Zillow Sign & Collect
Ian Jackson-Busik • Senior Product Designer • 2021 Launch
End-to-End Digital Leasing & Rent Collection
Project Snapshot
Launch: 2022
Team: 1 PM, 8 Engineers, 1 Researcher, 1 Visual QA
Role: Senior Product Designer
Scope: End-to-end digital leasing + rent collection web & mobile
Team Department: Zillow Rentals, Zillow Leases
What is Zillow Sign & Collect?
"Zillow Sign & Collect is Rentals Without Paper"
COVID Accelerated Everything—Except Lease Signing |
Paper leases added friction, cost, and weeks of delay. |
84%
Renters already searched online
42%
Preferred to sign leases digitally
533%
Spike in 3D Home Tours (Mar 2020)
+5%
Rental traffic vs. pre-COVID baseline after launch
Data Provided by Zillow Researc, Dotloop Partners
72 %
prefer digital comms over phone or mail
73 %
say tech influences where they rent
The Problem
Prior Data
What were our Goals?
Reduce Paperwork
Cutting lease signing from 5 days to < 48 hours speeds up move-ins and reduces vacancies.
Speed up Signatures
Reducing steps from 7 to ≤ 3 simplifies the process, lowering errors and improving efficiency.
Mobile & Desktop
Ensuring seamless experiences across desktop and mobile devices increases accessibility, convenience, and overall user engagement.
What was our Timeline?
Research Deep Dive
Continuous telemetry (Mixpanel events, support tickets) Timeline graphic: Discover → Define → Design → Test → Monitor. |
|
18 landlord interviews (1-on-1) |
Renters
Landlords
Paper leases add 3+ extra steps and cost vacant days
Unsure if/when tenants actually sign
Late-fee tracking is manual
Wanted mobile-first signing in minutes
Email Reminders to take action
Needed real-time confirmation + reminders
What users Really Wanted
Research Depth
24 in-depth landlord interviews
267 survey Email responses
Key findings
• 60 % manage just 1–3 units and self-identify as “not tech savvy”.
• Top pain points: late rent, duplicate data entry, no single source of truth.
• Desired outcome: CONFIDENCE and VISIBILITY at every step.
Early Concepts
Version A (Low Fi)
Users Choice
Version B (Mid Fi)
Renter Flow
Renter Prototype
Landlord Journey
Landlord Prototype
Main Features
Lease Preview
Mobile Lease Creation
E-Receipt
Lease Updates
State Specific Auto Clause Builder
Multi Property View
E-Signature
Email Notification
Auto Pay Setup
“I rented out my property without ever meeting face-to-face. Zillow’s Sign & Collect feature was a lifesaver during the pandemic.”
— James L., Landlord
“Signing my lease digitally and setting up rent payments online felt effortless.
— Priya S., Renter
User Quotes
Renter
Post Testing
Landlord
Final Ouctome
Post Release
How Zillow Transformed
Rental Experiences Nationwide 2022
Accelerated leases by 40% during COVID
Over 2M digital leases signed nationwide
Reduced manual paperwork by 80%
Achieved 90% renter and landlord satisfaction
Enabled seamless remote property management
Thank You
By Ian Busik