Alpaca Live Viewings
Designing a live virtual apartment viewing platform, so renters never waste another afternoon on a bad apartment.
01
Overview
After building Alpaca's Messenger-based apartment search, one problem kept coming up: renters were wasting hours traveling to viewings only to discover the apartment looked nothing like the photos. Landlords could hide flaws, rooms looked bigger in pictures, and by the time you got there and realized it wasn't right, you'd lost half your day.
Alpaca Live Viewings was designed to solve this. A platform where agents physically go to apartments and livestream the viewing in real-time. Renters watch from wherever they are, ask questions via live chat, and if they like what they see: apply on the spot. It served three audiences: renters who needed transparency, agents who needed efficiency, and landlords and property managers who wanted to fill vacancies faster.
02
The Challenge
Apartment photos lie. Everyone in the rental market knows it, but there was no good alternative. You either trusted the listing photos and showed up in person, or you skipped the apartment entirely and risked missing out. Neither option was great.
For renters, the pain was real: scheduling time off work, commuting across the city, waiting in line with other applicants, only to walk into a place that looked nothing like the pictures. And if it was good? Someone else already applied while you were on the subway getting there.
For landlords and agents, the problem was different but connected: no-shows, time spent doing repetitive in-person tours, and vacancies sitting empty because the showing process was too slow.
"Photos can hide a lot. A live camera can't."
03
How It Works
The experience was designed to move renters from discovery to application in one seamless session: browse, watch, apply. Six screens cover the entire journey.
04
The Live Viewing Experience
The core of the product: a real-time video stream where renters see exactly what the apartment looks like. No filters, no wide-angle tricks. The agent walks through the space while viewers ask questions in live chat.
Left: apartment detail before the stream. Center: the live viewing with chat. Right: apartment info overlay during the stream.
05
Browse & Schedule
Renters start by browsing a list of apartments with upcoming live viewings. Each listing shows the time, location, and key details. Pick a viewing, check the apartment info and map, and tune in when it's time.
06
Designing for Both Sides
A marketplace product only works if both sides get value. The renter experience was the star, but the agent and landlord tools had to be just as considered.
For Renters
They can tour apartments from their couch, ask questions live, and stop wasting time on "catfish" listings. If it's the right place, they can apply immediately.
For Agents
Instead of 20 individual viewings, they do one stream. It cuts down on no-shows and helps them identify the most serious applicants through the live chat.
For Landlords
Vacancies get filled faster because the reach is wider. They get a batch of pre-qualified applications right after the viewing ends.
Trust & Transparency
Live video is hard to fake. By showing the "unfiltered" reality of a space, we built a much stronger trust between renters and landlords.
07
Key Design Decisions
Video-first, details-second. The live stream dominated the screen. Apartment details were accessible but didn't compete with the video: renters came to see the place, not read about it.
Chat, not voice. We chose text-based chat over voice. Multiple renters watching at once meant voice would be chaotic. Text kept it structured, and the agent could address questions one by one while showing the space.
Instant application flow. The entire experience was designed to shorten the gap between "I like this" and "I applied." Pre-uploaded documents, one-tap apply, confirmation in seconds.
Designed for low commitment. No app download, no account required to browse. Sign up for a viewing with just an email. Every barrier removed was a potential renter gained.
08
Reflection
Alpaca Live Viewings was still in development when I moved on from the project, but it remains one of the most interesting challenges I've worked on. It forced me to think deeply about real-time interactions and how to design for transparency in a market that often lacks it.
My main takeaway: sometimes the most effective solution isn't a complex new feature, but a different way of seeing. A live camera didn't just show a room; it provided the peace of mind that photos never could. Design, at its best, is about solving those human anxieties with clarity.