Zillow Redesign: Simplifying the Search for Home

A usability-focused redesign of Zillow’s mobile app to simplify search, filtering, and saved listings for renters making critical housing decisions.

My role
UX Research Lead, Lead Moderator, UX Design
Course
UXDG 750, Team Willow
Methods
Secondary research, screener survey, tree testing, moderated usability testing, SUS, affinity mapping
  • Aarushi PohnerkarProduct Owner
  • Jordan McMorrisSCRUM Manager
  • Keerthi GinugaUX Design Lead
  • Navyaa TanejaUX Research Lead
  • Qi LuoData Analyst
  • Hazel DoVisual Design Lead

The story behind the study

What happens when your dream home is just one click away… but you can’t figure out how to get there?

Ava, the persona: a young woman with a backpack, waving while pulling a rolling suitcase.

Meet Ava.

A SCAD student moving to Savannah, opening Zillow to find her first rental. She wants a place that is:

  • Affordable
  • Walkable
  • Practical

Excited, Ava opens Zillow. However…

  1. “It’s hard to draw…” Ava frowning at a crumpled sheet of paper.

    She can’t figure out the draw tool.

  2. “Why are there 52 filters…?” Ava with crossed arms, surrounded by question marks, a pet and a bed icon.

    The filters are either confusing or missing.

  3. “Where are the filters I saved??” Ava from behind, staring at her phone with a house and question mark above her.

    Her saved searches seem to disappear.

Just when Ava’s rental journey hit its most frustrating point, our team stepped in to rewrite her Zillow experience.

Our Goal

To uncover usability issues with Zillow’s in-app rental experience and explore design solutions that help users search smarter, save confidently, and navigate with ease.

A Zillow rental listing card: Riverside Garden Apartments, $2,950 a month, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, rated 4.6, tagged pet-friendly, balcony and laundry.

Why Zillow?

  • Market Leader

    The platform most renters reach for first.

  • Familiar Yet Frustrating

    Everyone knows it, and many struggle with it.

  • High-Stakes Use Case

    Finding a home is a big, stressful decision.

  • Improvement Potential

    Clear, fixable gaps in search and saving.

Key Objectives

  • Evaluate if users can search intuitively
  • Assess filter clarity and trust
  • Analyze saved search & saved home flow
  • Uncover unmet user needs for first-time movers

We aimed to achieve…

  • Clarity
  • Structure
  • Simplicity
Collage of Zillow interface fragments the team examined: listing cards, filter toggles, saved search controls and the Save Search button, with Ava giving a thumbs up.

What We Thought We Knew

Four assumptions going in. Testing would prove every one of them wrong.

  • Users could easily find core features.
  • Filter design was clear and logically sound.
  • Navigation tabs were intuitive for users.
  • Zillow’s save feature met user needs.

Insights from Secondary Research

  • Confusing Architecture

    The same functions are presented in different ways, causing confusion.

  • Disconnected Maps and Lists

    The two views are not linked, making operations cumbersome.

  • Easy-to-Misuse Filters

    No undo option, hidden options, and easy to reset.

  • Abnormal Navigation Logic

    The back button does not function as expected, causing workflow disruptions.

  • Cluttered Interface

    Buttons are too densely packed, leading to frequent accidental taps.

  • Trust Issues

    There are disputes regarding fake listings and inaccurate valuations.

Time to turn insights into action. We put it to the test!

How We Recruited

Four recruitment channels: surveys, SCAD students, social media and personal connections.

Who We Recruited

Three participant criteria: actively looking for rentals, currently renting or with a lease ending soon, and familiar with Zillow or other real estate apps.

What they had in common

Behaviour Mobile-first browsing · Cross-platform searchers · Frequent Zillow users

Needs & frustrations Want fast, clear filters · Expect saved listings to sync · Confused by “Updates” vs “Saved” · Need pet-friendly, budget listings

Screener Survey

To make sure testing reflected real rental experiences, a screener survey found participants who matched Zillow’s typical renter profile, making our findings more focused, reliable and actionable.

Screener survey questions on demographics and profile: name, age range and more.
Demographics & Profile
Screener survey questions on devices and comfort: which device they use, whether Zillow is installed, and comfort with filtering, saving and sharing listings on a 1 to 5 scale.
Devices & Comfort Level
Screener survey questions on gender, location, occupation, and whether they used the Zillow app in the past six months.
Zillow Usage
Screener survey questions on what participants use Zillow for, the type of property they look for, and which filters they usually apply.
Search Patterns & Filters

Methods of Testing

  1. 01

    Tree Testing

    Observing users navigate Zillow’s information architecture.

  2. 02

    Usability Testing

    Watching users navigate Zillow on real tasks.

  3. 03

    Interviews

    One-on-one conversations with each participant.

Tree Testing

Can the app’s structure help people find things quickly? We tested with people who had never used Zillow, to remove any learned navigation habits.

Tree test Task 1: “Where would you go in the Zillow app to find the rental listings you’ve contacted?” The correct path is Saved Homes, then Contacted rentals. Result: 25% success rate.
25% found the rentals they’d contacted
Tree test Task 2: “Where would you go in the Zillow app to find your saved searches?” The correct path is Updates, then Saved Searches. Result: 0% success rate.
0% found their saved searches

Misinterpreted “Updates”. Many users expected saved content under the wrong tab.

Preferred clearer labels. Participants suggested terms like “Saved Searches” or “Favorites.”

Usability Testing

  • 7participants
  • 3tasks
  • 72%completion rate

Moderated sessions covered search behaviour, filter use and saving listings, and surfaced clear pain points in navigation, filter labels and saved searches.

View Test Script

  1. Task 1

    Explore listings using the draw tool

    • Explore homes only within two neighbourhoods.
    • Avoid listings from other areas of Savannah.

  2. Task 2

    Apply filters to search for listings

    • For rent, under $3,500/month
    • 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
    • On-site parking and A/C
    • No pool

  3. Task 3

    Save searches and homes to review later

    • Save the search for new-listing alerts.
    • Save at least one home.
    • Find the saved search and the saved home again.

Patterns & Trends

  • 6/6didn’t notice the draw tool until prompted
  • 5/6struggled with filters and suggested reorganising them
  • 5/6found the use of icons intuitive

“I thought the first boundary would disappear if I drew another one.”

“‘Updates’ sounds like notifications, not saved searches.”

“The map feels kind of daunting… I don’t know Savannah well.”

“The filters don’t feel accurate, this one says 2+ baths but it shows 1.5.”

Spreadsheets documenting usability sessions across three tasks, with a colour-coded notes grid per participant and a summary sheet of recurring observations, such as confusion over the “Updates” label and trouble finding the “no pool” filter.

61.0

System Usability Score from participants

175

qualitative data points

A large board of 175 qualitative notes captured during usability testing.

From Chaos to Clarity

Affinity map of sticky notes in four columns: Struggles, Likes, Needs and Behavior.

We grouped all 175 notes into four themes, Struggles, Likes, Needs and Behaviours, to find recurring patterns, prioritise issues and turn raw feedback into design opportunities.

Key Insights

  • Users struggle to find and manage saved homes vs. saved searches.
  • Key filters are hard to find, and exclusion options are missing.
  • Terms like “Updates” mislead users and disrupt flow.
  • Inconsistent layout causes confusion and extra navigation.

Problem Areas

  1. Saved Items Are Disorganized
  2. Filters Are Hard to Find and Inflexible
  3. Navigation Labels Are Confusing
  4. Information Architecture Is Inconsistent

How Might We…

Redesign Zillow’s saved items, filters, and navigation structure to help users easily find, organize, and control their home search experience?

Turning Pain Points into Possibilities

  1. 1

    Rethink Navigation Labels

    Rename and restructure misleading tabs.

  2. 2

    Redesign the Saved Items System

    Make saved homes and searches visual and organised.

  3. 3

    Revamp Filters

    Simplify the filter UI and add exclusion options.

Solution 1

Rethink Navigation Labels

Redesigned search screen with annotations: the “Updates” tab was removed, Saved Homes and Saved Searches were combined under one “Saved” tab, filter chips were shortened to labels like “$1.2K–3K/mo” and “2–3 bd”, and the Save Search icon was removed to simplify the call to action.

Solution 2

Redesign the Saved Items System

Redesigned Saved screen with annotations: a toggle switches between Saved Homes and Saved Searches, each saved search shows its filters as chips, saved searches moved from “Updates” to the new “Saved” tab, and listing cards got clearer price details and a more intuitive heart icon.
Redesigned Saved Searches screen with a new overflow menu: a bottom sheet with options to rename, edit, toggle notifications or delete a search.

Solution 3

Revamp Filters for Organization & Discoverability

Redesigned Filters screen with annotations: the price histogram slider is retained, and bedrooms and bathrooms switched to tap-to-select buttons.
Scrolled Filters screen with annotations: filters grouped into collapsible categories, a new Exclude section with Swimming Pool toggled on, checkboxes replaced by toggles, and the Apply button showing the number of filters selected.
Results list with annotations: an option to tag listings with labels, a repositioned heart icon for better visibility, and visible filter tags on each listing for quick reference.

Before & After

Drag each slider to compare Zillow’s current screens with our redesign.

Before: the current search results screen with map and filter chips. After: the redesigned search results screen with simplified chips and a Saved tab.
Search & navigation
Before: the current long filters screen with checkboxes. After: the redesigned filters screen with grouped, collapsible categories and toggles.
Filters
Before: saved searches listed under Updates, with long text titles. After: the Saved tab with saved searches shown as cards with filter chips.
Saved searches

Impact

The redesign delivered measurable improvements in usability, clarity, and efficiency.

  • + Navigation Clarity

    Clearer labels such as “Saved” minimized misclicks and hesitation.

  • + Task Efficiency

    Real-time tag previews and organized filters sped up search completion.

  • – Cognitive Load

    Collapsible filter sections enhanced scannability and reduced the need for excessive scrolling.

  • – Errors

    Simplified flows reduced back-and-forth actions and confusion around saved searches.

Business Model for a Smarter Rental Journey

Our Business Model Canvas focuses on Zillow’s mobile rental platform, a key segment of its wider real estate ecosystem.

Key Partnerships

  • Landlords and property managers
  • MLS and rental feed partners
  • Movers, utilities, furnishing brands
  • App store optimisation partners

Key Activities

  • Ongoing research and usability testing
  • App UI/UX development
  • Rental data feeds and listing accuracy
  • Personalised notifications

Key Resources

  • Rental listings database
  • Mobile UX and design team
  • Search behaviour analytics
  • Brand credibility

Value Propositions

  • Clear filters with exclusion options
  • Organised saved searches and homes
  • Mobile-first browsing, filtering and saving
  • Personalised alerts for new listings
  • Map discovery with custom boundaries

Customer Relationships

  • Alerts that match saved searches
  • Quick access to saved items
  • Confidence through clear filters
  • Self-service with smart defaults

Channels

  • Zillow mobile app (iOS & Android)
  • Push notifications
  • In-app tips for first-time users
  • Zillow.com and social ads

Customer Segments

  • Young adult renters (18–35)
  • Student renters, like SCAD students
  • Budget-conscious renters
  • Pet owners
  • Relocators to new cities

Cost Structure

  • App development and maintenance
  • Cloud infrastructure for listings
  • User research and testing
  • Support, moderation and marketing

Revenue Streams

  • Featured listings from landlords
  • Ads in rental search results
  • Partnerships with movers, furnishing apps and renter’s insurance

What Does the Future Hold?

  • Improve the Map Draw Tool

    for more precision and easier boundaries.

  • Compare Saved Homes

    side by side, for better decisions.

  • Onboarding & Contextual Help

    to guide first-time users.

Cross-device testing

How does behaviour differ between mobile and desktop? Are some frustrations specific to mobile UI patterns?

Accessibility & visual clarity audits

Testing against accessibility guidelines (contrast, font size, tap targets) to make the experience inclusive.

The Client Magazine

We packaged the whole study into a 32-page magazine for the client. Flip through it.

Magazine cover: Enhancing Zillow’s Mobile Rental Experience.

Front cover

Our redesign refined Zillow’s mobile rental experience by making navigation more intuitive, filters easier to use, and saved content more accessible. By aligning the interface with real user behaviours, we reduced friction, boosted task efficiency, and increased user confidence throughout the search journey.

Detailed Documents
Redesigned Zillow screens under the line “Designing an easier journey home”: a rental map, price histogram filters and saved homes.