3 Space Lab/ Design System Overhaul

A multi-platform design system for VR property tours, built for a real estate tech startup shifting from architecture firms to real estate developers. Rebuilt the system mid-project to fit the new audience, cutting component variants by ~45% and reducing dev handoff time along the way.

2023-2024

Years

Principal Designer

Role

Product Strategy, UI/UX, Design Systems, Design Team Management

Scope

PROBLEM

The existing design system was built for technical architecture firms, but a go-to-market shift, landing just one week before the planned overhaul, meant it now had to serve a far less technical real estate developer audience across web, VR, and tablet.

SOLUTION

Rebuilt the design system from the ground up around clarity and familiarity for the new audience, simplifying components and interaction patterns while maintaining consistency across web, VR, and tablet, cutting component variants by ~45% and speeding up dev handoff.

  • Re-evaluated core users, goals, and mental models in light of GTM shift

  • Simplified interaction patterns to reduce cognitive load and researched top real estate management products to identify strengths and pain points

  • Reworked visual hierarchy, typography, and components for clarity, approachability, and familiarity

  • Led cross-functional alignment with leadership to ensure design supported sales strategy

  • Coordinated contractor team to execute quickly and consistently, reducing component count by ~45%

Design Strategy


We took the opportunity to introduce Figma’s (then recently released) tokens and variables to improve parity between design files and front end implementation

Rebuilt the design system to prioritize clarity, familiarity, and ease of use

Created reusable components that worked across web, VR, and tablet

Designed reusable patterns and interaction modules that supported demos, investor walkthroughs, and consensus-building, drawing from file and presentation management tools familiar to the new target user

Ensured the system could scale as the product and customer base grew through implementation of variables, tokens, etc.

Solution

Outcomes & Impact

  • Enabled successful launch aligned with the new GTM strategy

  • Improved usability and approachability for non-technical stakeholders

  • Accelerated design and development through a clearer, more flexible system

  • Supported sales and investor conversations through consistent visual language

Reduced core component variants by 45%


Standardized ~65% of interaction patterns for cross-platform use


Reduced dev handoff time by an average of ~1.5 days per release