BuyAbility Vision

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I partnered with two other designers on the Affordability team to reimagine the full BuyAbility journey, from enrollment to results to goal-setting. Together we established the research, strategy, and problem/solution hypotheses across the entire experience, then each of us took ownership of one section to explore in depth:I led the enrollment reframing and explorations.

Completion Date

July 2026

The Problem

76% of BuyAbility users couldn't afford most of the homes they were browsing — and instead of leaving, they looped: re-entering data, browsing out of reach, growing anxious, losing trust.

The Challenge

As a team, we found that getting users a number wasn't the problem, most already had one. The real gap was that they didn't understand it, didn't fully trust it, and weren't confident enough to act on it. That's a fundamentally different problem than "make the calculator better," and it called for a different kind of solution across the whole journey: not a fix, but a reframe. The core message we landed on together needed to shift from "You can't buy this home" to "This home is buyable today, or becomes a plan for tomorrow." That reframe touched all three sections of the journey: enrollment, results, and goal-setting, but my focus was on where that journey begins: enrollment itself.

My Contribution

Within the team's shared vision, I led exploration on how enrollment specifically could move from a static form into something guided. I explored a spectrum of directions: 1. AI-guided conversation — triggered by a simple prompt like "Can I afford this home?" while a user is viewing a specific listing on the map. 2. Guided wizard — simplified language and a step-by-step flow so users understand why they're being asked each question and how it connects to their result, instead of filling out a blind form. 3. Hybrid AI + module — answering user questions in the moment while still producing a concrete number The belief underneath all three: the affordability space is intimidating for most people, starting from the very first question they're asked. Enrollment needed to teach the number along the way, not just collect inputs and output a verdict.

The Outcome & Solution

A team vision reframing affordability from a one-time calculator into a guided journey. This was exploration and vision work, not a shipped feature, but as a team, we shaped how the org thinks about the future of BuyAbility end to end. My piece: the enrollment reframe, gave a concrete shape to the shift from "calculator" to "guide" at the exact moment users first encounter it.

Deliverables

Research, Strategy, Exploration, Prototyping, Design Vision Work

Credits

Neesha Wadhwa, Jennifer Moore