Pro Referral mobile app
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
Pro Referral is Home Depot’s digital marketplace that connects licensed professional (“pros”) with homeowner (“leads”).
The Pro Referral mobile app is a lead gen tool for pros to receive and reply to leads, message customers, and manage jobs. Our task was to boost engagement and brand loyalty for the most active pros.
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/introa.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
On the old app, we noticed a lot of churn from the app at certain stages of a job.
This is because we lost visibility of a job once a pro contacted a lead, which means we couldn't:
😐 know if a job was done
😐 measure pro performance
😐 drive product loyalty, retention, and in-store spend
😐 improve lead quality
😐 identify pain points in the app
😐 reward high performers
😐 connect leads with relevant, responsible pros
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/confusiona.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/visibilitya.png)
Thanks to our stellar in-house researcher, we had some key insights from pros who used the app to gather and manage leads and jobs:
😬 Confusing IA, can’t find things
😬 Low awareness of features
😬 Various usability issues
😬 Not perceived as pro-friendly
😬 Job statuses and timer don’t align with pro’s mental model
😬 Unclear and inconsistent copy
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
To be successful, I created a content design framework based on this question:
How can content design help pros manage jobs from start to finish,
in a way that speaks to them,
while aligning copy across product, brand, and our team?
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
The previous IA separated leads from jobs, which confused pros.
Also, the update job status link was hard to find.
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/labels2a.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
I talked to pros to understand how they think about their work, going from a lead to a finished job, then I:
✅ Simplified job lifecycle to match pro’s mental model
✅ Paired each backend match status to a pro-facing job status label
✅ Tested the new job status labels
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/model2.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
Creating a labeling hierarchy and better UX created clear steps to help pros manage their jobs.
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/screensa.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
The term “New leads” conveyed zero urgency to follow up with the customer, who was waiting for a reply and a bid. To solve for this, I wrote the timestamp logic to clarify when a lead arrives and expires. They utilized both absolute and relative time for different scenarios.
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/timestampa.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/timestampsa.png)
Even though pros were competing with each other on leads, our research uncovered that pros have a lot of pride – they do not see themselves as the “beggar” in the relationship with the customer, but, rather the “chooser.”
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
To write the UI copy, I did more research, talked to subject matter experts, and created a comprehensive messaging strategy.
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/onboardinga.png)
New app onboarding flow
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
Finally, I created an HTML style guide for Pro Referral with the goal of empowering my team members with UX copy that:
✏️ is reusable, scalable, and transferable
✏️ reinforces the Home Depot brand
✏️ provides clear direction and hand-off protocols for my build partners
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/style_guidea.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/stats2a.png)
![](http://wordful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pro_Referral.png)