DÜZY Ecommerce
Experience
Client:
DüzyTV
Product Type:
Mobile overlay
Ecommerce
My Role:
research
design
Under Construction
I'm currently in the process of updating this case study; I'll publish the latest version as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!
Here are some of my other projects you can check out:
Here are some of my other projects you can check out:
Under Construction
I'm currently in the process of updating this case study; I'll publish the latest version as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!
DÜZY Ecommerce
Experience
Client:
Düzytv
Product Type:
Mobile overlay
ecommerce
My Role:
research
design
Here are some of my other projects you can check out:
Under Construction
I'm currently in the process of updating this case study; I'll publish the latest version as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!
DÜZY Ecommerce
Experience
Client:
Düzytv
Product Type:
Mobile overlay
ecommerce
My Role:
research
design
Under Construction
I'm currently in the process of updating this case study; I'll publish the latest version as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!
Project Dashboard
Workflow Tracker
Document Request
The Ask: “There has to be a better way to do this.”
What happens when you take a specialized market, add some complex legal, financial, and labor processes, then multiply all of that by a growing demand for your services? Well, in Sparkfund’s case, you end up with growing pains and a confusing workflow with many moving parts and no singular source of truth.
Sparkfund reached out to me seeking help with creating a project management system that would improve and optimize their internal, partner, and customer workflows. Easy enough*, right?
*Because sarcasm isn’t conveyed well through text, I’m calling it out here.
Sparkfund’s outdated platform and workflow.
Setting the Scene: “Where’s that proposal? What do you need from me?”
Sparkfund’s rudimentary platform and disjointed workflow left a lot to be desired for all users involved: internal, partner, and customer.
Internal Team: Sparkfund’s internal users include sales professionals, project managers, developers, as well as individuals involved in structuring, risk assessment, and contracting, among others. Though the roles differ in title and function, they all share a common goal of growing and completing project opportunities.
Partner Sales Leads: These are users that work for various companies in the energy sector (e.g. Duke Energy, Georgia Power, Enel X) that partner with Sparkfund to acquire and develop projects. The projects themselves vary greatly, but most commonly involve technology such as HVAC systems, generators, and EV charging stations.
Customers: Without whom projects would not exist, customer users are businesses that are looking to get the aforementioned technology priced, financed, and installed.
Still with me? Okay, so a typical project needs to be scoped, priced, contracted, and then installed in order to be considered complete. Each of those stages require multiple milestones of their own involving back-and-forth between no less than 3 users at any given time.
Now imagine this back-and-forth is taking place on multiple platforms and through different forms of communication that vary based on the partner and customer. All the while, internal and partner users are simultaneously juggling other projects. It’s a lot and, understandably, documents end up getting lost in the mix and folks are often confused about what needs to be done and by whom.
Exercise used to gather insights; when a member of your team is big into movies, you lean into it.
Unraveling Threads: “Let’s talk about the challenges that come up during your workday.”
At this point, we know that users are having a difficult time getting their jobs done in an efficient and timely manner, but we need to know what all is contributing to this. So, partnering up with the Product Manager, I conducted multiple rounds of user interviews and brainstorming sessions to get to the root of the problem. From these meetings, three significant insights emerged:
No Process Transparency: Users have a general idea of what milestones are involved in a project, but their knowledge is incomplete and only through the lens of their own role. Because of this fragmented view of the process, it’s difficult for users to know at any given time where in the lifecycle a project is currently sitting.
Lack of Task Ownership: As a result of the above point, users don’t always know who should be doing what and when. What’s more, users may not realize which tasks they’re responsible for or if they’re preventing someone else from doing their job until they get confronted about it. This issue is further complicated by the next point.
Poor Documentation and Communication: Users communicate and share documents through various and inconsistent methods. This leads to time wasted scanning through hundreds of emails, searching Slack and Teams conversations, or scouring Google Drive (to name a few) for important exchanges and living documents. Consequently, vital information, tasks, and documents end up displaced or missed completely.
Now that we’re armed with these insights, it’s time to start working some magic.
Mood boards I created to help establish the look and feel of SparkOS; we went with a variation of “Minimal + Modern Operation”.
The Magic: “Simplify, inform, and consolidate.”
Sparkfund's users needed a streamlined platform to simplify their daily operations, offering comprehensive insights into project workflows and consolidating documentation and communication for increased efficiency. Here’s how I went about accomplishing this for the new platform:
Workflow Tracker
Process Transparency, Task Ownership
In order for users to know the current milestone of a project, as well as the parties responsible for it, they need a chronological and informative overview of the entire process. Enter the Workflow Tracker. This feature pulls together every aspect of a project and presents it in an approachable way. Users can see the progress of a project along with relevant details, updates, and history - all of which are provided for added context and clarity. The Workflow Tracker keeps users informed along the way, enabling them to execute their role with more confidence and ease. Knowledge is power, after all.
In order for users to act upon tasks in a timely manner, they need to know which tasks they’re responsible for and when. This is where the Current Milestone widget on the project dashboard really shines. This feature, paired with toast notifications and activity alerts, directly guides users from on milestone to the next. By providing users with milestone context and role-specific CTAs, the Current Milestone widget empowers users to know exactly what they should be doing at any given time.
Current Milestone Widget
Task Ownership, Process Transparency
In order for users to save time and keep track of information, tasks, and documents, they need to be able to easily manage their documents and communication all in one place. So, I gave them the ability to do just that. Users can request, upload, manage, and share documents right in SparkOS. They can communicate directly with one another in the platform, leveraging tags and message history to easily organize and reference conversations. In addition, internal user roles can create and assign tasks to one another as needed. In-platform document management and messaging saves users time and enables them to do their jobs more efficiently.
In-Platform Document Management and Messaging
Documentation and Communication
The Outcome: “Simple and transparent. Everything in one place.”
Our ultimate goal was to create a platform that would optimize user workflows and, as a result, reduce time spent working on a given project. While I firmly believe this was accomplished, I simply don’t have the quantitative data to prove a reduction in time spent working on a project. Unfortunately, Sparkfund’s product team was impacted by the surge of tech layoffs in 2023 and we never got the opportunity to run tests and gather that specific data. That being said, what I do have is some positive feedback and solid usability metrics that point to a useful platform with happy users.
I’m a fan of the System Usability Scale (SUS) for multiple reasons; for this project in particular, SUS was an easy way to get reliable feedback from a small sample of potential users. Here’s how we went about administering the scale:
Leveraging the Product Manager’s intimate knowledge of project processes, I put together a prototype that simulated the entirety of a project’s workflow: starting with new customer acquisition and ending with installation. We called this our End-to-End Flow.
We gathered a group of 6 potential users: 4 folks from Sparkfund’s internal team, and 2 Partner Sales Leads.
The Product Manager walked everyone through the End-to-End Flow, calling out the user point of view and goals as they went.
After the initial walkthrough, we revisited areas of the End-to-End Flow that potential users wanted to get a another look at.
Lastly, we provided our subjects with the SUS questions and asked them to include any additional thoughts they wanted to share.
As for the results? Our raw SUS Scores ranged from 74 to 82 (rounded), with an average score of 79. Referencing values pulled together by Jeff Sauro, PhD (image and source below), that average score has SparkOS sitting pretty at a grade of A-, or, “Good” usability that’s barely shy of “Excellent”.
In addition, our qualitative feedback was as productive as it was positive. Users were excited by what they had seen and were inspired to provide more ideas of how SparkOS could make their lives even easier, like managing meetings and editing documents in-platform. One item of feedback I loved in particular was enthusiasm for the Workflow Tracker and how it was what they had been envisioning for the platform: “It’s like a pizza tracker!”.
Considerations: It’s important to call out that our sample size was fairly limited and our subjects were considered tech-savvy. Even so, this batch of subjects was comfortably representative of who we were designing for.
Table and figure depicting various ways SUS scores can be interpreted.
Reflections: “A solid team of curious minds makes all the difference.”
This project holds a special place in my career and I fondly remember the positive experiences it brought. It was such an ideal environment for exploring, asking questions, and creating - all because of a shared sense of curiosity and humility.
The success of this project can be traced back to the open communication and collaboration practiced by everyone involved. We overcame unique challenges their niche field and robust processes posed by working closely with each other and, especially, potential users. Having the opportunity to really get to know the users, listening and being able to figure out what they needed is what helped set this project up for early success.
Here are some of my other projects you can check out:
DÜZY Ecommerce
Experience
Client:
Düzytv
Product Type:
Mobile overlay
ecommerce
My Role:
research
design
Under Construction
I'm currently in the process of updating this case study; I'll publish the latest version as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!
Project Dashboard
Workflow Tracker
Document Request
The Ask: “There has to be a better way to do this.”
What happens when you take a specialized market, add some complex legal, financial, and labor processes, then multiply all of that by a growing demand for your services? Well, in Sparkfund’s case, you end up with growing pains and a confusing workflow with many moving parts and no singular source of truth.
Sparkfund reached out to me seeking help with creating a project management system that would improve and optimize their internal, partner, and customer workflows. Easy enough*, right?
*Because sarcasm isn’t conveyed well through text, I’m calling it out here.
Sparkfund’s outdated platform and workflow.
Setting the Scene: “Where’s that proposal? What do you need from me?”
Sparkfund’s rudimentary platform and disjointed workflow left a lot to be desired for all users involved: internal, partner, and customer.
Internal Team: Sparkfund’s internal users include sales professionals, project managers, developers, as well as individuals involved in structuring, risk assessment, and contracting, among others. Though the roles differ in title and function, they all share a common goal of growing and completing project opportunities.
Partner Sales Leads: These are users that work for various companies in the energy sector (e.g. Duke Energy, Georgia Power, Enel X) that partner with Sparkfund to acquire and develop projects. The projects themselves vary greatly, but most commonly involve technology such as HVAC systems, generators, and EV charging stations.
Customers: Without whom projects would not exist, customer users are businesses that are looking to get the aforementioned technology priced, financed, and installed.
Still with me? Okay, so a typical project needs to be scoped, priced, contracted, and then installed in order to be considered complete. Each of those stages require multiple milestones of their own involving back-and-forth between no less than 3 users at any given time.
Now imagine this back-and-forth is taking place on multiple platforms and through different forms of communication that vary based on the partner and customer. All the while, internal and partner users are simultaneously juggling other projects. It’s a lot and, understandably, documents end up getting lost in the mix and folks are often confused about what needs to be done and by whom.
Exercise used to gather insights; when a member of your team is big into movies, you lean into it.
Unraveling Threads: “Let’s talk about the challenges that come up during your workday.”
At this point, we know that users are having a difficult time getting their jobs done in an efficient and timely manner, but we need to know what all is contributing to this. So, partnering up with the Product Manager, I conducted multiple rounds of user interviews and brainstorming sessions to get to the root of the problem. From these meetings, three significant insights emerged:
No Process Transparency: Users have a general idea of what milestones are involved in a project, but their knowledge is incomplete and only through the lens of their own role. Because of this fragmented view of the process, it’s difficult for users to know at any given time where in the lifecycle a project is currently sitting.
Lack of Task Ownership: As a result of the above point, users don’t always know who should be doing what and when. What’s more, users may not realize which tasks they’re responsible for or if they’re preventing someone else from doing their job until they get confronted about it. This issue is further complicated by the next point.
Poor Documentation and Communication: Users communicate and share documents through various and inconsistent methods. This leads to time wasted scanning through hundreds of emails, searching Slack and Teams conversations, or scouring Google Drive (to name a few) for important exchanges and living documents. Consequently, vital information, tasks, and documents end up displaced or missed completely.
Now that we’re armed with these insights, it’s time to start working some magic.
Mood boards I created to help establish the look and feel of SparkOS; we went with a variation of “Minimal + Modern Operation”.
The Magic: “Simplify, inform, and consolidate.”
Sparkfund's users needed a streamlined platform to simplify their daily operations, offering comprehensive insights into project workflows and consolidating documentation and communication for increased efficiency. Here’s how I went about accomplishing this for the new platform:
Workflow Tracker
Process Transparency, Task Ownership
In order for users to know the current milestone of a project, as well as the parties responsible for it, they need a chronological and informative overview of the entire process. Enter the Workflow Tracker. This feature pulls together every aspect of a project and presents it in an approachable way. Users can see the progress of a project along with relevant details, updates, and history - all of which are provided for added context and clarity. The Workflow Tracker keeps users informed along the way, enabling them to execute their role with more confidence and ease. Knowledge is power, after all.
In order for users to act upon tasks in a timely manner, they need to know which tasks they’re responsible for and when. This is where the Current Milestone widget on the project dashboard really shines. This feature, paired with toast notifications and activity alerts, directly guides users from on milestone to the next. By providing users with milestone context and role-specific CTAs, the Current Milestone widget empowers users to know exactly what they should be doing at any given time.
Current Milestone Widget
Task Ownership, Process Transparency
In order for users to save time and keep track of information, tasks, and documents, they need to be able to easily manage their documents and communication all in one place. So, I gave them the ability to do just that. Users can request, upload, manage, and share documents right in SparkOS. They can communicate directly with one another in the platform, leveraging tags and message history to easily organize and reference conversations. In addition, internal user roles can create and assign tasks to one another as needed. In-platform document management and messaging saves users time and enables them to do their jobs more efficiently.
In-Platform Document Management and Messaging
Documentation and Communication
The Outcome: “Simple and transparent. Everything in one place.”
Our ultimate goal was to create a platform that would optimize user workflows and, as a result, reduce time spent working on a given project. While I firmly believe this was accomplished, I simply don’t have the quantitative data to prove a reduction in time spent working on a project. Unfortunately, Sparkfund’s product team was impacted by the surge of tech layoffs in 2023 and we never got the opportunity to run tests and gather that specific data. That being said, what I do have is some positive feedback and solid usability metrics that point to a useful platform with happy users.
I’m a fan of the System Usability Scale (SUS) for multiple reasons; for this project in particular, SUS was an easy way to get reliable feedback from a small sample of potential users. Here’s how we went about administering the scale:
Leveraging the Product Manager’s intimate knowledge of project processes, I put together a prototype that simulated the entirety of a project’s workflow: starting with new customer acquisition and ending with installation. We called this our End-to-End Flow.
We gathered a group of 6 potential users: 4 folks from Sparkfund’s internal team, and 2 Partner Sales Leads.
The Product Manager walked everyone through the End-to-End Flow, calling out the user point of view and goals as they went.
After the initial walkthrough, we revisited areas of the End-to-End Flow that potential users wanted to get a another look at.
Lastly, we provided our subjects with the SUS questions and asked them to include any additional thoughts they wanted to share.
As for the results? Our raw SUS Scores ranged from 74 to 82 (rounded), with an average score of 79. Referencing values pulled together by Jeff Sauro, PhD (image and source below), that average score has SparkOS sitting pretty at a grade of A-, or, “Good” usability that’s barely shy of “Excellent”.
In addition, our qualitative feedback was as productive as it was positive. Users were excited by what they had seen and were inspired to provide more ideas of how SparkOS could make their lives even easier, like managing meetings and editing documents in-platform. One item of feedback I loved in particular was enthusiasm for the Workflow Tracker and how it was what they had been envisioning for the platform: “It’s like a pizza tracker!”.
Considerations: It’s important to call out that our sample size was fairly limited and our subjects were considered tech-savvy. Even so, this batch of subjects was comfortably representative of who we were designing for.
Table and figure depicting various ways SUS scores can be interpreted.
Reflections: “A solid team of curious minds makes all the difference.”
This project holds a special place in my career and I fondly remember the positive experiences it brought. It was such an ideal environment for exploring, asking questions, and creating - all because of a shared sense of curiosity and humility.
The success of this project can be traced back to the open communication and collaboration practiced by everyone involved. We overcame unique challenges their niche field and robust processes posed by working closely with each other and, especially, potential users. Having the opportunity to really get to know the users, listening and being able to figure out what they needed is what helped set this project up for early success.
Here are some of my other projects you can check out:
DÜZY Ecommerce
Experience
Client:
Düzytv
Product Type:
Mobile overlay
ecommerce
My Role:
research
design