Home Inspection as Immersive User Experience

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The roof that protects a home is
one of the most expensive house
systems. Customer avatars can
safely learn how the inspector looks
for potential issues.
The thorough home inspector is
aware that the crawl space under
the porch or house may have clues
to the home’s condition. Customers
can join him in this tight space.
It’s important that an inspector
not harm the seller’s home in any
way, so a careful inspector comes
prepared with coveralls and shoe
protection, and parks offsite.
The home inspector looks at the
entire site as a system. Water is the
biggest enemy to a home and a
good inspector starts by assessing
all possible exterior entry points.
Jenna & Josh | Avatars
• First time homebuyers
• Nurse & Marketing Manager
• Newlyweds, no children
• Avid gamers
Joanna | Avatar
• Real Estate Agent, 5 yrs
• Married with one child
• Creates virtual home tours
• Learning Photoshop
Jim | Avatar
• Moving from apt to condo
• High School teacher
• Divorced, 2 grown sons
• Enjoys games, motorcycles
Jason | Avatar
• Real Estate Agent, 10 yrs
• Single, owns condo
• Looking for new social
marketing techniques
A WIN Home Inspection inspector’s
main role is to communicate with
homebuyers about their new home,
and how its systems work. Accurate
information is an important factor in
the success of the inspection.
Client Problem
Prospective homebuyers are often confused
about the home inspection process, and problems
found in the home can seem overwhelming. The
client, WIN Home Inspection, wanted to educate
and reassure homebuyers about the process.
User Centered Design
• Conducted qualitative interviews with stakeholders
• Defined user personas to understand user needs
• Designed scenarios based on use case analysis
• Generated sketches & prototype
• Refined business & design requirements
Solution = Experience
Interactive information system in Second Life®:
Second Life® is an immersive virtual world that’s free
and accessible. WIN can effectively educate & talk to
homebuyers in a simulated environment. Customers
can learn about home systems and experience
inspections from the inspector’s point-of-view.
Feature goals
• Interactive views of home systems including roof,
crawlspace, plumbing, furnace, windows, etc.
• Educational displays and videos
• Metric-gathering scripts to learn about the virtual
home visitors and prospective customers
• Games and prizes to encourage repeat visits
Social networking goals
• 3D Twitter feed to permit external communication
• Staging in-world events to engage visitors
• Real-time open house to network with agents
• Annual WIN Conference conducted virtually
Evaluation
• User testing and surveys
• Virtual world heuristic guidelines
• Analysis of data gathered on site with scripts
THE SEE MORE VIRTUAL HOUSE
Home Inspection as Immersive User Experience
The PersonasThe Design Process
Inspector Identity
The personas exercise was particularly
important for a virtual world project
where trust can be an issue. It’s critical
to gain the trust of potential users via
good design, and to help the client
assess how Second Life users translate
to real customers.