Radix · Product platform
Defining a unified platform direction across three SaaS products.
Radix serves property owners and operators through separate tools for property operations, analytics and underwriting. I led the design direction for a shared platform model across navigation, workflows and interface foundations.
Role
Product Design Lead
Team
Led
2 Product Designers
2 Design Contractors
Scope
Product strategy
UX/UI design
Information architecture
Design systems
Industry
Real estate
Radix · Product platform
Defining a unified platform direction across three multifamily SaaS products.
Radix serves multifamily owners and managers through separate tools for property operations, analytics and underwriting. I led the design direction for a shared platform model across navigation, workflows and interface foundations.
Role
Product Design Lead
Team
Led
2 Product Designers
2 Design Contractors
Collaborated with
CEO
Product Management
Engineering
Scope
Product strategy
UX/UI design
Information architecture
Design systems
Industry
Real estate
01 /
Context
A suite of specialized tools.
Radix had grown through internal development and acquisition. RealRents managed property and listing data, Radix Analytics benchmarked performance, and RedIQ supported underwriting. They served overlapping customers and data, but behaved like separate applications.
Three products, one ecosystem.
Radix had grown through internal development and acquisition. RealRents managed property and listing data, Radix Analytics benchmarked performance, and RedIQ supported underwriting. They served overlapping customers and data, but behaved like separate applications.
01 /
Properties
RealRents
Manage property and listing data.
Primary entities
Properties
02 /
Analytics
Radix Analytics
Benchmark portfolio and market performance.
Primary entities
Properties · Markets
03 /
Underwriting
Radix Underwriting (RedIQ)
Evaluate deals and financial scenarios.
Primary entities
Deals · Markets
01 /
Properties
RealRents
Manage property and listing data.
Primary entities
Properties
02 /
Analytics
Radix Analytics
Benchmark portfolio and market performance.
Primary entities
Properties · Markets
03 /
Underwriting
Radix Underwriting (RedIQ)
Evaluate deals and financial scenarios.
Primary entities
Deals · Markets
02 /
Challenges
Shared customers and data, separate experiences.
RealRents managed the source data, Analytics combined it with scraped market data, and Underwriting pulled market insights into a separate deal workflow. The products were related, but navigation, terminology and interaction patterns remained independent.
Shared customers and data, separate experiences.
RealRents managed the source data, Analytics combined it with scraped market data, and Underwriting pulled market insights into a separate deal workflow. The products were related, but navigation, terminology and interaction patterns remained independent.
The platform needed common navigation and interface foundations without forcing operational, analytical and underwriting work into the same model.
Direction
Shared structure, specialized workflows.
The platform needed common navigation and interface foundations without forcing operational, analytical and underwriting work into the same model.
Direction
Shared structure, specialized workflows.
03 /
Navigation
Balancing hierarchy, context and workspace.
Both approaches needed to support movement across products, sections and individual records. The choice came down to how each handled hierarchy, context and workspace in data-heavy screens.
Balancing hierarchy, context and workspace.
Both approaches needed to support movement across products, sections and individual records. The choice came down to how each handled hierarchy, context and workspace in data-heavy screens.
Strengths
Familiar enterprise navigation pattern
Uses less vertical space
Less crowding in the page header
Tradeoff
Reduced horizontal workspace
Section navigation hidden when inside records
More hierarchy requires additional sidebar states
Persistent sidebar organizes navigation across the platform. Second contextual tray provides access to record-level navigation.
Option A
Contextual sidebar
Persistent sidebar organizes navigation across the platform. Second contextual tray provides access to record-level navigation.
Option A
Contextual sidebar
Strengths
Provides more horizontal workspace
Top-level navigation remains visible inside records
Navigation structure remains consistent between list and record views
Tradeoff
Uses more vertical space
Multiple horizontal layers add visual density
Longer navigation labels compete for space
Direction
Layered navigation preserves context and horizontal workspace.
The platform needed common navigation and interface foundations without forcing operational, analytical and underwriting work into the same model.
Direction
Layered navigation preserves context and horizontal workspace.
Platform and section navigation remain visible at the top of the viewport. Record-level navigation appears within the active page.
Option B
Preferred
Layered navigation
Persistent sidebar organizes navigation across the platform. Second contextual tray provides access to record-level navigation.
Option A
Contextual sidebar
Platform and section navigation remain visible at the top of the viewport. Record-level navigation appears within the active page.
Option B
Preferred
Layered navigation
Strengths
Familiar enterprise navigation pattern
Uses less vertical space
Less crowding in the page header
Tradeoff
Reduced horizontal workspace
Section navigation hidden when inside records
More hierarchy requires additional sidebar states
Strengths
Provides more horizontal workspace
Higher-level navigation remains visible inside records
Navigation structure remains consistent between list and record views
Tradeoff
Uses more vertical space
Multiple navigation layers add visual density
Longer interactive labels compete for horizontal space
This pattern kept users oriented across products, sections and individual records without adding another deeply nested sidebar. It also gave each navigation level a clearer role, making the structure easier to understand and scale.
Direction
Layered navigation preserves context and horizontal workspace.
04 /
Platform in practice
Properties
Property data became the bridge between management and analytics. Users could manage the property in one place, then move into Analytics to benchmark performance without losing context.
Properties
Property data became the bridge between management and analytics. Users could manage the property in one place, then move into Analytics to benchmark performance without losing context.
Same property, different lens.
In Analytics, the same property becomes the starting point for benchmarking a broad range of metrics against competing properties and the wider market.
Same property. Different lens.
In Analytics, the same property becomes the starting point for benchmarking a broad range of metrics against competing properties and the wider market.
Underwriting
Underwriting required wide, spreadsheet-like financial views and deeper record-level workflows, so the platform had to preserve that complexity without breaking the shared structure.
Underwriting
Underwriting required wide, spreadsheet-like financial views and deeper record-level workflows, so the platform had to preserve that complexity without breaking the shared structure.
05 /
Design system
Consistency from brand to component.
RealRents, Analytics and Underwriting had evolved with different visual systems. A shared foundation brought brand, tokens, components and recurring interface patterns into one system.
Consistency from brand to component.
RealRents, Analytics and Underwriting had evolved with different visual systems. A shared foundation brought brand, tokens, components and recurring interface patterns into one system.
Reusable property cards, performance indicators, and dashboard patterns helped organize complex information and create consistency across the platform.
System approach
Making complex property data easier to navigate
Reusable property cards, performance indicators, and dashboard patterns helped organize complex information and create consistency across the platform.
System approach
Making complex property data easier to navigate
06 /
Outcomes
Properties
Portfolio oversight became clearer by bringing property health, data quality and key actions into one workflow.
Properties
Portfolio oversight became clearer by bringing property health, data quality and key actions into one workflow.
Properties > Portfolio
Monitor portfolio performance, data quality and operational updates across properties.
Properties > Portfolio
Monitor portfolio performance, data quality and operational updates across properties.
Properties > Property overview
Manage property information, performance, listings and operational details in one place.
Properties > Property overview
Manage property information, performance, listings and operational details in one place.
Analytics
Performance became easier to compare and interpret across properties, competitors and the wider market.
Analytics
Performance became easier to compare and interpret across properties, competitors and the wider market.
Analytics > Benchmark
Compare property performance across competitors and broader market trends.
Analytics > Benchmark
Compare property performance across competitors and broader market trends.
Underwriting
Complex deal analysis retained its depth while fitting into a more consistent platform experience.
Underwriting
Complex deal analysis retained its depth while fitting into a more consistent platform experience.
Underwriting > Deal overview
Review deal inputs, underwriting metrics, vacancy, leasing trends and unit mix.
Underwriting > Deal overview
Review deal inputs, underwriting metrics, vacancy, leasing trends and unit mix.
