Braustin
Modernizing the Mobile Home Journey: Digital Transformation for Affordable Housing Solutions
Creative Director
Services
Creative Direction
Website Design
Brand Development
UX/UI Design
Information Architecture
Design System Development
Copywriting
Art Direction
The Client
Braustin Homes is revolutionizing the manufactured housing industry as an online retailer of mobile, modular, and tiny homes serving Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Founded in 2017 by brothers Alberto and Jason Piña, Braustin has disrupted traditional mobile home retail by focusing on transparency, affordability, and a streamlined buying process. With physical showrooms in San Antonio and Odessa, Texas, complemented by their digital presence, Braustin aims to make homeownership accessible through both in-person and online experiences.
The Challenge
Braustin needed to transform their digital presence to match their innovative business model. Their existing website lacked intuitive navigation, clear information architecture, and a cohesive design system. The home shopping experience was complicated and didn't effectively showcase their inventory or guide potential homeowners through the complex decision-making process. Additionally, the marketing team was operating without unified visual guidelines, creating inconsistent brand experiences across touchpoints.
The Solution
We implemented a comprehensive digital transformation that reimagined the entire user journey, placing the home builder tool front and center while developing a robust design system to ensure brand consistency. The redesigned experience simplified the path to homeownership through intuitive navigation, conditional filtering, and thoughtful information hierarchy that addressed the unique needs of Braustin's market.
Elevating the Digital Home Shopping Experience
The website restructuring began with a complete overhaul of the information architecture. We brought the star feature—the home builder—to the homepage, creating clear entry points with categories like "In Stock," "On Land," "Single-Wide," and "Double-Wide" to facilitate immediate engagement. Within the shopping interface, we implemented an adaptive filtering system that evolved based on the user's position in the journey. Initial filters focused on financial parameters (credit range, delivery location, down payment options), while later stages presented customization choices for home finishes.
To address the challenge of displaying complex information on mobile devices, we developed collapsible card components that preserved all options while maintaining a clean interface. These cards allowed users to expand sections relevant to their decision-making process, defaulting to open for critical customization categories.
Crafting a Unified Design Language
Recognizing the absence of visual consistency across Braustin's digital presence, we developed a comprehensive design system in Figma. This system established foundational elements including:
Typographic hierarchy optimized for legibility across devices
Color palette reflecting Braustin's approachable yet professional identity
Component library with buttons, forms, alerts, badges, and list styles
Responsive grid systems ensuring consistency across breakpoints
Spatial relationships and elevation standards
Iconography suite for intuitive navigation and communication
This design system not only supported the website redesign but also provided a foundation for marketing materials, merchandise, and future digital products.
Humanizing the Digital Journey
Understanding that home buying is deeply personal, we rewrote website copy to speak directly to Braustin's market—hardworking individuals pursuing affordable homeownership. The tone balanced accessibility with expertise, acknowledging both the emotional and practical aspects of this significant life decision.
Custom forms were designed to capture user preferences and interests effectively, creating smooth handoffs to Braustin's customer experience team. This thoughtful connection between digital and human touchpoints ensured that the convenience of online shopping didn't sacrifice the personalized guidance buyers needed.
Amplifying the Launch Impact
To maximize the redesign's market impact, we art-directed a comprehensive launch campaign featuring a dynamic sizzle reel. This animation showcased the simplified shopping experience, highlighting key features and improvements. Deployed across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, this campaign generated excitement while educating potential customers about the enhanced digital tools now available to them.
Beyond the shop experience, we restructured content sections including blog posts and podcasts, implementing systems that empowered the marketing team to easily update and manage these resources.
Ensuring Continuity Through Transition
Amid significant organizational changes, including leadership transitions and new executive hires, I helped my small team sustain project momentum and manage stakeholder relationships. I created comprehensive knowledge transfer documentation and a structured one-month handoff timeline. By prioritizing transparent communication and thorough documentation, we ensured that the design system and website improvements continued to deliver value, providing Braustin with a solid foundation for sustainable digital growth after my departure.
Conclusion
The comprehensive digital transformation for Braustin Homes redefined how potential homeowners discover, explore, and purchase manufactured housing. By combining intuitive UX/UI design with thoughtful content strategy and brand system development, we created a digital experience that truly delivered on Braustin's promise of making homeownership more accessible. The redesigned platform not only simplified the customer journey but also established a scalable foundation for Braustin's continued growth and innovation in the manufactured housing market.
