Homeowners pay builders in stages. Aleaf lets them see each stage is done before the money moves.
The phone is a working prototype. Log in, review the Frame stage, hold to release the payment, raise an issue, chat with a trade or try a finish in Studio. Everything you change carries through the app.
See every stage before you pay for it
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When my family built our home, we paid the builder at each stage as agreed. Several of those stages weren't complete. We had no easy way to check before paying, and by the time we found out, the money was gone and the fix cost more again.
Underneath the money was a quieter worry: was the work any good? Stories of rushed builds, cut corners and hidden defects make every homeowner nervous, and most have no construction knowledge to judge for themselves.
The question I took into the project: how can homeowners get transparency, accountability and confidence while their home is being built?
I interviewed and surveyed 20 people who had recently built a home or done a major renovation. Most had little or no construction experience and relied completely on their builder and contractors.
Their concerns clustered around four things: trust, delays, cost and build quality. The common thread was that progress was invisible until it was too late to do anything about it.
“I feel like I’m constantly chasing updates. One day it’s an email, the next it’s a call, or I have to physically visit the site just to know what’s happening.”Homeowner, new build
“We paid them, and then they just disappeared. The project was half-finished, and we had to spend even more money to fix the mess they left behind.”Homeowner, renovation
“How do I know if they’re actually following the agreed plan? There’s no real way to verify if the materials are what we paid for.”Homeowner, new build
“Everything seemed built for professional contractors, not homeowners. I just want a simple way to stay in control of my own project.”Homeowner, new build
“We were given a six-month timeline, but the project dragged on for over a year. Every time we asked, we got vague excuses.”Homeowner, new build
Homeowners don't trust builders, and good builders get paid late because of it. A fix has to work for both, so I designed for a homeowner and a small builder together.
“I just want to make sure our home is being built properly, without needing to be a construction expert.”
“Not all builders are out to scam people. I just want to prove my work is good and get paid fairly.”
The first version covered a lot of ground: a dashboard of active projects with progress bars, verified contractor profiles, chat, an AR studio for previewing finishes, and a wallet of past payments.
Scroll to step through each wireframe and see what it became.
Looking back at it against the research, the most important need was missing. Sarah's top request was to pay only when work is done properly. The wallet only showed payments after they had gone out.
One mark and one way in.
In the final appThe tagline now says what Aleaf does: see every stage before you pay for it.
A payment history. “Full payment sent” appeared after the money had already left.
A checkpoint before each payment, where the homeowner reviews evidence and decides.
Australian building contracts already pay in fixed stages: deposit, base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion. Aleaf turns each one into a checkpoint. The builder submits evidence, the homeowner reviews it, and the payment for that stage releases only on approval.
The money sits in a held account from the start, so the builder knows it's there and the homeowner knows it won't move until they say so.
The wallet becomes a contract ledger. Instead of a list of payments already made, it shows the whole contract: what's been released, what's held waiting for review, and what's still to come.
Switch between the two states to see the Frame payment move once Sarah approves it.
Example contract of $640,000 using the standard Victorian new-home stages
| Stage | Share of contract | Amount | Status |
|---|
Reviewing the project with fresh eyes turned up problems a hiring manager or a real user would spot. Each fix below is reflected on this page.
BeforeA wallet listing money already sent.
AfterA sign-off step before each stage payment, plus a ledger of released, held and upcoming money.
BeforeA full builder persona with no screens of his own.
AfterA stage submission screen with a required evidence list.
BeforeThe same three quotes on two slides, under different faces.
AfterFive distinct quotes shown once, without stock portraits.
BeforeA percent-complete bar the builder could set to anything.
AfterProgress measured in contract stages, each one backed by evidence.
BeforeA Buy Now marketplace for products inside the AR studio.
AfterShopping cut. AR stays as a way to preview changes before they're agreed.
BeforeText as small as 7px, grey on charcoal, progress shown only as a percentage.
AfterOne type scale with an 11px floor, status in coloured chips, and motion that confirms each action. Every screen at the top of this page uses it.
BeforeDates from 2023 and 2025 side by side, service labels that didn't match their icons, typos.
AfterOne consistent example project, matching labels, copy proofread.
The next round is a moderated usability test of the five-step flow with five homeowners who have built in the last two years, and two small builders.
Status: planned, not yet run. Results will replace this section.
| Task | Who | Success looks like | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tell me how much you've paid and what's still held | Homeowner | Reads both numbers from the ledger without help | 5 of 5 |
| Decide whether to approve the Frame stage | Homeowner | Opens the inspection result before deciding | 4 of 5 |
| You think a wall is wrong. What do you do? | Homeowner | Finds Raise an issue and knows the rest of the job continues | 4 of 5 |
| Submit the Frame stage for payment | Builder | Completes the evidence list in under 5 minutes | 2 of 2 |
| How confident are you the money will arrive? | Builder | Rates 4 or 5 out of 5 and says why | 2 of 2 |
The first version tried to be everything a homeowner might want: a marketplace, a social feed, AR, chat. The research pointed at one moment that mattered more than all of them, the moment before money changes hands.
Designing that moment for both sides also changed how I saw the builder. James isn't the threat in this story. A clear evidence list protects him from vague complaints in the same way it protects Sarah from unfinished work.
If Aleaf went further, I'd test it with builders first. They decide whether a homeowner is ever invited to use it.