Citylink is set out to become a powerful tool for the Property Managers and Concierge. Designed to enhance the living experience of the residents and enable the service staff to better manage their day-to-day functions and tasks. The PMS is fully integrated with the Entryphone system and the CityLink mobile app.
Citywide Automation set out to develop a Property Management System (PMS) that redefines efficiency and automation in the smart building industry. Recognizing a gap in the market, they aimed to create a solution tailored to modern property management needs. To bring their vision to life, they needed an MVP that would set the foundation for their platform, along with a strong digital presence to support its launch
As a product designer, I built Citylink Platform’s MVP from scratch – I took the web application through all stages of the design process and got it ready for launch. I worked on countless iterations of their existing offering and helped connect all the dots.
Citywide Automation
Vaughan, Ontario CANADA
Both the initial launch and further iterations produced positive results
Increased property adoption with strong interest from Real Estate Developers
Successfully deployed out solution across 1,200+ units
Achieved 40% boost in efficiency, reducing time spend on manual tasks
The first step was to align with the team’s vision and product roadmap. Given the complexity of smart building management, establishing a clear direction before beginning the design process was crucial. Property managers often juggle multiple tasks, from tenant requests and maintenance tracking to energy optimization and security monitoring. Rather than trying to solve every operational challenge at once, we prioritized key features that would deliver immediate impact.
Our focus was on streamlining property automation workflows and integrating real-time monitoring for building systems. By narrowing our scope to these high-value areas, we ensured a seamless user experience while laying the foundation for future scalability.
One major challenge was the lack of integration between different building systems, such as HVAC, lighting, and security. Many existing solutions required property managers to switch between multiple platforms, leading to inefficiencies and delayed decision-making.
Another key challenge was maintenance coordination, where service requests often got lost in manual tracking, resulting in slow response times and tenant dissatisfaction. Additionally, data overload made it difficult for property managers to extract actionable insights, leading to reactive rather than proactive management.
To address these pain points, we focused on designing a unified platform that streamlined property automation, introduced predictive maintenance alerts, and provided an intuitive dashboard for real-time monitoring. By solving these specific challenges, we ensured a seamless user experience while enhancing operational efficiency.
The first step in designing the Property Management System (PMS) was to establish a clear and scalable structure that seamlessly integrates core functionalities tailored to smart building operations. Given the complexity of managing modern properties, we focused on a modular approach that enhances efficiency, resident experience, and sustainability.
To achieve this, we structured the app into five core modules:
Resident Management – A centralized hub where property managers can oversee resident profiles, track move-ins/move-outs, and streamline communication. This ensures seamless interactions between management and residents while improving engagement.
Service & Amenity Booking – A real-time booking system for shared building resources such as gyms, lounges, and co-working spaces. Residents can check availability, make reservations, and receive automated confirmations, reducing manual coordination for building staff.
Maintenance Request Management – A smart maintenance workflow that enables residents to submit service requests, track progress, and receive updates. Property managers can prioritize requests based on urgency and assign tasks to vendors or in-house staff efficiently.
Building Access & Security – A unified access control system that integrates with smart locks, visitor management, and digital key solutions. This ensures secure and frictionless access for residents, staff, and guests while enhancing overall building security.
ESG & Smart Building Operations – A sustainability-driven module that provides real-time energy usage insights, water consumption tracking, and automated waste management alerts. This empowers property managers to reduce carbon footprints and comply with ESG regulations while improving operational efficiency.
By structuring the app around real-world workflows and focusing on automation, security, and sustainability, we created a scalable, efficient, and user-friendly platform that enhances smart building operations.
The market landscape revealed a clear trend, guiding us to focus on key features that would form the core of our MVP. Through this analysis, we identified key takeaways that helped us zoom in on the most valuable and necessary features for our customers. This approach allowed us to streamline our efforts, ensuring a strong product-market fit while prioritizing functionalities that would be both useful and easy to adopt.
The market landscape revealed a clear trend, guiding us to focus on key features that would form the core of our MVP. Through this analysis, we identified key takeaways that helped us zoom in on the most valuable and necessary features for our customers. This approach allowed us to streamline our efforts, ensuring a strong product-market fit while prioritizing functionalities that would be both useful and easy to adopt.
Since not every feature can be developed upfront, the focus should be on building a MVP with the most critical features that:
1. Smart Building & Resident Management (Needed for Market Presence)
2. Automation & Smart Access Control (Market Differentiator)
3. Scalability & Integration Capabilities (Future-Proofing)
