Overview
Map&Go is a group project developed as part of an external research collaboration for Idealista, focused on exploring real behaviors in the housing search process. Using Design Thinking, we identified a common analog habit: people often photograph “For Rent” or “For Sale” signs in the street, but those images quickly get lost or forgotten.
Map&Go transforms that everyday gesture into a seamless, location-aware digital flow. Through mobile OCR and map integration, it turns street discoveries into organized, actionable opportunities, helping users manage housing leads instantly without installing a new app.
Context
The housing search has become a frustrating and fragmented experience, not only in Spain but globally. Across many cities, people face the same issues: scarce supply, rising prices, unreliable listings, and a daily sense of overwhelm.
Despite the growth of digital platforms, many still rely on word of mouth and physical “For Rent/For Sale” signs because online information often feels incomplete or untrustworthy. This leads to disorganized workflows, low confidence, and the fear of missing opportunities.
Our challenge was to understand these behaviors in depth and identify where design could meaningfully improve the experience without pretending to solve the structural housing crisis.
Methodology: Design Thinking
We chose Design Thinking because it allowed us to understand the housing search from real user needs before imagining any solution. We worked through its core phases (discover, define, ideate, prototype, and test) to move from broad exploration to a validated concept. Using qualitative and quantitative research (desk research, netnography, surveys, and interviews), we identified patterns, clarified the problem, and ensured the final direction was grounded in actual behaviors, not assumptions.
Research Insights
Our research combined multiple methods to understand how people actually search for housing today:
Desk research helped us map the broader context of affordability, regulation, and market pressures in Spain and other global cities.
Through netnography, we observed recurring emotions online (frustration, distrust, and exhaustion).
A survey with 117 respondents revealed two key patterns: most people rely on personal networks, and many still depend on physical street signs because digital platforms feel incomplete.
Interviews confirmed the same pain points: scattered information, unreliable listings, and the constant fear of missing opportunities.
To validate these findings in context, we also ran a short urban safari and a small focus group. Across all methods, one insight remained consistent: despite the rise of digital tools, physical “For Rent/For Sale” signs continue to play a key role in the housing search, yet users have no simple way to manage them.
Understanding Our Users
Before moving into ideation, it was essential to give shape and emotional depth to the people experiencing the housing search firsthand. Based on our research, we created several User Personas that reflected shared needs, frustrations, and motivations across participants. Empathy Maps helped us visualize what different users think, feel, say, and do throughout the process, while User Journeys revealed where frustration peaks, especially when dealing with scattered information and physical signs.
Defining the opportunity
Across all research methods, one pattern emerged: people constantly rely on physical “For Rent/For Sale” signs, yet have no simple way to capture, remember, or organize them. Photos get lost in the gallery, locations are forgotten, and opportunities disappear.
This revealed a clear design opportunity: connect the analog habit of noticing street signs with a digital workflow people already use every day. Instead of creating another housing app, the concept builds on familiar tools like Google Maps or Apple Maps, extending their use to turn a quick photo into a location-aware, organized and actionable opportunity.
Concept: Map&Go
Map&Go is a native mobile feature that transforms street signs into organized, location-based opportunities.
How it works
Scan the sign using the phone’s camera, just like taking a regular photo.
OCR extracts key details such as phone numbers, addresses, and any relevant text.
Google Maps or Apple Maps opens automatically with the detected location.
From there, users can do what they already do in these apps:
– save the place
– call the owner
– add notes and reminders
– check if the listing exists onlineAll of this happens natively, with no new apps, no tutorials, and no additional setup.
No extra installations. No tutorials. Using the tools you already know.
Back to Research: Validating the Idea and Iterating
Before committing to the concept, we validated whether it was truly feasible and meaningful for users. Mobile OCR proved reliable, our benchmark showed no solution covered the full flow, and a quick urban safari confirmed that physical signs are still common.
The most valuable input came from a small focus group with people actively searching for housing. They appreciated the effortless organization, the trust of using Google Maps, and the simplicity of accessing opportunities that usually go unnoticed.
The focus group also revealed a key improvement: users expected to add a note at the same moment they created a reminder. We refined the flow so both actions can happen in one place, making the interaction faster and more intuitive.
Designing the Flow
When defining the flow, we returned to our research insights: users’ motivations (clarity, control, simplicity), their frustrations (lost information, unclear locations, distrust), and their existing behaviors (taking photos, using Maps daily). These patterns shaped every design decision. The flow keeps the natural gesture (seeing a sign and taking a photo) while adding what users were missing: instant organization and real location context. Scan the sign, extract key details through OCR, open the spot in Google Maps or Apple Maps, and manage it with the tools they already know. The goal was to design around people’s reality, not force new habits.
Testing & Limitations
We conducted moderated usability testing with a high-fidelity prototype on a real mobile device. Participants completed the flow independently while we observed their actions and reactions. We tested with 15 people of different ages, nationalities, languages, and levels of digital literacy. Because the concept relied on familiar gestures, users immediately understood how to scan a sign, view it on the map, and manage the information. They valued the sense of control, the reduction of lost details, and the time saved before contacting an owner.
Even though the concept tested well, we identified limitations. Map&Go is most useful during the active search period, and its effectiveness depends on the visibility and condition of physical signs. It also cannot address structural issues such as affordability or housing supply, its impact is limited to improving the user experience within those constraints.
Next Steps
Looking ahead, we explored new ways to enhance the user experience, including custom tags for organization, public owner profiles, the ability to upload photos from the gallery, expanding the feature to broader contexts, and showing listings through augmented reality.
Impact
Beyond validating Map&Go as a useful concept, the project revealed to Idealista the untapped value of physical signage as a lead generation opportunity.
Learnings
This project reminded me that design isn’t always about ambitious solutions, but about seeing everyday gestures with new eyes. True innovation can come from simplifying what people already do and giving it meaning. Working with real users, and grounding each step in research, reinforced that Design Thinking is not a shortcut but a process built on listening, iterating, and staying close to people’s real contexts.
It also brought me back to my days studying Political Science, and to a truth I learned early on: I can’t solve structural problems like the housing crisis. But I can make a small part of that experience feel clearer, more human, and less overwhelming.
