
Edit cart
checkout
Help - call
Your
Wishlist
Wish list
Photos
Products
Ideabooks
Find pros
Stories
Ads
Filter
View
indiv.
photo
Next
Save
Share
Edit
Learn
More
Sale cate-
gories
Product
cate-
gories
Buying
guides
Daily
sales
Recom-
mended
products
Search
location
Service
categorie
s
Stories
Advice
Houzz TV
News-
letters

8. Information Architecture - proposed
HOME
Search
MY CARTSHOP FIND A PRO LEARNMY HOUZZ
Camera:
Take
photo
Access
photos
Sam-
ples
Can-
vases
My accountMy Ideabooks
Sketch &
Create
Add idea-
book
View indiv.
Ideabk.
Edit cart
checkout
Help - call
Your
Wishlist
Wish list
Filter
Photos & ads
Next
Save
Share
Edit
Learn
More
Sale cate-
gories
Product
cate-
gories
Buying
guides
Daily
sales
Recom-
mended
products
Search
location
Service
categories
Stories
Advice
Houzz TV
News-
letters
GET INSPIRED
(PHOTOS)
Open a
sketch
New Sketch
Add 3d
products
View indiv.
My Cart
Fewer choices on homepage
create a more focused, less
cluttered experience.

9. Wireframes: personal feed & ideabooks
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL
Home w/photo feed
My Houzz /
Ideabooks Ideabook Image from ideabook
Select “My Houzz”
Home w/photo feed -
shows similar image
Select
“save &
see more”
Home w/photo feed -
shows different image
Select
“dislike”
or delete
a tag

10. Design: new home screen
CARNEGIE MELLON SILICON VALLEY | UX-HCI | PATRICE HALL
IMPROVEMENT SUMMARY
● Simplified Home screen with a
minimalist, photo-focused layout
● Personalized feed to aid user goal of
inspiration
● User can control feed by selecting
“Save & more like this” in bottom right
of each image.
BEFORE AFTER