Photographer
Profiles
by
ROLE
TIMELINE
PROJECT STACK
SKILLS
UX Design
UX Research
June - Sep 2023
Figma
Figjam
UX/UI Design
Prototyping
OUTCOMES
⚡ Improved Trust Markers
📈 Increase Client Retention
❤️ Created True Value
Project Overview
INSPIRATION
Strengthening trust between agents and photographers in Zillow’s Listing Media Services.
Listing Media Services (LMS) allows real estate clients to book photographers for their property listings. Prior research showed that although clients generally trust that Zillow photographers are trained and capable, limited visibility into who was assigned to come photograph their listing weakened confidence and rapport.
Agents use LMS services to book photographers and create listings for their properties.
Photographers capture photos of properties to create home tours and listings.
At the same time, photographers lacked a structured way to showcase their work, receive recognition, or understand how they were performing. This project explored how photographer profiles could increase trust, differentiate Zillow from competitors, and better support both agents and photographers.
PROBLEM
A lack of transparency between agents and photographers reduced confidence and long-term engagement.
Agents only receive a photographer’s name and email
No systematic way for clients to provide feedback
Limited visibility into a photographer’s experience or work
Missed opportunity to build trust and long term loyalty
SOLUTION PREVIEW
How might we help agents build confidence in their assigned photographer while empowering photographers to showcase their work and expertise?
The concept of adding a profile feature within Zillow’s 3D Home app was proposed. This would allow agents to learn more about their assigned photographer while empowering photographers to showcase their work and build a professional presence.
Profiles include:
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A short “About” section
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Verification status
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Photography specialties
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Portfolio albums
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Compliments and achievements badges (non-competitive)
OUTCOMES
Improved Trust Markers
⚡ Portfolio identified as the #1 trust signal
Increase Client Retention
📈 Projected improvement in photographer retention
Created True Value
❤️ 100% of participants valued having a profile
That's the overview!
Continue reading for the full process
DISCOVERY PHASE
Review Prior Research
When I joined the project, I began by reviewing prior user research conducted earlier in 2023, which identified what agents cared most about when working with LMS photographers.
Based on findings from the initial user research, the Rich Media Experiences team developed the idea to design and implement a profile feature in their 3D Home app for LMS photographers. The following displays information that agents care to know about a photographer:
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"About me" section
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Reviews
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Years of experience
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Portfolio containing previous work
Findings collected by UXR in March 2023
Conceptual design for profile created by senior designer
The vision was that photographer profiles would be a fun yet practical way to deliver this information to agents. They can learn more about their assigned photographer and thus feel more confident about the media they’ll receive.
In addition to supporting agents, it will also empower photographers by giving them an opportunity to gain recognition for their work and build a reputation for themselves.
Competitive Analysis
As I kicked off my project, I knew that I needed direction before I could start designing. In addition to studying the prior user research, I created a thorough competitive analysis document. This helped me discover what’s already in the market and pull inspo and ideas.
Competitive analysis chart of applications with profile or business pages detailing pros and cons of various elements and features.
I came up with a list of both direct and indirect competitors, such as Uber and Homejab, who have profile features in their products. From there, I dissected their functionalities and features into a pros and cons list to identify what I felt did a good job of displaying a user’s expertise and fostering trust between client and consumer.
Key Findings
Profiles often highlight reviews, ratings, and achievements
Verified credentials increase trust
Customization helps humanize service providers
Risks Identified
Profiles often highlight reviews, ratings, and achievements
Verified credentials increase trust
Customization helps humanize service providers
DEFINE PHASE
Brainstorming Ideas
To align on direction, I led a feature brainstorming session with designers. We evaluated ideas, discussed trade-offs, and prioritized features collaboratively.
Feature/Information hierarchy ideation diagrams.
FigJam brainstorm session listing feature ideas and voting with stickers.
One feature that appealed to the majority of us was implementing a portfolio section, where photographers can choose to display previous media they’ve taken on their profile. After this collaboration, I had a clear path to get started with my design explorations.
DESIGN PHASE
Lo-Fidelity Wireframing
Feature Introduction & Creation Flow
I began by designing how photographers would be notified to create a profile and move through setup. Because the app is a primary work tool, the flow avoids forcing action at busy moments.
A “Finish later” option preserves user control, while a short, multi-screen setup keeps the process quick and low-friction. Photographers can return to edit their profile at any time.
Profile Information Hierarchy
Early explorations emphasized numeric indicators of experience (e.g., number of shoots, years of experience, reviews) as primary signals for agents.
I also introduced a portfolio section, My Listings, that allows photographers to curate and display their best work. To complement this, I designed a compliments and achievements section that offers positive recognition beyond traditional reviews.
Profile-Settings Feature
I designed a profile settings area for secondary, behind-the-scenes functionality such as password management and third-person profile viewing.
Most notably, I included a private ratings and reviews page, visible only to photographers, where they can track performance and milestones. This space was intended to be motivating and informative without introducing public comparison.
USER TESTING
Conducting Interviews
I conducted 1:1 interviews with 4 Zillow photographers across the U.S. to test usability and concept fit. I created a prototype and research study plan containing tasks for photographers to complete. Link to my research plan.
Key Insights
These insights directly shaped the next iteration.
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Strong enthusiasm for having a profile
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Profile setup felt intuitive and easy
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Portfolio was the most valuable section
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Public ratings raised concerns around competition
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Portfolio should appear higher in the hierarchy
Hi-Fidelity Wireframing
Based on research and feedback, I made several key changes. The goal was to balance trust-building for agents with psychological safety for photographers.
Before
After
Updated pop-up modal to the more up to date slide-in modal.
Before
After
Reordered sections and verification moved to top.
Before
After
Neutralized compliments and removed written reviews from public to reduce risk of comparison.
Before
After
Updated settings page to 3D Home's native components.
As I wrapped up my hi-fi designs, I sought out feedback from my manager and peers. I shared some designs in the weekly design critique. At this point, most of the feedback pointed to changes such as:
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Color changes
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Update some iconography
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Touch up spacing
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Making it look live 🤩📱
FINAL DELIVERY
Design Walkthrough
As we begin the walkthrough, imagine you are a photographer working at Zillow!
Here you land, after opening up the 3D home app, you notice a new update that allows you to set up a photographer profile. You're excited and start right away, adding all the requested information.
Edit my profile (ex. Change bio)
Profile set up flow.
Yay you've created your profile, but oops! You realize that you made a mistake in your bio, and seamlessly navigate to the edit profile page where you can make changes to your profile picture, header, name, pronouns, and bio.
You have some spare time and decide to customize your profile further by adding photography specialties, and create your own portfolio albums with previous media you've captured. You start to feel empowered knowing this information will be shared with future agents.
Add specialties and create portfolio album.
Profile settings and extra features.
You explore the app some more and notice profile settings. This is where you can navigate to view your profile, lifetime ratings, agent reviews, as well as view the profile as a 3rd person, and share it with others!
Overtime, you've earned yourself some compliments and achievements which agents will be able to see as well!
Profile with compliments & achievements.
REFLECTION
What I Learned...
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Better prototyping and visual design techniques
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Knowing how to conduct research as a designer is super important.
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Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
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Keep all users’ best interests at the forefront, don't have a bias.
