Cost Segregation App

Sep 15, 2023

Context

We were approached by a cost segregation firm to redesign the application that their analysts use to perform cost segregation studies. Cost segregation is like taking a closer look at a big bill you got for building or buying a house or a business. Instead of paying taxes on the whole amount all at once, cost segregation helps you break down the bill into smaller parts.

Think of it like this: Imagine you order a big pizza with lots of different toppings. Instead of paying for the entire pizza in one go, you can separate the cost of each topping. That way, you can decide how much you want to pay for the cheese, the pepperoni, the mushrooms, and so on.

This app helps the analysts to complete their cost segregation studies through a host of features that help in them count and assess the assets of a given property.


Problem

Analysts found the app clunky and it typically took them several months to learn to use efficiently.

Additionally the visual design was dated and there was a desire to add a desktop version of the product for analysts conducting cost segregation studies remotely.


Research

Heuristic Markup

We sat down with some analysts and some members of the company’s management team and performed a Heuristic Markup of their app. This means we took screenshots of all the different screens and notated what was impeding the app’s ease-of-use in their existing UI design.

Heuristic Markup Outcome

Our design team was able to generate a long list of updates and changes that needed to be made to the project’s existing user interface.


Observational Study/Qualitative Interview

Our design team arranged a date so that we could go to our client’s office and observe one of their analysts complete a cost segregation study. This allowed us to see how the app was actually being used by the analysts.

Once the study was completed we also conducted a qualitative interview with the analyst to ask probing questions about the app and identify possible problems and necessary new features.


Observational Study Outcome

This study helped our team to understand what features were working well and should be preserved.

This also helped us to find features that needed to be added to the project, for example, a more detailed calculation history that analysts could reference when double-checking their own work.


Our Design

Once our research was completed our team entered the design phase. Because this was a large project, we split the app into sections and assigned each member of the team a section to own. We met with all project stakeholders once a week to complete a design review and get their feedback throughout the process.

iPad Designs
Desktop Designs

Project Reflection

Because we were able to involve so many stakeholders throughout the entire process, our team was able to create a stunning design that also met the client's needs. 

Even the small amount of resources that we invested into research throughout this project had a major impact on helping our team to fully understand the problems that needed to be solved through our redesign.