Genuine Real Estate — trust with measurable impact

Otodom is Poland’s leading real estate platform, simplifying and securing property transactions, inspiring real estate agents and developers, and serving as the meeting point for homes and people.

Satisfaction

Engagement

Lead Rate

Staff Product Designer

As Staff Product Designer, I led the mobile app redesign from discovery to launch, co-defining the migration strategy to Flutter together with engineering. I designed an AI-based flow that automatically extracts key property data from descriptions, extended the Nexus design system to cover native mobile patterns, and partnered with product and marketing on the relaunch and onboarding experience.

OLX Group

2023 — 2024

Real Estate

Context

Otodom serves over 6 million customers each month, and nearly 43% use the mobile app as their primary touchpoint.

More context

Despite this, the app had not received major feature updates for more than five years. It still performed reasonably well on Google Play, with a 4.5 rating, but the iOS rating dropped to around 3.0, which was a clear signal that the experience was no longer aligned with expectations on that platform.

Under the surface, the product was constrained by aging technology and an outdated design system. Nexus, the in-house design system, was created with responsive web design in mind. It did not support native mobile patterns, gestures, or mobile-specific components. On top of that, years of underinvestment led to significant tech debt and frequent bugs that often required backend support to resolve.

My challenge was to modernise the mobile app, unify the experience across iOS and Android, and unlock growth in engagement and leads, while introducing Flutter as a new cross-platform framework and keeping a heavily used product stable.

Objectives

To keep the work focused and measurable, we aligned on four primary objectives.

Increase leads and daily active users (DAU)

Aim for at least a 6% increase in leads generated from the mobile app.

Unify the iOS and Android experience

Bring both platforms closer together through an updated Nexus system that supports native mobile patterns.

Introduce new functionality

Close the gap between mobile web and app, covering at least 60% of the mobile web feature set.

Ensure GDPR compliance

Strengthen privacy and consent handling to protect user data and reinforce trust.

*without breaking a heavily used product.

Research and analysis

We started from what we already knew. Previous research and audits provided a strong foundation.

Top user needs

People valued reliability, a comprehensive listing, and the ability to search by precise location.

Strengths

Users consistently appreciated the wide range of properties available on Otodom.

Areas for improvement

The most significant gaps were in search filters, map options, access to the latest offers, and the ease of contacting sellers and agents from mobile devices.

Data analysis

Tracking on mobile was limited. There was little visibility into how people used location-based search, map interactions, and advanced filters, making it hard to prioritise improvements confidently.

Technological context

Years of underinvestment created tech debt, slowing development. Maintenance was difficult, and many bugs required backend intervention instead of simple UI fixes.

We drew on several existing studies, including: Competitive Factors by Agata Arkabuz, OLX, May 2023; Otodom App, Primary desk research by Monika Janta, OLX, July 2022; UX Review by Joana Garido, OLX, May 2023

Top 3 priorities

From these studies and internal analysis, I distilled three core priorities for the redesign.



Make location-based search and maps the primary way to explore properties.



Simplify filters so people can quickly narrow down to a realistic shortlist.



Reduce friction in contacting agents, especially on mobile.

Design and prototyping

Exploration

Competitive analysis

I conducted an in-depth review of key competitors, including Idealista, Zillow, and nieruchomosci online. The goal was not to copy patterns, but to understand what had become table stakes for real estate apps in terms of map behaviour, filters, listing density, and trust signals.

Platform and system alignment

Otodom operates as part of a larger OLX ecosystem alongside other customer units such as Goods, Jobs, and Motors. I aligned the new mobile experience with existing platform principles and the Nexus design system, then identified where mobile needed specific extensions.

This meant:

reviewing existing pattern libraries across customer units
defining which elements could be reused
identifying gaps where new mobile-specific components were required

Prototyping

Once the direction was clear, I moved into prototyping and created flows and interactive prototypes that covered:

onboarding and home
search, map, and filters
property details
contact and messaging with agents and sellers

At this stage, I also designed an AI-supported workflow that automatically extracted key property attributes from long-form descriptions. The goal was to improve listing quality and search precision without placing an extra burden on agents.

Validation

A/B testing

Using Laquesis, our in-house experimentation tool, we ran A/B tests on key changes, including the map-first entry and updated listing cards. This helped confirm which variations drove better conversion and engagement.

Design critiques

I regularly shared work with designers across the Real Estate area. These critiques helped ensure consistency with other surfaces and prepared the ground for future feature work on the new foundations.

Customer feedback

As part of the product trio, we gathered feedback from high-intent users using tools like Maze for card sorting, surveys, and mockup tests, and Shakebugs for direct, contextual feedback inside the app.

Key design decisions

Map first as the default entry point

The app now opens on a combined map and list view. This reflects how people actually search in dense urban areas, where location and micro area differences matter more than long lists of cards.

Progressive filtering in a bottom sheet

Filters were reorganised into a bottom sheet and grouped logically. The most impactful filters appear first, and advanced options are accessible without overwhelming the main interface.

Richer listings with clear signals

Listing cards were redesigned to show key information upfront, including price per square meter and essential attributes, along with a clear path to contact. This reduces the need to open every detail screen to understand whether a property is relevant.

More substantial agent presence and communication

Agents now have clearer profiles, including working hours and relevant information, and can be contacted more easily. Communication is designed to be more structured and reliable, rather than feeling like a black box.

AI-assisted data extraction

For new and updated listings, the app can pre-fill key property fields by analysing the description. This reduces manual work for agents and helps keep data more consistent, thereby improving search and filtering.

Outcome

Together, these activities demonstrated that users found the new navigation and map behavior more intuitive, the redesigned filters alleviated frustration and facilitated reaching a relevant shortlist, and the enhanced agent profiles and contact flows fostered a sense of transparency and trustworthiness.

The solution

Whether someone is buying, selling, or renting, the redesigned Otodom app aims to make the process more transparent and less overwhelming.

A map first home screen that combines spatial exploration with an accessible list view.

Clean, progressive filters that support both quick searches and more complex scenarios.

Bottom sheets to keep interactions close to the content without losing context.

Listing cards that highlight the most important decision-making information

More substantial agent presence and more efficient communication for buyers and sellers.

Partnership and implementation

Flutter is a new foundation

Flutter was introduced as the new framework for mobile apps. I worked closely with engineering to translate key UX patterns into Flutter-friendly components, ensure the new Nexus mobile components could be implemented efficiently, and balance scope between redesign goals and realistic delivery constraints.

GDPR and privacy

I partnered with legal to review how the app handled consent, tracking, and user data. We updated flows and copies where needed to ensure compliance with GDPR and to communicate what is tracked and why clearly. This was important both for regulatory reasons and as a trust signal in a high-stakes category like real estate.

Relaunch and onboarding

With product and marketing, I helped shape the relaunch and onboarding strategy of positioning the new app as the best way to browse and compare properties and leveraging the relaunch to move more traffic from mobile web into the app and designing an onboarding experience that highlights the most valuable features without feeling heavy or promotionalollaborated with marketing to create an engaging onboarding experience, leveraging the relaunch to establish mobile as a key acquisition channel.

Cultural adaptation

Otodom operates across multiple markets with different languages and expectations. I worked with content writers and translators to keep the language natural, inclusive, and culturally appropriate while maintaining consistent patterns and flows.

Results

The relaunch of the redesigned mobile app delivered measurable improvements against the core objectives.



0% increase in user satisfaction

Users responded positively to the updated interface and flows. Qualitative feedback highlighted clarity, ease of use, and a more modern feel.



0% higher engagement

People spent more time interacting with the app, used filters and map features more actively, and explored more listings per session.



0% increase in lead conversations started on mobile

The combination of clearer listings and smoother contact flows led to a significant rise in conversations initiated through the app.

Final thoughts and impact

I led the redesign of Otodom’s mobile app, turning it from a neglected side channel into a modern, trusted, and measurable product.

Along the way, I proved I can untangle complex marketplace problems, work across systems and tech stacks (including Flutter and a design system), use AI to improve the experience, and move the needle on satisfaction, engagement, and leads.

A century of tradition — redesigned for the digital age
Warta

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