Overview
Spotlight Listings is a premium advertising product that boosts the visibility of real estate listings across Realtor.com. Phase 1 focused on improving the consumer-facing Search Results Page (SRP) and Map View experiences to make promoted listings stand out, drive higher engagement, and create more value for agents and sellers.
Role: Lead Designer – SRP & Map View Experience
Timeline: [Insert Date Range]
Collaboration: Product, Engineering, Research, Analytics
The Challenge
Promoted listings lacked a cohesive, premium visual identity.
Agent feedback: Design didn’t feel differentiated enough to justify investment.
Consumer feedback: Promoted listings blended in with organic results.
Competitive gap: Zillow Showcase offered richer media and stronger branding.
Research Insights
Buyers & sellers value upgraded visual media and unique listing details.
Scrolling images and premium pin treatments ranked highest in desirability.
Agents see Spotlight Listings as both a sales tool and a brand builder.
Opportunities
SRP Tile: Add carousel to increase engagement.
Map View: Improve pin visibility and ensure promoted pins are prioritized.
Keep it native: Match style of surrounding content to maintain trust.
Design Process
SRP Tile Iterations
Control: Static image tile.
V1: Manual carousel with 5 images.
V2: Auto-scroll carousel with 3 images.
Image: Side-by-side comparison of Control → V1 → V2.
Map View Iterations
Control: Standard red pins.
V1: Lightning bolt icon, black Spotlight tag, prioritized above standard pins.
Image: Before & after Map View designs.
Results
Key Metrics:
+8.6% total clicks and +7.4% unique clicks on SRP tile with auto-scroll carousel.
+30% clicks on Map View pins after redesign.
V1 carousel showed higher engagement with arrow clicks, even with lower CTR.
Image: Metrics overlaid on screenshots.