palette Design Concept — Screening Unit Picker

Screening: Unit Selection UX

Three concepts for replacing the flat "all-units-in-one-dropdown" with something usable

star Concept A — Recommended

view_sidebar Two-Panel Property → Unit Picker

Left panel: searchable property list with vacancy counts. Right panel: visual unit card grid for the selected property. Click a unit card to select it. Best for power users managing many properties.

Select Property

search
apartment
Ashford Farms Apartments
2847 Ashford Ln, Austin TX
18 vacant
apartment
Riverside Terrace
415 River Dr, Austin TX
7 vacant
apartment
Oak Park Residences
1200 Oak Park Blvd, Austin TX
12 vacant
apartment
Summit View Townhomes
890 Summit Dr, Austin TX
3 vacant
apartment
Magnolia Court
550 Magnolia St, Austin TX
0 vacant
apartment
Heritage Oaks Senior Living
710 Heritage Way, Austin TX
5 vacant

Vacant Units — Ashford Farms Apartments

18 available
Unit 1631B
bed Beds 2
bathtub Baths 1
square_foot Sqft 850
Market Rent $975
Unit 2104A
bed Beds 1
bathtub Baths 1
square_foot Sqft 625
Market Rent $820
Unit 3012C
bed Beds 3
bathtub Baths 2
square_foot Sqft 1,120
Market Rent $1,350
Unit 1208B
bed Beds 2
bathtub Baths 2
square_foot Sqft 940
Market Rent $1,050
Unit 4501A
bed Beds 1
bathtub Baths 1
square_foot Sqft 580
Market Rent $750
Unit 2307D
bed Beds 2
bathtub Baths 1
square_foot Sqft 810
Market Rent $920
💡 How it works: PM searches/scrolls the left panel → clicks a property → right panel populates with only that property's vacant units → clicks a unit card to select → gold border + checkmark confirms selection → "Continue to Applicant Details" button appears below.
Concept B

steps Stepper Wizard — Property Cards → Unit Cards → Form

Full-width step-by-step flow. Step 1 shows property cards with stats. Step 2 shows unit cards. Step 3 is the applicant form. Clean and guided — best for less experienced users.

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Select Property
2
Select Unit
3
Applicant Details
4
Review & Submit
✓ Selected: Ashford Farms Apartments Change
Unit 1631B
Bedrooms 2 Bed / 1 Bath
Size 850 sqft
Floor 3rd Floor
Vacant Since 42 days
Market Rent
$975/mo
Unit 2104A
Bedrooms 1 Bed / 1 Bath
Size 625 sqft
Floor 1st Floor
Vacant Since 12 days
Market Rent
$820/mo
Unit 3012C
Bedrooms 3 Bed / 2 Bath
Size 1,120 sqft
Floor 2nd Floor
Vacant Since 67 days
Market Rent
$1,350/mo
Unit 1208B
Bedrooms 2 Bed / 2 Bath
Size 940 sqft
Floor 1st Floor
Vacant Since 5 days
Market Rent
$1,050/mo
💡 How it works: 4-step wizard (Property → Unit → Applicant Details → Review & Submit). Each step is a full-width card view. "Back" and "Next" buttons navigate between steps. The selected property/unit persists as a breadcrumb-style chip at the top when moving forward.
Concept C

manage_search Smart Search — Cmd+K Style Unit Finder

A single powerful search box that searches across both properties and units simultaneously. Type "ash" → shows Ashford Farms + all its vacant units. Type "3 bed" → shows all 3-bed vacant units across all properties. Fastest for experienced PMs who know what they want.

search ⌘K
Properties
apartment
Ashford Farms Apartments
2847 Ashford Ln, Austin TX
18 vacant
Vacant Units at Ashford Farms
door_front
Unit 1631B · 2 Bed / 1 Bath · 850 sqft
3rd Floor · Vacant 42 days
$975/mo
door_front
Unit 2104A · 1 Bed / 1 Bath · 625 sqft
1st Floor · Vacant 12 days
$820/mo
door_front
Unit 3012C · 3 Bed / 2 Bath · 1,120 sqft
2nd Floor · Vacant 67 days
$1,350/mo
door_front
Unit 1208B · 2 Bed / 2 Bath · 940 sqft
1st Floor · Vacant 5 days
$1,050/mo
door_front
Unit 4501A · 1 Bed / 1 Bath · 580 sqft
4th Floor · Vacant 28 days
$750/mo
check_circle
Unit 1631B — Ashford Farms Apartments
2 Bed / 1 Bath · 850 sqft · 3rd Floor
$975/mo
💡 How it works: Single search box replaces both dropdowns. Typing filters properties AND units live. Click a unit row to select it → shows the gold confirmation card below. Can also just type a unit number directly if the PM knows it. Supports fuzzy matching on property name, unit number, bed count, rent range.
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My Recommendation Concept A

Concept A (Two-Panel) is the best balance of visual clarity and speed. The split-panel layout gives the PM a clear mental model: properties on the left, units on the right. The unit cards show all the info (beds, baths, sqft, rent) at a glance — no need to click into each one. Search in the property panel handles the "I know which property" case. It's what Yardi Voyager and AppFolio use in their leasing workflows.

Concept B (Stepper) is cleaner for small portfolios but adds extra clicks. Good if we want to add a "Review" step before submitting.

Concept C (Smart Search) is the fastest for power users but less discoverable. Could work as a shortcut (⌘K to open) alongside Concept A.