AppFolio Property Manager: Providing Transaction Details for Owners

Company

AppFolio

Team

Team of 1 PM, 1 designer, 3 software engineers, and 1 QA engineer

My Role

Interaction Designer

Timeline

November 2023 — April 2024

Tools

Figma

The Challenge

AppFolio, a leading platform for property management, empowers property managers to efficiently oversee their properties. As part of its suite, the Owner Portal allows property owners to access crucial insights into their properties. Recognizing the need for real-time transaction visibility, our team embarked on a journey to enhance this experience.

Defining the Problem

Feedback Analysis

In response to user feedback indicating a desire for more detailed transaction information, we conducted in-depth analysis of user feedback collected between September and November 2023. This revealed recurring themes highlighting the necessity for enhanced transaction visibility.

Discovery Calls

Engaging with both property managers and owners through six discovery calls provided valuable insights into user needs and preferences. These discussions illuminated the following key goals for our project:

Owners sought detailed transaction insights throughout the month, akin to end-of-month owner statements.
Owners desired clarity on available funds per property to make informed financial decisions.
Property managers required flexibility in tailoring information visibility for different owners.

Ideation

Mapping Relationships

Among our team, we meticulously mapped the relationships among bills, payments, and line items within the AppFolio system. Recognizing owners' preference for property-specific financial analysis, we designed a solution to group transactions by property, ensuring relevance and clarity.

We also explored the similarities and distinctions between the Transactions page and the existing Owner Statement report routinely distributed by property managers to owners at month-end. The consensus underscored our commitment to aligning the numerical data with that presented in the Owner Statement. Simultaneously, we aimed to enhance the Transactions page by offering a deeper level of detail and accessibility, enabling owners to select specific properties and timeframes for analysis.

Iterating Through Solutions

I started with a few sketches to visualize our vision for the new portal. The early ideas closely resembled the Owner Statement with more elaborated interactions that enable details viewing and filters. I reviewed the sketches regularly with my team to discuss ideas and open questions. This process helped us identify and prioritize the most important functionalities of this page.

After several renditions, we settled on 2 to-be-validated variants for the detailed Transactions page: one with a combined section detailing all types of transactions and one with separate sections for different types. At the time, we were not sure which version matched users' mental model more

In the separate variant, transaction types are broken down into 3 main sections: disbursement & contribution (owners' money coming in and out of the properties), unpaid bills, and income & expenses.

In the combined variant, unpaid bills are displayed in a greyed-out section on top, similar to pending transactions in banking apps. The idea here is to help owners picture everything in accordance with the running balance and connect that to the future.

Validation

In order to validate our approach and compare the two variants, we conducted five consultation sessions with property owners to assess the prototype iterations. Our primary objectives included determining:

The preference for either variant among users.
Whether the level of detail incorporated instilled confidence in users regarding their financial oversight.
The coherence and effectiveness of the language employed in our approach.

We had users walk through each variant, in alternating orders between participants, and ask questions to gauge users' thoughts throughout the process. These sessions helped us figure out the following preferences and expectations from users:

Most users preferred the combined table for the connected info and running balance. However, unpaid bills is generally perceived as a separate total, as they are concerned about upcoming charges.
Bill attachments would be a valuable addition for payment entries.
Owners would like to tie the transactions to their owner statement, so things have to match the statements closely.

Final Design

Incorporating user feedback from the validation process, we arrived at the final design for the new Transactions page:

Filters

Property and date filters enable users to view a holistic overview or drill down into specific properties and timeframes.

By filtering by property or date, users can specifically focus on smaller areas.

Summary

The Summary section provides a snapshot of net property funds, aiding quick financial assessments.

The Summary includes totals from transaction types, leading up to a current net property fund, letting owners know the available amount on their properties.

Each line item label in the Summary table triggers a tooltip explainer upon hovering to help owners better understand how these numbers are calculated.

Unpaid Bills

This section gives owners the total of bills that will be due soon, which helps them figure out whether they need to contribute more money to the properties needing to pay bills.

Transactions

Finally, the Transactions table offers detailed income, expense, contribution, and distribution entries, alongside bill attachments for enhanced transparency.

The running balance gives owners a quick and easy way to follow along the transactions and be assured that the ending amount is accurate.
Expense entries also come with bill attachments that provide extra details.

Implementation & Takeaways

The feature is set for release in Q2 2024, aiming to streamline owner-manager communication and empower owners with real-time financial insights.

Throughout this process, we encountered various challenges in aligning the Transactions page with the long-existing Owner Statement, encompassing technical intricacies and usability concerns. In addressing these obstacles, we learned valuable insights to inform future endeavors, including::

Continuously leveraging discovery processes to validate assumptions and fortify insights through user feedback.
Ensuring the development of scalable features that seamlessly integrate with the broader AppFolio ecosystem.
Recognizing the significance of including both property managers and owners in discovery research. As primary clients of AppFolio, property managers may possess distinct needs that necessitate consideration during research phases to avoid oversight.