Innovative Forecasting Tool with Pricing Recommendations

Imagine having a crystal ball that can predict the future of your property’s revenue. That’s what RealPage’s AI-driven revenue management tool offers property managers—an intelligent system that forecasts demand and gives real-time insights on how to optimize pricing and occupancy.

What is the product?

The SaaS platform supports by analyzing everything from local market trends to competitor pricing and past performance, the tool uncovers hidden opportunities for maximizing profit. Whether it’s adjusting rent, launching targeted promotions, or fine-tuning leasing strategies, property managers are empowered to make smart, data-backed decisions that adapt to changing conditions. With RealPage, optimizing revenue becomes less of a guessing game and more of a strategic, data-driven process that keeps your property competitive and profitable.

What was the situation?

Property managers told us they rely on RealPage's data to guide their pricing decisions, but they were looking for more. As the need for quicker, smarter decisions grew, customers expressed a strong desire for RealPage to do more than just provide insights—they wanted actionable recommendations that would help their teams make faster, more informed pricing choices. The goal? To boost occupancy rates and keep properties competitive in a fast-moving market.

What tasks were involved?

• Partnered with Data Science and Engineering teams to explore the Language Model that will power predictive insights and actionable recommendations.

• Connected with internal stakeholders to align on project goals and ensure cross-functional support.

• Interviewed Property Managers and Leasing Agents to uncover the types of recommendations they need most for better decision-making.

• Ran several Design Sprints and workshops to brainstorm and collaborate with partners on the best approach to meet user needs.

What I learned in Discovery…

While customers trusted our data, they often felt overwhelmed by the complexity of making pricing decisions across multiple factors, including renewals, amenities, credit scores, marketing, and demand.

• With over 20 years of historical data, RealPage has rich insights into seasonal, regional, and competitive trends that could be used to generate more accurate revenue forecasts.

• Customers expressed a desire for the ability to adjust key forecast criteria and instantly see how those changes would impact revenue and occupancy.

• There was a strong demand for functionality that would allow customers to create, save, and compare different forecast scenarios to make more informed decisions.

What actions were taken?

As Lead Designer, I organized and led workshops to fully understand the project scope and align key stakeholders on goals and expectations.

• Partnered closely with our UX Researcher to plan, recruit, and facilitate user testing sessions, ensuring the voice of the customer was integral to the design process. Early discovery included in-depth interviews with the CEO and other C-level executives to gather high-level strategic input.

• Contributed to the research phase by editing test scripts, leading user testing sessions, and synthesizing findings to inform design decisions.

• Designed both low- and high-fidelity prototypes to visualize concepts and gather real-time feedback from users, iterating quickly based on insights.

• Evaluated the existing design system and created/contributed missing components to ensure consistency and enhance the user experience.

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams, including product managers and engineers, to ensure designs were feasible and aligned with business objectives.

• Maintained an ongoing feedback loop with stakeholders to ensure that the design solutions were continuously refined and met both user needs and company goals.