Sentom Real Estate

UX Consulting for a Luxury Real Estate Agency
Designs by Anastasia Kokashinskaya

Consulted on the UX of a mobile-first real estate platform for Israeli buyers, helping resolve major UX and cultural misalignments between Israeli stakeholders and a Belarusian dev team. Resulted in a more intuitive, responsive, and locally resonant experience.

Overview

The client needed an intuitive property search experience that reflected Israeli user expectations while coordinating with a non-Israeli development team. We faced several UX and collaboration challenges:

  • Aligning cultural expectations between Israeli stakeholders and a Belarusian development team
  • Designing responsive interfaces tailored primarily for mobile users
  • Implementing effective Hebrew localization for right-to-left (RTL) interfaces
UX

Personas

The project focused on two main user groups:

  • Luxury property buyers, seeking high-end, curated listings
  • Real estate developers, aiming to promote exclusive properties through a polished digital experience

David

Buyer

I’m not interested in seeing everything on the market—only exceptional properties.

Background

  • 42, lives in Herzliya Pituach
  • Partner at investment firm with high income

Needs

  • Easy mobile browsing
  • Premium listing photos and specs

Motivations

  • Seeking modern beachfront property
  • Values privacy, exclusivity, and premium amenities

Concerns

  • Too few premium listings
  • Hard to judge luxury online

Shira

Seller

My clients expect perfection. I need a platform that conveys exclusivity and sophistication.

Background

  • 38, based in Tel Aviv
  • 12 years as a luxury real estate agent

Needs

  • Private view scheduling
  • Curated property portfolios

Motivations

  • Attract luxury buyers with appropriate budgets
  • Maintain exclusivity for high-profile listings

Concerns

  • Irrelevant inquiries
  • Too few serious buyers

My Role

Finding Problems and Suggesting Solutions

I collaborated with an Israeli product and project manager and a Belarusian UI/design/dev team. My role involved:

  • Leading UX evaluations and recommending improvements
  • Bridging cultural and UX gaps between stakeholders and developers
  • Aligning design outcomes with user needs and Israeli UX standards

From Concept to Production

With the foundational challenges identified, the next phase focused on refining the product through design evaluation and iteration.

Early Design Evaluation

We explored alternative designs for key interface components, balancing the needs of different user types. The chosen direction prioritized an accessible search experience for returning users, while still incorporating marketing elements and social proof to support new user engagement.

Iterative Enhancements

Ongoing iterations focused on usability, visual cohesion, and cross-device performance. Mobile responsiveness was prioritized to meet client requirements, and visual consistency across site sections was improved to minimize discrepancies between evolving design versions.

Designing for Cultural Context

Adapting the product for a Hebrew-speaking audience required careful cultural adjustments. I translated abstract client concerns into concrete design actions—refining typography, fixing layout mirroring, and ensuring the final Hebrew version matched the tone and structure of the English original.

Quality Assurance

Thorough QA was conducted on each version, focusing on functionality, responsiveness, and language accuracy. Particular care was taken to test cross-browser behavior and RTL layout integrity in Hebrew, ensuring a consistent and professional experience across all platforms.

Key Takeaways

  • Multidisciplinary teams: Not everyone brings UX sensitivity — QA and feedback loops are vital to maintain fidelity to the design vision.
  • International teams: Time zones and holidays limited meetings, but enabled long productive development blocks.
  • Cultural differences: These affect not only the design output (fonts, spacing, copy tone), but also how teams communicate and handle feedback cycles.