NestSettle · Lo-Fi Process

Move-In Condition Log — three sketches, two rounds of feedback.

Deposit disputes are nearly always preventable: they come from undocumented damage and missed deadlines. So the very first screen had to make an agreed, photo-verified baseline effortless. Here's how the lo-fi sketch got there — and what each critique forced to change.

01 Research insight→ 02 Sketch v1→ 03 Critique→ 04 Sketch v2→ 05 Critique→ 06 Sketch v3
! Problem flagged in review ✓ Resolved in this version
V1Text-only form
First instinct: one long form. Type a note for each room, hit submit.
1 2 3
  • 1
    Text only = no proof. "Small scuff" vs "big dent" is still he-said-she-said. Doesn't kill the dispute.
  • 2
    Endless scroll. Six stacked fields on move-in day → people rush or abandon.
  • 3
    No sign-off. Nothing is "agreed." A baseline only counts if both parties accept it.
V2Photos added
Add an optional photo per room and a progress bar. Closer — but the review found gaps.
1 2 3
  • 1
    "Optional" photo gets skipped. If proof is optional, the rooms that matter most are the ones left blank.
  • 2
    Signature is buried. The single most important act — mutual agreement — is a faint line at the bottom.
  • 3
    No sense of completeness. Progress bar shows %, but not "is this room actually verified?"
V3Verified baseline
Photo required per room, clear verified state, and dual sign-off promoted to a confirmation step.
✓ ✓ ✓
  • 1
    Photo now required. A room can't be marked done without a dated photo — proof is the default, not the exception.
  • 2
    Dual sign-off is its own step. Both signatures sit in a highlighted confirmation card — the agreement is the moment, not a footnote.
  • 3
    Verified state is explicit. "3 of 3 rooms verified" + per-room checks make completeness unmistakable.

What the iteration bought us

V1 captured information. V3 captures an agreement — and that's the difference between a note and admissible evidence in a deposit dispute.

Each round was driven by a single question from the research: "Would this actually hold up when the two parties disagree six months later?" Only V3 does.

Lo-fi sketches are an interpretation of the NestSettle “Move-In Condition Log” screen for demonstration — the wireframe details and review notes are illustrative of the process, not literal recreations of the final UI. Swap in your real screens/critique notes anytime.