Develop the digital experience of the Barnes International real estate network
Context
BARNES International is a high-end real estate network operating in several countries, which relies on a mixed model combining integrated and franchised agencies.
With the growth of the network and its international development, digital challenges were becoming more complex. The needs of clients, employees, agencies and partners were evolving, whilst usage and expectations could vary from one market to another.
At the same time, the development of the international website ran into a technical deadlock linked to the existing architecture, which limited its capacity to evolve and sustainably support the network's growth. A migration had to be undertaken within a tight timeframe of 3 to 6 months, requiring the rapid securing of key structural decisions and business continuity.
Beyond this technical deadline, BARNES International wanted to take a step back regarding its digital environment as a whole: to understand the needs of the various users, identify the features and journeys to be evolved, and define priorities for the next steps. The challenge was therefore twofold: to quickly resolve a blocking technical situation, while laying the foundations for a digital evolution consistent with the needs of clients, employees, and the international network.
What has been done
The mission was structured around two complementary phases: securing the short-term technical transition and then structuring longer-term digital developments.
Within a very tight migration timeframe, the support provided helped to frame and secure the transition to a new architecture. The work focused in particular on:
- the clarification of the key UX choices
- the definition and prioritisation of essential features
- the identification of red flags relating to the migration
- the coordination of the various stakeholders involved in its implementation
- monitoring of the decisions required to keep to the schedule.
The objective was to enable the network to rapidly acquire a stabilised and scalable digital foundation, without losing sight of future needs.
A second phase allowed the reflection to be broadened beyond the international site alone. The analysis focused on the journeys and functionalities expected by the various users, particularly clients, employees, branch managers and partners.
Qualitative interviews with branch managers and clients made it possible to test the hypotheses against actual usage, highlight pain points and better understand the operational needs of local teams. This analysis helped identify priority developments in terms of user journeys, features, content and digital services.
The insights from this approach were then consolidated into a digital roadmap, making it possible to prioritise developments and provide a clear trajectory for upcoming projects.
The objective was not just to define what the site should become, but to clarify how the digital ecosystem could better meet users' needs and support the development of the international network.
Result
The mission enabled BARNES International to break out of a blocking technical situation within the allotted timeframe and to establish a stabilised digital foundation to pursue the development of the network. Beyond the migration, the work made it possible to put the needs of the various users - clients, employees, agencies and partners - into perspective and translate them into concrete areas for development. A prioritised digital roadmap was thus defined to guide future developments, with a clearer vision of the journeys, functionalities and services to be evolved.
BARNES International thus has a structured roadmap for evolving its digital environment, balancing technical challenges, business needs and user experience.
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