Lilac Realty

Designing clarity for a high-trust, high-emotion purchase.

Role:

Solo UX Designer, Content Strategist

Timeline:

Spring 2025

Skills:

Design Systems

Information Architecture

UX Writing

UX Research

Tools:

Placester

Canva

Overview

Challenge

Approach

Design

Lilac Realty is a residential real estate brokerage based in Charlotte, NC, supporting buyers and sellers through one of the most personal, high-stakes decisions they’ll make. As the business grew, their website needed to better support user trust and navigation, especially for clients who are relocating.

  • Lengthy navigation created cognitive overload

  • Content lacked hierarchy and clarity

  • Users struggled to quickly find services and team information

  • Information Architecture

  • UX Writing

  • Wireframing

  • Accessibility checkpoints

  • Consolidated navigation from 9 tabs to 5

  • Grouped secondary content under clearer categories

  • Designed layouts aligned with brand and user needs

  • Finalized brand guidelines

Navigation Bar Upgrade

The original navigation caused unnecessary cognitive load during a high-stakes decision process.

Solution:

  • Reduced primary navigation from 9 tabs to 5 core categories

  • Consolidated secondary pages into clearer subcategories

  • Prioritized user journey for buyers, sellers, and relocators

The simplified structure allows users to quickly understand Lilac Realty’s services and their unique market positioning, and then explore listings without feeling overwhelmed. This supports faster orientation and greater user confidence.

UX Writing Component:

  • Rewrote navigation labels to be more accurate and user-centered  Example: “Amazing Agents” -> “The Lilac Team ” to include non-agent staff

  • Defined a consistent voice and tone across navigation and landing pages: approachable, professional, community-focused

  • Crafted UX copy that balances concise intros with detailed supporting content

Results

  • Improved clarity and ease of navigation through streamlined information architecture

  • Reduced friction and reinforced new and returning user trust through thoughtful, intuitive language

  • Strengthened brand trust with a warm, informative voice

  • Enabled users to explore information more efficiently which simplified decision-making