Big Rentals
Fueling growth for equipment operators
Cursor
Product Design
AI
01The problem
The marketplace had the inventory. Renters were booking somewhere else.
Big Rentals grows when bookings flow through its marketplace. But for suppliers already on the platform, almost all of their rentals still happened outside the marketplace.
One early partner · 6 months of revenue
Through the marketplaceEverywhere else
12%
Nov
1.3%
Dec
12%
Jan
11%
Feb
1.9%
Mar
10%
Apr
1–12%
of one early partner's monthly revenue came through the marketplace over six months.
The business goal was clear: grow the marketplace share for every partner. The question was how. Pushing suppliers harder wouldn't change where renters choose to book. Only a better renter experience would.
02The reframe
Stop selling the marketplace. Design for the renter.
My thinking: marketplace share is an outcome. What I could actually design was the moment a contractor or homeowner needs a trailer or dumpster, and decides where to get it.
The business asked
How do we maximize marketplace sales?
More bookings per partner
More inventory listed
More upsell into paid tools
Renters were asking
Can I get the right equipment, nearby, on my dates, at a price I trust?
Is it available when I need it?
What will it actually cost?
Can I book it without calling anyone?
The bet
If booking on Big Rentals is the fastest, most transparent way to rent, marketplace sales follow, without pushing suppliers or renters.
03Wireframes
Two flows on paper. Only one survived checkout.
Before any pixels I sketched both directions: the marketplace default of browsing first, and a guided flow that asks what renters need up front. Tap the yellow dots to see where each one breaks or holds up.
Sketches recreated from early wireframing.
04Design principles
Five renter questions, five design answers.
I held every screen to one rule: it had to answer a question a renter has before they'll commit.
05UX flow
Eight steps from “I need a trailer” to booked.
Each step maps what the renter is doing, what the interface shows and what the system has to do behind it. Step through the flow to see how they line up.
01 / 08
Search
Renter
Taps “Find your equipment rentals” or picks a category.
Interface
Home with search and seven equipment categories. Sign-in is optional.
System
Loads categories and recent searches. No account required.
Edge case
Signed-out users can browse everything.
06Accounts
Accounts that never get in the way of a booking.
I mapped every way into an account, from a phone number to a full business setup, so each path ends at the same place: browsing and booking. Business renters can explore the marketplace immediately; only checkout waits for the documents a supplier needs.
The default path. A phone number and a one-time code, with name and email collected only for new users.
Entry hub
Business account?
Phone + SMS code
Apple / Google / Facebook
Email + password
Signed in
Business onboarding
Browse rentals
Ready to check out?
Book
Simplified from the full sign-up and business onboarding flowchart.
07Native iOS
The flow, built native for iOS.
Twelve screens from search to verified booking, captured from the native iOS build. Use the arrows, swipe or your keyboard.
01 / 12 · Search
Home
One clear question, “What would you like to rent today?”, with categories for people who browse.
08Measure & next
What success looks like.
The renter flow is designed to move one business number: the share of each partner's bookings that happen on Big Rentals.
How success is measured
Marketplace share of each partner's bookings
Search-to-checkout conversion
Time from first search to booking
Design trade-offs
Asking where, what and when first adds steps, but every result is bookable.
Deferring the account to checkout means verifying by SMS at the last step.
What's next (proposed)
Delivery and pickup zones on the map
Saved searches and re-booking for repeat renters
Business accounts with team approvals and net terms
Want to
see more?
Live sites I designed