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SkyTrade RWA/DePIN Mobil App
Air Rights Marketplace

My Role

Lead Product Designer - Product Owner

Client

SkyTrade

Teammates

Founders, CTO, Engineers, Blockchain Developers, Marketers

Responsibilities

Plan and Own Product, Defend product design strategy, Research, Product UX UI Design , Problem Solving

01. Overview

SkyTrade revolutionizes how property owners and investors capitalize on air rights—the legal right to use and control the space above buildings and land. The app enables users to seamlessly claim, trade, buy, rent, and sell their air rights while also interacting with decentralized drone networks for enhanced navigation and monetization opportunities. Our challenge was to design and launch the SkyTrade MobilApp, a user-friendly platform that democratizes airspace management, integrates blockchain technology, and facilitates decentralized airspace trading.

02. Problem Statement

How do you create an app that simplifies a niche concept like air rights, integrates blockchain-powered transactions, and provides a seamless user experience? We faced challenges in simplifying the complex concept of air rights, integrating blockchain transactions, and delivering an intuitive experience for diverse users. Educating users, building trust in blockchain, and creating a seamless, scalable platform with features for a variety of user segments. These issues hindered the ability to provide a smooth, efficient onboarding process while ensuring the app could grow and adapt to user needs over time.

03. Process & Experience

Goals

My goal was to design an intuitive app that caters to different user targets while remaining easy to navigate. It aimed to educate users about air rights and their value, enable seamless registration, claiming, and monetization of these rights, and integrate blockchain technology for secure transactions. The app also provides tools for evaluating the value of air rights and tracking nearby drones through a radar feature. Each user segment has access to tailored features, ensuring that the app remains comprehensive and accessible for everyone, regardless of their background or experience. Ultimately, the goal was to deliver a frictionless experience that would drive user adoption, simplify airspace management, and support long-term growth.

Understanding the Business challenge

The business challenge for the SkyTrade MobilApp was to build trust in the emerging market of air rights trading while ensuring transparency and scalability as user adoption grew. We needed to educate users on air rights and blockchain technology, create a seamless onboarding process, and offer valuable features to diverse user segments. Additionally, the app had to be monetizable, balancing advanced features with ease of use to drive user engagement and long-term revenue growth.

Product Challenge

The product challenges included integrating blockchain for transparent and secure transactions without overwhelming users, as well as educating users on air rights and blockchain technology. Another challenge was designing an intuitive UI/UX to support all features, ensuring ease of use for a diverse user base. Additionally, the app had to be scalable, capable of evolving as user needs grew and new features were added.

Quantitative / Qualitative Research and Analysis

Both quantitative and qualitative research were crucial in shaping the platform’s development. The global market for air rights is estimated to be worth up to $30 trillion, with New York City alone having air rights valued at $550 billion, underscoring the vast opportunity in this sector. Interviews and surveys with property owners, real estate brokers, drone operators, and municipalities revealed key pain points around the lack of a public marketplace for air rights and the complexity of managing them. Users expressed the need for easy-to-use tools to estimate the value of airspace and facilitate secure transactions. These insights guided the design of the platform’s features ensuring the app met the needs of a diverse user base while promoting transparency and efficient marketplace operations.

General Observations

Research revealed several key insights that shaped our platform’s development. Many property owners, initially unaware of their air rights' value, became interested in monetization through drone usage and development. The prevalence of unauthorized drone flights underscored the need for a platform to facilitate proper rental agreements. Real estate brokers saw air rights as valuable investments, highlighting the need for valuation and transaction tools. Municipalities also showed interest in using air rights for urban planning, like in NYC. These findings helped tailor our platform to meet diverse user needs and address market challenges.

Competitor analysis

Our competitor analysis revealed no direct competitors in the air rights market. While traditional real estate platforms focus on property transactions, they don’t support air rights tokenization. Blockchain platforms in the RWA and DePIN sectors offer secure transactions but lack solutions for air rights trading. We stand out by combining real estate and blockchain expertise, positioning us as leaders in this emerging market. Leveraging this insight, we created an all-in-one platform with multiple features for a large user segment, providing a seamless experience for property owners, real estate brokers, drone operators, and other key stakeholders.

User Needs

Property owners need clear, accessible information on what air rights are and how they can benefit from them. <br> Property owners need simple tools to claim and manage their airspace, including tracking usage and potential income. Property owners need seamless ways to monetize their airspace, including leasing or selling rights to drone operators or developers. Homeowners need real-time tracking and reporting of airspace usage to understand the value of their airspace for data-driven decisions. Users need trust in secure, transparent transactions, particularly when dealing with tokenized air rights and blockchain-based payments. All users need straightforward and seamless transaction processes for renting, buying, or selling air rights with minimal friction. Drone operators need real-time tracking and reporting of airspace usage, ensuring they comply with legal boundaries and agreements. Drone operators need an easy way to rent airspace, make payments, and track usage in real-time. Users need tools to assess the value of airspace based on various factors like location, demand, and potential usage. Real estate brokers need tools to buy, sell, and trade air rights, integrated with data for valuation and forecasting. Municipalities need tools to assess and manage air rights for city planning and zoning, along with regulatory tools to ensure compliance. All users need an intuitive and easy-to-navigate platform that consolidates various air rights features in one place. Users need a platform that grows with the market, easily integrating new features and expanding to accommodate increasing demand.

User Personas, User Journey and Flow Charts

I developed user personas, flow charts, and sketches to understand the goals, pain points, and behaviors of key user segments, including homeowners, brokers, drone operators, traders, and municipalities. These visualizations helped design an intuitive platform for all users, regardless of their familiarity with blockchain or air rights. Flow charts mapped out user journeys, while early sketches refined the layout and features. This process ensured a seamless, engaging experience that addressed the needs of all users.

04. The Solution

I worked closely with the team to align on the product design strategy and ensure the technical feasibility of our solution. By collaborating with stakeholders, we identified key pain points and developed a clear action plan. To ensure an intuitive user experience for SkyTrade’s diverse user base, I focused on designing a simple, yet robust interface. I prioritized seamless navigation, with clear pathways for users to easily claim, manage, and track their airspace. The interface includes both dark and light mode options, enhancing accessibility and ensuring a comfortable user experience across various lighting conditions.

I streamlined the onboarding process with Web3Auth for easy and quick registration, allowing users to start claiming air rights and accessing their portfolios within minutes. The airspace portfolio allowed users to view, manage, and monitor their assets, while a user-friendly wallet integration ensured easy funding and withdrawal, enabling smooth transactions within the app. To further simplify user interactions, I introduced advanced filtering options, allowing users to quickly search and sort through airspaces based on key criteria like location, size, and market value.

A key aspect of the design was making it as easy as possible for users to interact with the marketplace. I designed simple workflows for users to rent, sell, and participate in auctions, allowing them to monetize their airspace with minimal effort. To facilitate the auction process, we developed a whitelist and gradually invited more users over time, continuously refining the system based on feedback. The referral program added a gamification element, encouraging users to invite others and earn rewards not only for sharing the platform but also for actively engaging with it—whether by claiming, renting, or selling airspace. I also integrated educational, valuation, and tracking tools to help users understand the value of their airspace and make informed decisions.

The final solution combines intuitive navigation, efficient onboarding, advanced filtering options, and powerful features, creating a seamless experience for all user segments. While SkyTrade was primarily designed as a mobile app, it is also available as a web app, ensuring accessibility across different devices and user preferences. Throughout the project, I worked in sync with the team to ensure that the design was scalable and could evolve with the growing needs of the platform. Using Jira for sprint planning and task management, we maintained focus on both business goals and user experience, ensuring that the final product would be both functional and user-friendly. The result is a well-rounded, easy-to-use mobile and web app that simplifies the process of trading air rights while offering a unique, secure, and transparent marketplace for property owners and drone operators.

05. Outcome & Iteration

The product resulted in a successful launch of the SkyTrade app, designed to simplify the process of claiming, managing, and trading airspace. The app features a sleek and intuitive user interface, offering both dark and light mode options to enhance user experience and accessibility. With seamless onboarding through Web3Auth, we allowed users to start claiming air rights within minutes. The wallet integration also enabled smoother transactions, leading to a 20% increase in transaction volume within the first months. The referral program drove a 25% increase in new user sign-ups, while educational tools led to a 30% boost in user engagement and a 20% increase in informed decisions around renting and selling airspace.

As of early 2024, SkyTrade has tokenized 7,000 airspaces, with a total value of $35 million, validating market demand. The auction house feature, launched with a whitelist strategy, grew the user base by 40% over two months. By continuously iterating based on user feedback, we saw a 35% increase in platform transactions in the first quarter post-launch. Looking ahead, we plan to further drive monetization through a paid subscription plan, which will provide access to premium features like advanced airspace valuation tools and exclusive marketplace opportunities. With more features in development, the app's ability to generate revenue and scale in the growing air rights market continues to show strong promise.

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