This sprint turned a loose opportunity into a concrete concept, working prototypes, and a fast-tracked executive pitch.
Role
Design team lead
(2-designer team)
Timing
2 weeks
Impact
Fast-tracked executive funding pitch
Mission
Unlock new revenue streams using Novii’s existing distribution, partnerships, and brand.
Constraints
- Small delivery team
- Limited resources
- Competing initiatives under the parent company's umbrella
Key calls
- The focus area
- The core concept to move forward
- The scope and shape of the pitch
Overview and context
Novii, owned by realestate.com.au, had a strong lead-gen business. Competition was increasing, audience behaviour was shifting, and differentiation was becoming harder to maintain.
Our goal
Create a proposition that earns attention, builds trust, and gives agents somewhere new to show up.
Framing the challenge
How do we create a new space for agents and advertisers to invest in?
Our solutions
Unique suburb profiles
We shifted the lens from data to cultural stories. What’s the vibe of the neighbourhood? What does life there actually feel like? The profiles created emotional relevance instead of repeating the same real-estate clichés.
Discoverability
We propsed tools that were fun and functional. Vibe matching and suburb look-alikes turned passive curiosity into active exploration.”
Data collection as a moment
The big question: Where does the data come from? Inspired by the census, we made data collection part of the experience. A campaign moment agents, advertisers, and users would talk about.
Process breakdown
Unpacking the opportunity
In workshops, we identified Novii’s key advantages: an existing sales pipeline, domain expertise, and strong partnerships. But we also clarified the risks; keeping data fresh, maintaining novelty, and scaling beyond a single campaign.
Generating the hypothesis
Novii had an earned secret up their sleeve, many agents played the long game building personal brands, not just chasing leads. We hypothesised that offering users a way to better understand themselves by understanding their neighbourhood could create a pull that agents could capitalise on.
What we learned
Prototyping and testing confirmed it: Curiosity pulls people in. But we discovered we also needed to add practical information to appear credible. Key information like mobile reception and internet speeds became essential to earning credability and turning curiosity into return use.
Our strategic recommendations
The early indicators were clear: potential desirability was high, but now Novii needed to test where it mattered, revenue. As part of realestate.com.au, we recommended leveraging their brand and reach. The plan? Launch the campaign as a first test in the market. It would not only validate the concept but also act as a sales hook to bring in agents. You could assess revenue potential and give agents a new conversation starter.
What I’d change next time
I would have held back the executive pitch to find undeniable proof points. The early signals trended positive, but we hadn’t reached inevitability yet. Concrete revenue streams and real audience numbers would have moved this from good idea to right idea.
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Define the operational load
Quantify the ongoing effort; content refresh cycles, data sourcing, and tech overhead. -
Validate the revenue model
Put the concept in front of agents and advertisers. Test willingness to pay, not just positive sentiment. -
Stress-test with real data
Show the proposition under honest conditions. Prove it stays relevant and generates interest when it isn’t built on optimistic scenarios.
Team composition
Our team
- Experience design lead
- Visual designer
- UX designer
Novii’s team
- Founder / CEO
- CTO
- Head of Sales
- Head of Marketing
My contributions
- Developed the plan and led its execution
- Facilitated workshops and cross-functional collaboration
- Coordinated activities between teams
- Contributed concepts and provided design critique