Handover

Virtual rental property guides

Role

Lead Designer, 2023-2025

Sector

Travel & Tourism

Handover is an application for creating interactive, virtual property tours for rental properties. I joined this startup to design the product from the ground-up, working with a very early pre-alpha and applying UX design principles to refine the user journey.

Considering the experience of the core user (a guest arriving to a rental property), I focussed heavily on the mobile experience first, to ensure that every interaction felt great in-hand, before expanding it out to a robust desktop view.

Shifting Gears in a Changing Market

During the course of development, Handover’s leadership team observed a change in attitude towards ‘affordable’ rental platforms, such as Airbnb and a decline in the general popularity of homestay accommodation. To make matters worse, many of these platforms were enacting stricter communication rules, making Handover less useful to hosts.

Our response to these factors was to redirect our attention to the up-market and boutique property rental space--a niche that is thriving in the recovering tourism market and offers hosts far more flexibility on how they manage and present their properties. This change involved a website and app redesign, creating a more elegant, refined aesthetic while maintaining the core experience that users had come to love.

Guest UI before and after the boutique niche redesign

“Hiring David was a game-changer. He brought a breath of fresh air to the project with his intuition, speed, and exceptional communication. David quickly grasped our vision, delivering outstanding work that went beyond our expectations. His dedication and efficiency were remarkable, making complex tasks seem effortless.”

Kylie Grace

Founder, Handover

Handover

Virtual rental property guides

Role

Lead Designer, 2023-2025

Sector

Travel & Tourism

Handover is an application for creating interactive, virtual property tours for rental properties. I joined this startup to design the product from the ground-up, working with a very early pre-alpha and applying UX design principles to refine the user journey.

Considering the experience of the core user (a guest arriving to a rental property), I focussed heavily on the mobile experience first, to ensure that every interaction felt great in-hand, before expanding it out to a robust desktop view.

Shifting Gears in a Changing Market

During the course of development, Handover’s leadership team observed a change in attitude towards ‘affordable’ rental platforms, such as Airbnb and a decline in the general popularity of homestay accommodation. To make matters worse, many of these platforms were enacting stricter communication rules, making Handover less useful to hosts.

Our response to these factors was to redirect our attention to the up-market and boutique property rental space--a niche that is thriving in the recovering tourism market and offers hosts far more flexibility on how they manage and present their properties. This change involved a website and app redesign, creating a more elegant, refined aesthetic while maintaining the core experience that users had come to love.

Guest UI before and after the boutique niche redesign

“Hiring David was a game-changer. He brought a breath of fresh air to the project with his intuition, speed, and exceptional communication. David quickly grasped our vision, delivering outstanding work that went beyond our expectations. His dedication and efficiency were remarkable, making complex tasks seem effortless.”

Kylie Grace

Founder, Handover

Handover

Virtual rental property guides

Role

Lead Designer, 2023-2025

Sector

Travel & Tourism

Handover is an application for creating interactive, virtual property tours for rental properties. I joined this startup to design the product from the ground-up, working with a very early pre-alpha and applying UX design principles to refine the user journey.

Considering the experience of the core user (a guest arriving to a rental property), I focussed heavily on the mobile experience first, to ensure that every interaction felt great in-hand, before expanding it out to a robust desktop view.

Shifting Gears in a Changing Market

During the course of development, Handover’s leadership team observed a change in attitude towards ‘affordable’ rental platforms, such as Airbnb and a decline in the general popularity of homestay accommodation. To make matters worse, many of these platforms were enacting stricter communication rules, making Handover less useful to hosts.

Our response to these factors was to redirect our attention to the up-market and boutique property rental space--a niche that is thriving in the recovering tourism market and offers hosts far more flexibility on how they manage and present their properties. This change involved a website and app redesign, creating a more elegant, refined aesthetic while maintaining the core experience that users had come to love.

Guest UI before and after the boutique niche redesign

“Hiring David was a game-changer. He brought a breath of fresh air to the project with his intuition, speed, and exceptional communication. David quickly grasped our vision, delivering outstanding work that went beyond our expectations. His dedication and efficiency were remarkable, making complex tasks seem effortless.”

Kylie Grace

Founder, Handover