Challenge
Constraints
When I joined 500 Designs, client operations were spread across spreadsheets and emails, making onboarding inconsistent and account visibility unclear. With a small design and engineering team, rebuilding the entire workflow from scratch wasn’t an option—we had to work lean and move fast.
At the same time, I was swamped with other client projects—owning end-to-end design across product, research, UI/UX, branding, website design, and emails—plus a backlog of shelved ideas still living in my Figma files.
Given the load, we focused on small, high-impact improvements that fit existing workflows, shipped in short cycles, and stayed consistent via a well-structured design system.
Research
Interviews
After our team conducted a series of interviews with our managers, ops, and finance, mapped current workflows, and audited our tool sprawl. We were able to understand the users' motivations as well as blockers for daily workflows, and the pain points involved with both.
Key user stories
As a Design Manager, I want to view each client’s name, subscription type, and hours at a glance so I can quickly understand their plan.
As an Account Manager, I want to easily onboard and manage client accounts—updating plans and details—so clients receive invites automatically.
As a Financial Controller, I want an automated invoicing showing subscription and payment status so I can monitor billing without manual effort.
Iterations
We explored multiple dashboards and aligned on a layout that balanced user clarity with business needs. I prototyped key concepts and tested them with account leads and ops, whose feedback refined table design, filters, and hierarchy—making client management faster and more intuitive.
To scale cleanly, we built a lightweight design style guide and reusable table patterns.
Key Features
All Clients Dashboard
A dashboard view that lets account managers create and edit client accounts, update plans and key details (company info, contacts, payment terms, status, payment method), auto-send access invites, and export monthly reports—no more hunting through spreadsheets.
Invoice Automation
Simplified invoice creation, sending, and tracking directly in the app. Automated reminders reduced missed payments and manual follow-ups for the finance team.
User-friendly Onboarding Flow
A simple, step‑by‑step intake for new clients that ties directly to plan configuration—fewer errors and a consistent setup regardless of who’s doing it.
Takeaway & Reflection
Building Project Ace reinforced the value of designing for scalability, even in internal tools. Starting small goals—with a client dashboard, invoicing, and onboarding flow—allowed us to deliver quickly while laying the groundwork for a sustainable system. Close collaboration across design, product, and operations shaped features that balanced usability with real business needs.
My biggest takeaway: clarity and consistency drive adoption. By centralizing operations and simplifying everyday tasks, we turned fragmented workflows into a single, predictable rhythm for the team.
Please note, the UI and animations in this case study have been updated to reflect my current standards.