About the Project
About the Project
Flowcase is an online SaaS-based application that empowers professional services firms to create tailored resumes and case studies with ease, helping them to win more bids in less time. The platform allows customers to share proposal documents through export or via collaboration links, but the requirement for both parties to be Flowcase customers created limitations.
The goal of the project was to explore a solution for seamless sharing of resumes and case studies without the need for attachments. Through this approach, download times would be reduced, storage limitations would be eliminated and access constraints could be avoided. Ultimately, the project was designed to improve the user experience by making documents that customers typically spend hours putting together more accessible, while maintaining efficient data presentation of these important files.
About the Project
Flowcase is an online SaaS-based application that empowers professional services firms to create tailored resumes and case studies with ease, helping them to win more bids in less time. The platform allows customers to share proposal documents through export or via collaboration links, but the requirement for both parties to be Flowcase customers created limitations.
The goal of the project was to explore a solution for seamless sharing of resumes and case studies without the need for attachments. Through this approach, download times would be reduced, storage limitations would be eliminated and access constraints could be avoided. Ultimately, the project was designed to improve the user experience by making documents that customers typically spend hours putting together more accessible, while maintaining efficient data presentation of these important files.
About the Project
Flowcase is an online SaaS-based application that empowers professional services firms to create tailored resumes and case studies with ease, helping them to win more bids in less time. The platform allows customers to share proposal documents through export or via collaboration links, but the requirement for both parties to be Flowcase customers created limitations.
The goal of the project was to explore a solution for seamless sharing of resumes and case studies without the need for attachments. Through this approach, download times would be reduced, storage limitations would be eliminated and access constraints could be avoided. Ultimately, the project was designed to improve the user experience by making documents that customers typically spend hours putting together more accessible, while maintaining efficient data presentation of these important files.
My Contribution
My Contribution
For this concept exploration, I led a small cross-functional team of developers and customer success managers. My key responsibilities and achievements included:
Conducting user research to identify common pain points.
Developing user flows and UX artifacts ranging from low-fidelity sketches to design mockups.
Ensuring alignment between design, business goals, and technical feasibility to keep the project on track and key stakeholders like the CPO and Customer Success Managers up to date.
My Contribution
For this concept exploration, I led a small cross-functional team of developers and customer success managers. My key responsibilities and achievements included:
Conducting user research to identify common pain points.
Developing user flows and UX artifacts ranging from low-fidelity sketches to design mockups.
Ensuring alignment between design, business goals, and technical feasibility to keep the project on track and key stakeholders like the CPO and Customer Success Managers up to date.
My Contribution
For this concept exploration, I led a small cross-functional team of developers and customer success managers. My key responsibilities and achievements included:
Conducting user research to identify common pain points.
Developing user flows and UX artifacts ranging from low-fidelity sketches to design mockups.
Ensuring alignment between design, business goals, and technical feasibility to keep the project on track and key stakeholders like the CPO and Customer Success Managers up to date.
The Challenge and Constraints
The Challenge and Constraints
Many professional services firms rely on digital platforms to craft resumes and build proposals but face challenges sharing them across their network, including colleagues and external stakeholders like consultants. Traditional sharing methods often relied on email attachments or application-based access, leading to inefficiencies like file storage limitations, download times and restricted access for recipients without proper permissions. Customers needed a solution that would allow them to quickly share their tailored resumes and case studies in an accessible and professional format that would showcase their best talent.
The Challenge and Constraints
Many professional services firms rely on digital platforms to craft resumes and build proposals but face challenges sharing them across their network, including colleagues and external stakeholders like consultants. Traditional sharing methods often relied on email attachments or application-based access, leading to inefficiencies like file storage limitations, download times and restricted access for recipients without proper permissions. Customers needed a solution that would allow them to quickly share their tailored resumes and case studies in an accessible and professional format that would showcase their best talent.
The Challenge and Constraints
Many professional services firms rely on digital platforms to craft resumes and build proposals but face challenges sharing them across their network, including colleagues and external stakeholders like consultants. Traditional sharing methods often relied on email attachments or application-based access, leading to inefficiencies like file storage limitations, download times and restricted access for recipients without proper permissions. Customers needed a solution that would allow them to quickly share their tailored resumes and case studies in an accessible and professional format that would showcase their best talent.
Access Restrictions
Receipients should not need an account to view resumes.
No file storage
Recipients should not have to download the attachments in order to view them.
Time-Limited Files
For security measures, resumes should only be accessible for a defined period.
Simple Branding
The service should place focus on the resumes and design for System 1 thinking.
Pain Points and Opportunities
Pain Points and Opportunities
Pain Points and Opportunities
Through initial stakeholder interviews, we found that customers were growing frustrated with the access restrictions preventing recipients from viewing critical documents. Security concerns with data-sensitive content being shared through email attachments, which could be further shared without control, was also a common pain point amongst customers interviewed.
These insights highlighted key opportunities for improvement. Leveraging web-based previews would address download delays, reduce storage requirements all while improving accessibility. Providing a user-friendly and easily shareable service could also attract new users through positive recipient experiences.
Pain Points and Opportunities
The Process
The Process
Applying the BIAS Framework and designing for System 1 Thinking:
Recognizing that resumes are typically text-dense, I designed with the BIAS framework in mind to ensure that a critical action like resume sharing would be fast, familiar, and rewarding. Additionally, I aimed to reduce cognitive load wherever possible to allow users to act intuitively, making it easy to complete tasks in just a few clicks without decision fatigue.
User Flows and Usability Testing:
Our team made efforts to empathize with customers in order to clearly define the problem. With this approach, allowing ourselves to brainstorm a variety of solutions before converging again became an easier task. We had certain parameters to remain within scope, but we kept an open mind for new ideas, only closing options when there were documented reasons to do so. I designed user flows to digest insights from the stakeholder interviews and help the team better visualize the intended path. The flow also introduced a menu with tabs to enable smooth navigation between different sections, including clear titles to guide users effectively.
Wireframing and Prototyping:
After conducting card-sorting exercises and prioritizing MVP features with the dev team, I created low-fidelity wireframes to validate the layout. These wireframes allowed me build an early prototype, which we used for initial testing. This would allow us to quickly test the pain points initially raised during the customer interviews and validate our progress.
Iterating and Validating:
Through usability testing of this prototype, we found that customers would prefer a service that resembled a personal website, showcasing their best work in a minimalistic design. This would allow their recipients to focus on the content of their resumes, their experience, their achievements and foster collaboration through features like pinning the resume - a list they could then share with the sender.
During a watch session with the developers, I facilitated a real-time sync and addressed on-the-spot questions, leading to further ideas such as enabling PDF previews directly within the browser - which would be fetched from another one of our internal tools. The MVP testing results showed that tab-based navigation helped guide the user and allowed them to have an organized thought process while reviewing resumes.
The Process
Applying the BIAS Framework and designing for System 1 Thinking:
Recognizing that resumes are typically text-dense, I designed with the BIAS framework in mind to ensure that a critical action like resume sharing would be fast, familiar, and rewarding. Additionally, I aimed to reduce cognitive load wherever possible to allow users to act intuitively, making it easy to complete tasks in just a few clicks without decision fatigue.
User Flows and Usability Testing:
Our team made efforts to empathize with customers in order to clearly define the problem. With this approach, allowing ourselves to brainstorm a variety of solutions before converging again became an easier task. We had certain parameters to remain within scope, but we kept an open mind for new ideas, only closing options when there were documented reasons to do so. I designed user flows to digest insights from the stakeholder interviews and help the team better visualize the intended path. The flow also introduced a menu with tabs to enable smooth navigation between different sections, including clear titles to guide users effectively.
Wireframing and Prototyping:
After conducting card-sorting exercises and prioritizing MVP features with the dev team, I created low-fidelity wireframes to validate the layout. These wireframes allowed me build an early prototype, which we used for initial testing. This would allow us to quickly test the pain points initially raised during the customer interviews and validate our progress.
Iterating and Validating:
Through usability testing of this prototype, we found that customers would prefer a service that resembled a personal website, showcasing their best work in a minimalistic design. This would allow their recipients to focus on the content of their resumes, their experience, their achievements and foster collaboration through features like pinning the resume - a list they could then share with the sender.
During a watch session with the developers, I facilitated a real-time sync and addressed on-the-spot questions, leading to further ideas such as enabling PDF previews directly within the browser - which would be fetched from another one of our internal tools. The MVP testing results showed that tab-based navigation helped guide the user and allowed them to have an organized thought process while reviewing resumes.
The Process
Applying the BIAS Framework and designing for System 1 Thinking:
Recognizing that resumes are typically text-dense, I designed with the BIAS framework in mind to ensure that a critical action like resume sharing would be fast, familiar, and rewarding. Additionally, I aimed to reduce cognitive load wherever possible to allow users to act intuitively, making it easy to complete tasks in just a few clicks without decision fatigue.
User Flows and Usability Testing:
Our team made efforts to empathize with customers in order to clearly define the problem. With this approach, allowing ourselves to brainstorm a variety of solutions before converging again became an easier task. We had certain parameters to remain within scope, but we kept an open mind for new ideas, only closing options when there were documented reasons to do so. I designed user flows to digest insights from the stakeholder interviews and help the team better visualize the intended path. The flow also introduced a menu with tabs to enable smooth navigation between different sections, including clear titles to guide users effectively.
Wireframing and Prototyping:
After conducting card-sorting exercises and prioritizing MVP features with the dev team, I created low-fidelity wireframes to validate the layout. These wireframes allowed me build an early prototype, which we used for initial testing. This would allow us to quickly test the pain points initially raised during the customer interviews and validate our progress.
Iterating and Validating:
Through usability testing of this prototype, we found that customers would prefer a service that resembled a personal website, showcasing their best work in a minimalistic design. This would allow their recipients to focus on the content of their resumes, their experience, their achievements and foster collaboration through features like pinning the resume - a list they could then share with the sender.
During a watch session with the developers, I facilitated a real-time sync and addressed on-the-spot questions, leading to further ideas such as enabling PDF previews directly within the browser - which would be fetched from another one of our internal tools. The MVP testing results showed that tab-based navigation helped guide the user and allowed them to have an organized thought process while reviewing resumes.
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Through testing the MVP with customers who had specifically expressed interest in these features, we were able to see promising results pointing that indicated reduced friction in resume sharing, offering them a more complete and rewarding user experience within the core web application itself. Resumes are often shared on the go, so next steps will involve iterating on user feedback and refining the mobile version of the service. Additionally, we plan to explore AI-driven recommendations to help users enhance their resume tailoring before sharing them, improving the flow and adding value to the overall experience at Flowcase.
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Through testing the MVP with customers who had specifically expressed interest in these features, we were able to see promising results pointing that indicated reduced friction in resume sharing, offering them a more complete and rewarding user experience within the core web application itself. Resumes are often shared on the go, so next steps will involve iterating on user feedback and refining the mobile version of the service. Additionally, we plan to explore AI-driven recommendations to help users enhance their resume tailoring before sharing them, improving the flow and adding value to the overall experience at Flowcase.
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Through testing the MVP with customers who had specifically expressed interest in these features, we were able to see promising results pointing that indicated reduced friction in resume sharing, offering them a more complete and rewarding user experience within the core web application itself. Resumes are often shared on the go, so next steps will involve iterating on user feedback and refining the mobile version of the service. Additionally, we plan to explore AI-driven recommendations to help users enhance their resume tailoring before sharing them, improving the flow and adding value to the overall experience at Flowcase.