EPOCH
Democratizing real state through crypto
Role
Design Lead
Skills
UI Design UX Design Illustration Marketing Protyping
Team
Myself (Design Lead) 2 Cofunders 1 Lead Developer 1 Marketing Lead
Period
2021 2 months
The Brief
What was the problem?
Investing in real estate has traditionally been reserved for those with significant financial resources, leaving many potential investors excluded. Additionally, the complexity of crypto-based platforms often intimidates first-time users, creating a barrier to entry for those unfamiliar with blockchain technology.
What was the ultimate goal?
EPOCH aimed to democratize real estate investment by creating a platform that allows anyone, regardless of economic status, to invest in real estate projects using cryptocurrency. The goal was to design an intuitive MVP that simplifies the investment process, builds trust through transparency, and communicates complex concepts (like fractional ownership) in an engaging and accessible way.
Challenges & Solutions
My Design Process
Tools & Methods
Competitive Analysis Assumption-Based Design Iterative Design Process
Software
Sketch (then figma) Zeplin Adobe
Platform
Web iOS Native app
01. Discovery
Understanding EPOCH
In this phase, I worked closely with EPOCH’s founder, Matthew Stubbs, to bring the vision and value proposition of their startup to life. With limited data and no budget for user testing, we focused on defining the core idea of democratizing real estate investment through crypto. To achieve this, I employed tools like the Value Proposition Canvas to map out customer jobs, pains, and gains, ensuring the MVP aligned with user needs and business goals.
Additionally, I created low-fidelity prototypes to quickly explore ideas and communicate how the platform could function before moving into visual design. These prototypes helped us iterate rapidly and clarify the platform’s structure and functionality with stakeholders.
02. Concept & Design
Building the Brand
This phase involved creating EPOCH’s brand identity and designing its core interfaces:
• Created a modern, approachable brand identity that conveyed trust and innovation through clean typography, a calming color palette, and engaging illustrations.
• Designed wireframes for the MVP & Landing page, focusing on intuitive navigation and clear calls-to-action for first-time investors.
• Created animations and illustrations to simplify complex concepts like fractional ownership and crypto-based investments.
03. Validation
Prototyping and Alignment
This phase focused on validating the design with EPOCH’s founders and aligning with key stakeholders to ensure the prototypes effectively communicated the platform’s vision and functionality. The goal was to create a prototype that was “good enough” to demonstrate the core idea, processes, and user flows, such as how users could buy tokens, sell them, and track investments.
Key deliverables included:
1. A functional prototype showcasing the app’s main processes (e.g., token transactions).
2. A homepage design that introduced EPOCH’s mission, team, goals, and explained concepts like EPOCH tokens.
3. Collaboration with the marketing lead to create visuals for social media campaigns that aligned with the brand identity and effectively communicated EPOCH’s value proposition.