From 0 to 1: Building Alto’s Home Care Marketplace in Just 4 Months

Alto set out to solve a critical problem in home care: making it easier for careseekers to find reliable, vetted caregivers who matched their needs and schedules. At the start, there were no defined workflows, no designs, and no system in place to support the vision.

To get from 0 to 1, we needed to establish the essential workflows for booking care, define the minimum information required for caregiver and careseeker profiles, design features for payments and operations, and build a scalable design system to support fast iteration.

Alto set out to solve a critical problem in home care: making it easier for careseekers to find reliable, vetted caregivers who matched their needs and schedules. At the start, there were no defined workflows, no designs, and no system in place to support the vision.

To get from 0 to 1, we needed to establish the essential workflows for booking care, define the minimum information required for caregiver and careseeker profiles, design features for payments and operations, and build a scalable design system to support fast iteration.

I began by creating a clean, scalable design system that included typography, colors, spacing, breakpoints, and reusable components. This foundation ensured speed and consistency across both web and mobile.

Next, I mapped the core user journeys: caregivers onboarding with credentials, certifications, and rates; careseekers creating profiles that detailed their needs; and the flows for booking, rescheduling, or canceling care. I also designed trust-building features such as background checks and credential verification, which became critical for adoption.

I began by creating a clean, scalable design system that included typography, colors, spacing, breakpoints, and reusable components. This foundation ensured speed and consistency across both web and mobile.

Next, I mapped the core user journeys: caregivers onboarding with credentials, certifications, and rates; careseekers creating profiles that detailed their needs; and the flows for booking, rescheduling, or canceling care. I also designed trust-building features such as background checks and credential verification, which became critical for adoption.

Once the flows were validated, I translated the designs into React components and global stylesheets, creating a live working prototype that aligned the design and engineering teams. I also built an internal design system page to guide other developers.

In parallel, I designed and developed an internal admin system that allowed staff to manage bookings, refunds, payments, and caregiver vetting. To maintain consistency, I reused layouts and patterns from the main application. Throughout the process, I worked closely with stakeholders to define which features were essential for launch, deferring others to the backlog.

Once the flows were validated, I translated the designs into React components and global stylesheets, creating a live working prototype that aligned the design and engineering teams. I also built an internal design system page to guide other developers.

In parallel, I designed and developed an internal admin system that allowed staff to manage bookings, refunds, payments, and caregiver vetting. To maintain consistency, I reused layouts and patterns from the main application. Throughout the process, I worked closely with stakeholders to define which features were essential for launch, deferring others to the backlog.

The design system and React component library significantly reduced handoff friction and accelerated development. Engineers could focus on backend services while reusing consistent UI patterns, and the operations team had a management tool to support day-to-day workflows without additional overhead.

By designing for both users and internal staff, we created a cohesive ecosystem that felt trustworthy and professional, an essential requirement for a product handling sensitive caregiving relationships.

The design system and React component library significantly reduced handoff friction and accelerated development. Engineers could focus on backend services while reusing consistent UI patterns, and the operations team had a management tool to support day-to-day workflows without additional overhead.

By designing for both users and internal staff, we created a cohesive ecosystem that felt trustworthy and professional, an essential requirement for a product handling sensitive caregiving relationships.

Alto launched successfully in just four months, meeting the ambitious deadline. The product established a strong foundation that enabled rapid feature development post-launch without accruing UX debt.

Most importantly, the launch positioned Alto as a trusted, professional brand in the home care market, helping the company build early traction and credibility with users who needed confidence in entrusting care for their loved ones.