Cindy Phan | Portfolio


A more affordable and accessible way to buy a home.

(Click for full image)


Homebuying feels almost impossible to the every day person - especially teachers in urban cities.

What if there was a new model that made it possible for teachers, schools, and investors to work together to make homebuying possible?

Landed reached out to me to design a version 2.0 of their website, requesting I help them think through strategy as well as UX design. I worked with the team on who their key audience was, what their strategic and growth goals were, and how best to develop a website that would simultaneously explain a rather complicated process while getting folks excited to sign up.



My RoleUX Designer, Strategist

Homepage Wireframes (Click for full image)

Overview of the Project

  1. Strategy:I met with the Landed team to get a download on their business model, what they've learned, and their goals. The Landed team has three main audiences - teachers (who want to buy homes), schools that want to offer this benefit, and investors.
  2. Understanding the UsersAfter speaking with the team, I developed user journeys to better understand each user’s journey with Landed. I then shared it with the team and we discussed how this would translate into a website.
  3. Website Strategy:We decided the primary goal of the website was to increase the number of requests to start a Landed program, with secondary goals of teachers being able to apply for active programs and investors requesting to invest in a fund.
  4. Wireframing & Language:Pulling from all the different discussions, I developed wireframes. Throughout this process, it was important to think through how best to articulate what Landed does, what it offers, and the benefits - which proved to be a tad difficult given how complicated the home buying process is.
  5. User Testing:After the first round of wireframes were approved, we conducted user testing interviews with 2-3 individuals from each audience group. We gathered some key insights that we then incorporated into the wireframes.
  6. Visual Design & Development:Once wireframes were completed, I handed them off to Landed’s visual designer to make beautiful and their developer to make live.

User Journeys

Landed has three distinct audiences, so we needed to think through each of their journeys with Landed. This helped us think through the various steps and assumptions we have, and which areas needed the team’s focus on the website as well as for personal contact.

Landed User Journeys (Click for full image)

 This illustrates the experience for Landed’s three key audiences - schools wants to start a Landed program, teachers wanting to buy a home, and investors.
Homepage Homebuying Calculator (Click for full image)

Provides users with break down of rent vs traditional homebuying vs homebuying with Landed


After sitting down with Landed, it became clear there were 3 main objectives - too many to have equally prominent on the website. We decided that main focus would be on creating interest in starting a Landed program - as we needed a proof of interest before teachers would be interested in signing up or investors to invest.

Home buying is a rather complicated process - adding in a new layer, even though beneficial, could be overwhelming.

We needed it to be as clear as possible why Landed provides a smarter solution to home buying, and how it fits into the traditional model. To this end, we created a simple calculator that illustrated to folks how much money could be saved with Landed.

We also created high-level yet illustrative "How it Works" guides, going through with homebuyers and investors what working with Landed looks like.

Landed How it Works Page (Click for full image)

This is a high-level walkthrough of what an individual can expect when partnering with Landed to purchase a home.
Landed How it Works Page: The Calculations (Click for full image)

At the end of the guide, there is a breakdown of what an individual can expect to gain and owe. Individuals and Landed share in the profit (or loss) of the home.
Landed Investor Page

This is a high-level overview of why someone should invest in a Landed Fund - explaing how it works and the benefits it offers.
Landed Investor Page: How it Works Section

The “How Your Investment Works” section of the Landed Investor Page.

User Testing

We conducted user testing interviews with 1-2 individuals from each of the three audiences - schools who could start a Landed program, teachers, and investors.

Some of the questions we asked:

  1. Look at the website for 20 seconds. What do you think Landed does? What questions do you have?
  2. Now go through the Landed Website. Is it easy to find the answer to your initial questions? What questions are still unanswered?
  3. What new questions do you have after going through the website?
  4. Would you be interested in Landed? Please explain.
Screen from User Testing Form

User Design & Development

After updating the wireframes, I handed it off to the Landed visual designer & developer took to make beautiful and live.