UnCommonGood is an end-to-end business solution and productivity platform designed for Small Businesses, Solopreneurs, Freelancers, and Nonprofits. The platform empowers users by centralizing tools for managing tasks like invoicing, client communication, and project management.
During a two-week sprint, my focus was to improve the usability of the freelancer and client dashboards. The goal was to simplify workflows and address user frustrations by updating filter designs, introducing advanced and custom filters, and refining the navigation hierarchy. These changes were designed to create a more intuitive and seamless experience for users managing their daily operations.
The existing dashboard filtering system, referred to as "segments," was overly complex, unintuitive, and a significant pain point for users. Feedback highlighted confusion and frustration when locating and applying filters, which disrupted workflows and reduced efficiency.
The challenge required rethinking the filtering experience to make it intuitive, reduce cognitive load, and cater to a diverse range of user needs, all within the tight constraints of a two-week sprint.
I tackled this by integrating a predictive search feature into the global navigation, replacing fragmented search bars with a unified, site-wide solution. This streamlined the user experience and addressed a critical point of friction.
To further enhance usability, I designed a search-to-filter feature, simplifying how users navigated through filter options. I also introduced custom filters, enabling users to save and reuse filter combinations tailored to their specific needs. These changes were supported by a clear visual hierarchy, making navigation seamless and intuitive.
Rather than traditional user research, we adopted a lean model and conducted a competitive analysis of successful dashboards from industry leaders like GitHub and Gusto.
• GitHub's search functionality demonstrated the importance of predictive and efficient search features.
• Gusto's dashboard provided a clear, organized, and intuitive structure, setting a benchmark for usability.
These insights helped inform design decisions, ensuring the solutions aligned with industry best practices.
Using UnCommonGood’s existing design system as a foundation, I created wireframes that incorporated updated icons, hover actions, and a minimalist aesthetic to reduce cognitive strain.
• Advanced Filters: Redesigned to balance comprehensiveness with usability, ensuring consistency across devices.
• Visual Hierarchy: Improved through clean typography, modern iconography, and logical grouping of elements.
• Collaborative Workflow: Close collaboration with developers ensured that motion designs and interactive elements were optimized for usability and performance.
Unfortunately, the company lost funding before we could conduct usability testing, but we had solid plans in place for validating our designs.
Task-based sessions with diverse user groups to observe interactions and identify areas for improvement.
Testing multiple versions of the advanced filters to determine the most effective design.
Collecting qualitative insights post-testing to measure satisfaction and identify further optimization opportunities.
Despite the project's halt due to funding challenges, the work accomplished during the sprint was impactful. The redesigned dashboard had the potential to significantly enhance the experience for small business owners and entrepreneurs by simplifying complex systems like invoicing, billing, and project management.
Reflecting on this project, I am proud of the thoughtful design decisions and collaborative efforts that made these solutions possible. This experience reinforced my ability to deliver user-centered designs under tight constraints while prioritizing usability and efficiency.
Here’s some other fun and helpful things I’ve designed.
