Putting Rental Tools in a Landlord's Pocket
Apartments.com, Rental Tools
Design Lead
The problem
Independent landlords don't always manage their properties from behind a desk. Responding to prospective renters, checking payments, updating listings, and tracking expenses often happen between work, family, and everything else.
Apartments.com already provided the tools to manage these responsibilities, but the experience was primarily built for the web.
Bringing Rental Tools to iOS presented an opportunity to make property management more accessible. The challenge was translating a feature-rich platform into a native mobile experience without carrying over the complexity of its desktop counterpart.
My role
Design lead on a cross-functional team with product and iOS engineering. I owned the end-to-end user experience across 28 flows, including information architecture and interaction design.
The Reframe
The obvious approach was to take the existing web experience and make it fit on an iPhone. But a smaller screen doesn't necessarily call for a smaller version of the same product.
I reframed the challenge around how independent landlords actually use their phones: completing quick tasks, responding to activity, and accessing important information without navigating through an entire platform. That shift informed the navigation, workflow structure, and interaction patterns throughout the app.
What Changed
Prioritize tasks, not features.
Rather than organizing the experience around the existing web navigation, I established four primary destinations: Dashboard, Listings, Payments, and Messages. The dashboard brings important activity and tasks requiring attention to the forefront, while a secondary menu provides access to the remaining tools.
This kept everyday actions within reach without sacrificing the broader functionality of Rental Tools.
Break complex workflows into smaller decisions.
Many existing workflows were designed for desktop, where lengthy forms and dense information are easier to accommodate. For mobile, I introduced more focused interactions that allow users to complete one task at a time.
Setting up rent payments became a guided sequence for selecting a property, identifying a renter, and establishing payment details. Listing management followed a similar approach, separating property information, amenities, and media into dedicated screens. The functionality remained, but the experience became easier to navigate.
Let the device do some of the work.
Rather than relying entirely on manual entry, I looked for opportunities to take advantage of the iPhone's capabilities. Users could begin creating a listing by capturing a property photo and using address detection to help populate information. Expense tracking incorporated receipt photography to simplify record-keeping. These interactions helped make the mobile experience more than a portable version of the website.
Build a native experience, not a web adaptation.
Instead of adapting the existing web components, I developed a new design system grounded in Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. Native navigation patterns, typography, sheets, and controls provided a familiar foundation, while Apartments.com's visual identity maintained consistency with the broader product. The system supported approximately 250 screens, establishing reusable patterns that could scale across the app.
Design for more than the ideal scenario.
Empty states, errors, confirmations, and search interactions were considered alongside the primary workflows. This ensured users had clear guidance whether they were setting up their first property, managing existing information, or encountering an issue.
Create a foundation for AI-assisted development.
The engineering team incorporated Claude Code into its development workflow, using screenshots of the designs to guide implementation within the existing codebase.
A consistent design system helped make this approach possible. By relying on reusable components and familiar iOS patterns, the designs provided a more predictable foundation for translating interfaces into working code. This highlighted an additional benefit of systematic design: supporting faster, more consistent implementation as development workflows evolve.
Outcomes
A New Approach to Design and Development
This project introduced a first-of-its-kind approach to design and development within our team. By combining a native iOS design system with AI-assisted development using Claude Code, we explored a new way of translating designs into working code without relying on traditional, specification-heavy handoffs. My work spanned 28 user flows and approximately 250 screens, establishing a consistent design foundation for the Rental Tools iOS experience.
While I wasn't able to see the project through to completion after accepting a new opportunity outside Apartments.com, I left behind a comprehensive set of designs and reusable components to support continued development. Although I didn't get to see the finished product, the project was an opportunity to help introduce a different way of working and explore how design systems could play a larger role in AI-assisted product development.
Check out Apartments.com Rental Manager!
What It Unlocks
This project reinforced the importance of designing systems, not just individual screens.
By establishing a consistent design foundation, we created an opportunity to rethink how designers and developers work together. Rather than relying solely on traditional handoffs, we explored how reusable components, native design patterns, and AI-assisted development could help bridge the gap between design and implementation.
While this approach was still evolving when I left the project, it changed how I think about design systems and their role in product development. They're not just about maintaining consistency. They can also help teams work more efficiently, reduce ambiguity, and bring ideas to life with less friction.
Putting Rental Tools in a Landlord's Pocket
Apartments.com, Rental Tools
Design Lead
The problem
Independent landlords don't always manage their properties from behind a desk. Responding to prospective renters, checking payments, updating listings, and tracking expenses often happen between work, family, and everything else.
Apartments.com already provided the tools to manage these responsibilities, but the experience was primarily built for the web.
Bringing Rental Tools to iOS presented an opportunity to make property management more accessible. The challenge was translating a feature-rich platform into a native mobile experience without carrying over the complexity of its desktop counterpart.
My role
Design lead on a cross-functional team with product and iOS engineering. I owned the end-to-end user experience across 28 flows, including information architecture and interaction design.
The Reframe
The obvious approach was to take the existing web experience and make it fit on an iPhone. But a smaller screen doesn't necessarily call for a smaller version of the same product.
I reframed the challenge around how independent landlords actually use their phones: completing quick tasks, responding to activity, and accessing important information without navigating through an entire platform. That shift informed the navigation, workflow structure, and interaction patterns throughout the app.
What Changed
Prioritize tasks, not features.
Rather than organizing the experience around the existing web navigation, I established four primary destinations: Dashboard, Listings, Payments, and Messages. The dashboard brings important activity and tasks requiring attention to the forefront, while a secondary menu provides access to the remaining tools.
This kept everyday actions within reach without sacrificing the broader functionality of Rental Tools.
Break complex workflows into smaller decisions.
Many existing workflows were designed for desktop, where lengthy forms and dense information are easier to accommodate. For mobile, I introduced more focused interactions that allow users to complete one task at a time.
Setting up rent payments became a guided sequence for selecting a property, identifying a renter, and establishing payment details. Listing management followed a similar approach, separating property information, amenities, and media into dedicated screens. The functionality remained, but the experience became easier to navigate.
Let the device do some of the work.
Rather than relying entirely on manual entry, I looked for opportunities to take advantage of the iPhone's capabilities. Users could begin creating a listing by capturing a property photo and using address detection to help populate information. Expense tracking incorporated receipt photography to simplify recordkeeping. These interactions helped make the mobile experience more than a portable version of the website.
Build a native experience, not a web adaptation.
Instead of adapting the existing web components, I developed a new design system grounded in Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. Native navigation patterns, typography, sheets, and controls provided a familiar foundation, while Apartments.com's visual identity maintained consistency with the broader product. The system supported approximately 250 screens, establishing reusable patterns that could scale across the app.
Design for more than the ideal scenario.
Empty states, errors, confirmations, and search interactions were considered alongside the primary workflows. This ensured users had clear guidance whether they were setting up their first property, managing existing information, or encountering an issue.
Create a foundation for AI-assisted development.
The engineering team incorporated Claude Code into its development workflow, using screenshots of the designs to guide implementation within the existing codebase.
A consistent design system helped make this approach possible. By relying on reusable components and familiar iOS patterns, the designs provided a more predictable foundation for translating interfaces into working code. This highlighted an additional benefit of systematic design: supporting faster, more consistent implementation as development workflows evolve.
Outcomes
A New Approach to Design and Development
This project introduced a first-of-its-kind approach to design and development within our team. By combining a native iOS design system with AI-assisted development using Claude Code, we explored a new way of translating designs into working code without relying on traditional, specification-heavy handoffs. My work spanned 28 user flows and approximately 250 screens, establishing a consistent design foundation for the Rental Tools iOS experience.
While I wasn't able to see the project through to completion after accepting a new opportunity outside Apartments.com, I left behind a comprehensive set of designs and reusable components to support continued development. Although I didn't get to see the finished product, the project was an opportunity to help introduce a different way of working and explore how design systems could play a larger role in AI-assisted product development.
Check out Apartments.com Rental Manager!
What It Unlocks
The biggest opportunity wasn't simply making Rental Tools available on another device. It was creating a foundation for how the platform could continue evolving on mobile.
\By simplifying complex workflows and establishing a consistent native design system, the experience could grow without requiring every new feature to be designed from scratch. It also demonstrated how a well-structured design system could support emerging AI-assisted development practices, creating a more direct connection between design intent and implementation.
Putting Rental Tools in a Landlord's Pocket (Finally)
Apartments.com, Rental Tools
Design Lead
The problem
Independent landlords don't always manage their properties from behind a desk. Responding to prospective renters, checking payments, updating listings, and tracking expenses often happen between work, family, and everything else.
Apartments.com already provided the tools to manage these responsibilities, but the experience was primarily built for the web.
Bringing Rental Tools to iOS presented an opportunity to make property management more accessible. The challenge was translating a feature-rich platform into a native mobile experience without carrying over the complexity of its desktop counterpart.
My role
Design lead on a cross-functional team with product and iOS engineering. I owned the end-to-end user experience across 28 flows, including information architecture and interaction design.
The Reframe
The obvious approach was to take the existing web experience and make it fit on an iPhone. But a smaller screen doesn't necessarily call for a smaller version of the same product.
I reframed the challenge around how independent landlords actually use their phones: completing quick tasks, responding to activity, and accessing important information without navigating through an entire platform. That shift informed the navigation, workflow structure, and interaction patterns throughout the app.
What Changed
Prioritize tasks, not features.
Rather than organizing the experience around the existing web navigation, I established four primary destinations: Dashboard, Listings, Payments, and Messages. The dashboard brings important activity and tasks requiring attention to the forefront, while a secondary menu provides access to the remaining tools.
This kept everyday actions within reach without sacrificing the broader functionality of Rental Tools.
Break complex workflows into smaller decisions.
Many existing workflows were designed for desktop, where lengthy forms and dense information are easier to accommodate. For mobile, I introduced more focused interactions that allow users to complete one task at a time.
Setting up rent payments became a guided sequence for selecting a property, identifying a renter, and establishing payment details. Listing management followed a similar approach, separating property information, amenities, and media into dedicated screens. The functionality remained, but the experience became easier to navigate.
Let the device do some of the work.
Rather than relying entirely on manual entry, I looked for opportunities to take advantage of the iPhone's capabilities. Users could begin creating a listing by capturing a property photo and using address detection to help populate information. Expense tracking incorporated receipt photography to simplify recordkeeping. These interactions helped make the mobile experience more than a portable version of the website.
Build a native experience, not a web adaptation.
Instead of adapting the existing web components, I developed a new design system grounded in Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. Native navigation patterns, typography, sheets, and controls provided a familiar foundation, while Apartments.com's visual identity maintained consistency with the broader product. The system supported approximately 250 screens, establishing reusable patterns that could scale across the app.
Design for more than the ideal scenario.
Empty states, errors, confirmations, and search interactions were considered alongside the primary workflows. This ensured users had clear guidance whether they were setting up their first property, managing existing information, or encountering an issue.
Create a foundation for AI-assisted development.
The engineering team incorporated Claude Code into its development workflow, using screenshots of the designs to guide implementation within the existing codebase.
A consistent design system helped make this approach possible. By relying on reusable components and familiar iOS patterns, the designs provided a more predictable foundation for translating interfaces into working code. This highlighted an additional benefit of systematic design: supporting faster, more consistent implementation as development workflows evolve.
Outcomes
A New Approach to Design and Development
This project introduced a first-of-its-kind approach to design and development within our team. By combining a native iOS design system with AI-assisted development using Claude Code, we explored a new way of translating designs into working code without relying on traditional, specification-heavy handoffs. My work spanned 28 user flows and approximately 250 screens, establishing a consistent design foundation for the Rental Tools iOS experience.
While I wasn't able to see the project through to completion after accepting a new opportunity outside Apartments.com, I left behind a comprehensive set of designs and reusable components to support continued development. Although I didn't get to see the finished product, the project was an opportunity to help introduce a different way of working and explore how design systems could play a larger role in AI-assisted product development.
Check out Apartments.com Rental Manager!
What It Unlocks
The biggest opportunity wasn't simply making Rental Tools available on another device. It was creating a foundation for how the platform could continue evolving on mobile.
By simplifying complex workflows and establishing a consistent native design system, the experience could grow without requiring every new feature to be designed from scratch. It also demonstrated how a well-structured design system could support emerging AI-assisted development practices, creating a more direct connection between design intent and implementation.