ℹ️ Some details were omitted or changed for brevity and confidentiality.
About
Stagio is a web application that provides digital staging for residential property images, enhancing their appeal to potential buyers by generating realistic furniture and decor using artificial intelligence.
Client
The client operated in an up-and-coming market and, as an early-stage startup, was already profitable. With low competition and steady growth, they aimed to differentiate themselves and establish a strong foothold in the market.
Task
Within a week, the task was to evaluate the application and provide recommendations for improvement.
Team
A one-person team: Usability Consultant—Me.
Assumptions
The client did not present any research findings but provided the following:
"You are designing for a 50 year old real estate agent from USA who often uses ChatGPT but has trouble navigating complex interfaces".
Accordingly, it would be logical to assume that the application's main demographic consists of non-power users who are somewhat tech-savvy. They emphasize face-to-face interactions, and phone negotiations are a typical part of their workday. Moreover, they have likely spent many years in this profession and, as a result, maintaining a good reputation is crucial. Assumptions related to age could include poor vision and degenerative joints.
Heuristics
What suited the client's budget and expectations best was using 🔗Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics for evaluation. For brevity and confidentiality, detailed results are not included here but some appear in the following sections.
Design
Stagio, arguably, looked decent overall. No, it was not as stunning as 🔗Linear, but it did not need to be—at least not at this early stage of its existence. Ensuring its usability and consistency was far more important.
Stagio exhibited several obvious inconsistencies in copywriting and visual and interaction design. At times, the iconography appeared unrepresentative. Notably, there was a heavy reliance on modal-based interactions, all of which could have been easily avoided because:
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The workflow was simple.
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The required user input was never critical.
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Same options were available in both modal and non-modal views.
Competition
In addition to the client-provided competitor names, browsing through 🔗TopAI.tools revealed many similar applications. Filtering through this large number and testing them firsthand, revealed only nine would be considered direct competition.
Strengths
Stagio was arguably the simplest, quickest, and produced the best results among its competitors. Unlike Stagio, most rivals required users to sign up and did not offer a free trial. Additionally, their interfaces were cluttered and dated.
While Stagio's pricing plans were straightforward, competitors used obscure credit systems. Backed by a world-class research institute and a team with reputable backgrounds, Stagio would likely evoke the most trust. Rivals did not even provide contact information.
Weaknesses
Stagio's feature set noticeably lagged behind the competition. It also failed to provide hints and tips within page elements and lacked feedback during loading states, with no option to cancel ongoing operations. Also, it accepted any uploaded image, regardless of its relevance—or lack thereof—to housing.
Opportunities
One competitor's application allowed selecting multiple 'room types' (e.g., 'living room' and 'kitchen') for a single image, accommodating open-plan layouts. This feature was missing from Stagio. Another opportunity could be to attract non-realtors, enabling them to visualize their dream home setups.
Threats
Applications in this domain looked visually identical, with generic branding—Stagio was no exception. Stagio struggled with weak marketing, while competitors excelled in this area. Skepticism around AI and looming regulations threatened the entire market segment. Despite its efficiency, AI staging lacks much of the customization offered by traditional digital staging.
Conclusion
Operating in a niche market with a promising future, Stagio could capitalize by taking the following measures:
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Apply recommendations from the heuristic evaluation, particularly removing all modal-based interactions.
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Increase investment in branding and marketing.
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Use a ready-made UI kit.
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If hiring a full-time designer isn't feasible, consider freelance options.
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Document and maintain customer feedback.