Home Planner - AI Room Design

What it does

Home Planner is a powerful mobile tool for interior design and room planning. It allows users to create detailed 2D floor plans and visualize them in immersive 3D walkthroughs. The app's core functionality is enhanced by a massive catalog of real-world furniture, an AI-powered tool to redesign existing rooms from a photo, and a social community for sharing and discovering inspiration.

Where it shines

Where Home Planner truly stands out is in its integration of the entire design lifecycle. At 01:53, a user can start with a completely blank canvas, build a room, and furnish it with specific items. But the magic happens at 03:29, when the app's 'Find in Stores' feature uses visual search to find that virtual item on real e-commerce sites. Furthermore, the AI redesign feature (05:57) offers a powerful, low-effort alternative for users who want quick inspiration by transforming a simple photo of their own space.

UX highlights

Dual Creation Paths: The app immediately offers two distinct starting points: 'Create new design' and 'Restyle photo with AI' (00:17), catering to both hands-on planners and users seeking quick AI-driven inspiration.
Integrated Social Proof: The design feed isn't just for browsing. Users can tap on any design to visit the creator's profile (09:35), follow them, and see their entire portfolio, fostering a sense of community and creator status.
Actionable Inspiration: The 'Find in Stores' feature (03:29) is a brilliant utility that connects virtual design with real-world commerce, allowing users to purchase items they use in their plans.
Granular Filtering: The filter menu (01:07) is impressively detailed, allowing users to search not just by room type or color, but also by specific dimensions, style, and floor materials.
Gamified Rewards: The user profile (13:01) includes a 'Rewards' tab with achievement medals like 'Living Room Designer,' encouraging users to explore different facets of the app.
AI Chat Assistant: An integrated AI designer (06:43) provides conversational advice, making professional design guidance accessible and reducing user friction.

Monetization & growth

Home Planner employs a multi-layered subscription model. A paywall is presented relatively early in the user journey (00:25), after the user has shown intent but before they've done significant work. The app cleverly segments its offerings into 'Personal' and 'Commercial' tiers (00:28), with the latter unlocking more expensive PRO plans with advanced features like 4K renders and 3ds Max export. This allows the app to capture both casual users with lower-priced plans and professionals with high-value subscriptions. Discounts are heavily featured to create urgency.

Who it’s for

This app is built for two main audiences. First, homeowners and renters who are planning to redecorate, renovate, or move, and want a tool to visualize layouts and furniture choices. Second, professional and semi-professional interior designers who can use the commercial plans for client work, leveraging the advanced rendering and export features. The community aspect also appeals to hobbyists who enjoy creating and sharing virtual designs.

Notes & opportunities

The app is incredibly feature-rich, which can be overwhelming. The initial onboarding, while quick, funnels the user through multiple choice screens before reaching the main dashboard, which might feel slightly long. The notification permission prompt at 00:39 appears without a warm-up, which could lead to a lower opt-in rate. Finally, the 'Sync now' prompt is persistent but requires a PRO subscription (07:47), which could be a point of friction for free users who want to save their work across devices.