Signal vs interpretation
An 89% bounce rate showed visible friction, but the deeper issue was interpretation: users had no clear frame for turning complex data into a personal decision.
Comfort Map
Can apartment hunting build an inclusive city?
Growth Design, UI/UX, Design System, Product Strategy
2021
LUN Misto was an urban research lab partnering with Taras Shevchenko National University and government bodies to build open-data infrastructure for the city. One product, the Comfort Map, combined 20 verified urban data layers, including noise, greenery, air quality, school access, kindergarten queues, and price dynamics.
Although the data was rigorous, users felt overwhelmed and left. Research with active apartment seekers in Kyiv revealed the problem: they expected a search tool but entered a research environment.
I facilitated a cross-functional workshop with R&D, marketing, and editorial teams to map the apartment-buying journey and define the map’s role. The key insight was that users were not overwhelmed by the data itself, but by having to interpret it without a clear starting point.
Try it here+60%
CSAT
CSAT improved from 20% to 80% after reframing the product entry model.
+17%
Conversion Rate
Conversion increased after adding personalized comfort scoring and street-level context.
+230%
Monthly Page Views
Monthly Page Views grew as the tool became easier to understand and return to.
DOU Award
Awarded best social IT initiative by Ukraine’s largest IT community for turning urban data into practical, everyday city tools.
National Accessibility & Barrier-Free Initiatives
Started national urban accessibility initiative with the First Lady Olena Zelenska, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Regional Development
KNU & Government Collaboration
Research delivered in collaboration with Taras Shevchenko National University and government bodies, which included the opening of an Urbanist faculty.
Challenges
Research and alignment
Survey work plus Projector Institute interviews with active apartment seekers in Kyiv revealed a mental-model mismatch between expected search behavior and the map experience.
Product decisions
Three decisions followed: a personalized comfort score as the entry point (with full layers still accessible), street-level search to anchor exploration around known places, and a frosted-glass UI direction to keep precision without a clinical tone.
Outcome framing
The comfort score did not simplify the data. It translated rigorous research into a personal frame users could act on while preserving credibility and depth.
Shout-out to my team!
- Alina Skalkina
- Anna Denysenko
- Serhii Muravjev
- Denys Sydilkovsky
- PRJCTR students
- Sasha Panasyuk