2025 · Service Design · Web

HeritageHOME: Closing the Confidence Gap

Turning overwhelming renovation tasks into community-validated success stories.

Challenge

Heritage homeowners often lack technical background, leading to high anxiety, isolation, and paralysis when facing expensive, complex, and regulation-heavy renovation projects.

Role

Co-led research, user analysis, and interviews. Acted as sole UX designer for the final concept and delivery.

Outcome

Created a scalable Experience Archive that bridges the gap between official state regulations and the practical, human needs of homeowners.

Context

Our research focused on inexperienced homeowners who feel a deep emotional responsibility for their property’s preservation but lack the technical expertise to execute it.

While official, dry manuals exist, the user journey is currently defined by isolation. They spend endless hours searching for reliable specialists and still feel anxious, fearing that one wrong move could damage the historical value of their home.

As-Is user journey map — the current anxious, isolated renovation experience

The Shift

I introduced an experience-sharing platform where renovation journeys are documented through interviews. We moved away from “technical manuals” to “human stories.”

To-Be user journey map — a community-validated, confidence-building renovation experience

Filter options for browsing renovation stories by property type, region, and project scope

All articles page — the Experience Archive listing renovation stories

Individual renovation story article — a homeowner's documented experience

Outcome

The solution validates renovation choices through peer experiences. It transforms the renovation journey from an anxious, individual research task into a community-supported process, ensuring that historical preservation feels achievable for the modern homeowner.