Summary
Join Sean Fitzell (User Research Manager), Sarah Han (Sr User Researcher), and Kayla Farrell (Sr User Researcher) as they walk through the process of creating effective and actionable job maps that are used to educate, align, and inspire.
Key Insights
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Real estate agents operate in multiple complex mental contexts simultaneously, requiring segmented focus in research.
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The 'triple D' challenges—duplicated efforts, disjointed workflows, and distance from users—emerge strongly in fast-scaling organizations.
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Mapping jobs instead of journeys helps surface user needs independent of specific product solutions, enabling broader organizational alignment.
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A shared taxonomy of scenes, jobs, and tasks improves clarity in conversations around user behavior and helps prevent conflating actions.
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Aggregating disparate research artifacts created over years demands iterative synthesis and considerable stakeholder engagement.
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Creating a 'single source of truth' jobs map reduces anecdotal bias from different stakeholders and domains.
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Focused research on the seller side revealed more opportunities for Compass to support agents, adjusting prior emphasis on buyers.
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Ongoing maintenance of user research artifacts requires dedicated time, manual review, and broad socialization, even without automation.
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Aligning product teams around holistic workflows rather than feature silos fosters better prioritization and cohesive user experiences.
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Future directions include layering personas and emotional journey maps on top of jobs maps for a richer understanding of agent and client needs.
Notable Quotes
"The product team and product organization are not real estate agents and we don’t speak the same language."
"The triple D challenges are duplicated efforts, disjointed workflows, and distance from users."
"One workflow might touch five different product areas, but for the customer it feels like one disjointed experience."
"We didn’t have a single source of truth for what it looked like; it was like blind men describing an elephant."
"We chose to map jobs and not journeys because we wanted to surface agents’ day-to-day jobs and needs, not just product use."
"Agents have very consistent jobs that need to be done, but depending on the agent, not all jobs may apply."
"Scenes are the stable context or why jobs need to be done; jobs are what needs to get done; tasks are how it’s done."
"This jobs map is a living artifact that we will continue to update and add layers to as we learn more."
"With this structure in place, the next phase should be faster because the organization is aligned on the framework."
"If we empower agents to do their best work, they will bring in the best clients and grow their business."
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