THE ASK · DOORKNOCK · FIELD-OPS APP

95% adoption of map-based status after a sunlight problem.

95% adoption of map-based status after a sunlight problem.

95% adoption of map-based status after a sunlight problem.

Give real estate agents an at-a-glance way to see property status — delivered, needs delivery, unsuccessful — on the map. My role was sole product designer for Doorknock’s real estate field-ops app.

Give real estate agents an at-a-glance way to see property status — delivered, needs delivery, unsuccessful — on the map. My role was sole product designer for Doorknock’s real estate field-ops app.

Give real estate agents an at-a-glance way to see property status — delivered, needs delivery, unsuccessful — on the map. My role was sole product designer for Doorknock’s real estate field-ops app.

Discuss this case study

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What this case study showcases:

01 · I can test past the happy path and validate a design in the environment where it actually gets used.

02 · I can make the right trade-off: less status granularity, better field readability.

03 · I understand accessibility as real-world usability, not just a simulator result.

95%

of test participants used the map-based status system as their primary status check.

Context

The ask: make property status visible at a glance on the map.

Agents needed to quickly see whether a property was delivered, needed delivery, or was unsuccessful. The map had to work as a field tool — readable while walking, one-handed, and under outdoor light.

Problem

The three-color system passed accessibility tooling, then failed in sunlight.

My first version used three colors for three statuses. A colorblindness simulator confirmed it held up for deuteranopia and protanopia. Testing outdoors caught something the simulator couldn’t: one tester, squinting at their phone at midday, said, “I can’t tell these two apart out here.”

What I changed

I prioritised outdoor legibility over status granularity.

I prioritised outdoor legibility over status granularity.

I dropped from three colors to two — high-contrast pink and green. The status system became less information-dense, but far easier to read at a glance in the field.

I dropped from three colors to two — high-contrast pink and green. The status system became less information-dense, but far easier to read at a glance in the field.

Before · three-color system

Three statuses worked in simulation, not sunlight.

Three statuses worked in simulation, not sunlight.

Delivered

Needs delivery

Unsuccessful

The issue wasn’t color vision alone. It was glare, screen brightness at noon, and a user trying to move through the real world.

The issue wasn’t color vision alone. It was glare, screen brightness at noon, and a user trying to move through the real world.

After · two-color system

Two high-contrast statuses were easier to read outdoors.

Two high-contrast statuses were easier to read outdoors.

Needs delivery

Delivery successful

Less granularity, more confidence. The map became faster to scan when agents needed it most.

Less granularity, more confidence. The map became faster to scan when agents needed it most.

Accessibility tooling checked color vision. Outdoor testing checked the actual job environment.

Accessibility tooling checked color vision. Outdoor testing checked the actual job environment.

Before screenshot of the Doorknock outdoor status design

BEFORE · low-contrast status markers competed with the map

After screenshot of the Doorknock outdoor status design

AFTER · stronger status treatment made field decisions easier in sunlight

Why change the status treatment?

Agents were using the map outdoors, often in glare, while moving between properties. The original status options were too subtle against the map, so users had to slow down and re-check what each property meant.

What the redesign improved

The redesigned treatment made statuses easier to scan at a glance, reducing ambiguity between similar states and helping agents decide where to go next without fighting the interface.

Why change “Status” to “Sort by”?

“Status” described the data, but not the action the user was taking. “Sort by” made the control more task-led: agents understood they were choosing how to view the map results, not editing a property’s status.

95%

95%

95%

used the map-based status system as their primary way of checking property status.

used the map-based status system as their primary way of checking property status.

used the map-based status system as their primary way of checking property status.

Test participants chose the map-based status system over the old spreadsheet view, showing that the map had become the trusted working surface for field status checks.

Why I noticed this

Real-world constraints don’t show up in every tool.

Real-world constraints don’t show up in every tool.

Real-world constraints don’t show up in every tool.

Accessibility tooling checks color vision. It doesn’t check glare, screen brightness at noon, or someone trying to read a screen one-handed while holding a clipboard — the kind of real-world constraint I got used to watching for in the field, not at a desk.

For hiring managers

Curious how I’d approach a similar flow on your product?

Curious how I’d approach a similar flow on your product?

Curious how I’d approach a similar flow on your product?

This case shows the product-design judgement I’d bring to your team: test the interface in the user’s real conditions, choose clarity over unnecessary detail, and make accessibility work beyond the checklist.

This case shows the product-design judgement I’d bring to your team: test the interface in the user’s real conditions, choose clarity over unnecessary detail, and make accessibility work beyond the checklist.

Invite me to interview

Real-world accessibility

I validated the design against glare, sunlight, movement, and one-handed use — not just simulator results.

Trade-off judgement

I reduced status granularity because glanceability mattered more in the field.

CX context

My field experience helps me notice constraints that don’t appear in a desk-based review.