Mapping the Process
Sketching Wireframes
App Screens
Situation
During a sales pitch to a major UK care home group, our agency's sales team encountered a critical client concern: the need for better control over agency spending on temporary staff. The potential client expressed interest in a booking platform that could incorporate spending limits and an authorisation system. As the booking platform's Product Manager, I was called upon to swiftly develop a solution that could address this issue and help our agency secure the client's business.
TASK
In this critical scenario, my key responsibilities were to:
1. Rapidly design a conceptual solution for an authorisation process within our existing booking platform.
2. Create a compelling product vision to support the sales team's pitch.
3. Demonstrate our agency's capability to meet complex client needs on short notice.
4. Collaborate with the sales team to present a convincing proposal.
Action
Rapid Solution Design
• Quickly analysed the existing booking platform to identify integration points for the new features.
• Sketched out a high-level authorisation workflow that could be seamlessly incorporated into the current system.
• Utilised Figma and Miro to create illustrative wireframes and flow diagrams.
Sales Support
• Worked closely with the sales team to understand the client's specific concerns and requirements.
• Prepared clear, concise explanations of the proposed solution for inclusion in the sales pitch.
• Developed high-fidelity screen mockups to visually demonstrate the potential implementation.
Stakeholder Collaboration
• Engaged with our UI designer and in-house development team to ensure the proposed solution was technically feasible.
• Coordinated with the sales team to align the technical proposal with their pitch strategy.
• Managed expectations regarding potential implementation timelines and resource requirements.
Future Planning
• Outlined a preliminary roadmap for full implementation, should the client choose to proceed.
• Proposed integration of user testing and analytics tools for ongoing optimisation.
• Prepared a rough two-month delivery timeline to demonstrate our readiness to execute.
Journey Mapping - The Detail
Having journey-mapped the original booking platform (in my role as Senior UX Designer) I already knew where the additional stages of the booking process would be required.
• At the point a booker creates and attempts to confirm bookings, a check is made to see if the spending limit allows it. If NO, confirm the booking, if YES offer the booker the option of requesting authorisation.
• If authorisation is requested, a Push Notification will be sent to the CFO who, with their higher permission level can view the bookings and (1) reject the request, (2) approve the bookings, or (3) raise the spending limit
• In all scenarios the booker will be Push Notified the decision. If the bookings have been approved, or the limit raised no action is required by the booker.
I illustrated this process in a flow-diagram in Miro, for the sales team to demonstrate to the client our proposed process.
Booking Process with Authorisation Workflow
Result
Although the project was not immediately implemented, our rapid response and proposed solution yielded significant outcomes:
Successful Client Acquisition: The care home group was impressed with our quick and thorough response to their needs, which played a crucial role in our agency winning their business.
Demonstrated Agility: Showcased our agency's ability to quickly adapt to client requirements and propose innovative solutions.
Enhanced Product Offering: The conceptual design for spending limits and authorisation became a valuable addition to our product roadmap, potentially benefiting other clients in the future.
Strengthened Sales Process: Established a successful model of collaboration between product and sales teams for responding to complex client requests during the pitch process.
Client Confidence: Built trust with the new client by demonstrating our capability to design and potentially implement sophisticated features tailored to their needs.
Example high-fidelity designs
This project highlighted my ability to rapidly conceptualise solutions, support the sales process, and bridge the gap between client needs and technical implementation. By leveraging my UX background and product management skills, I was able to contribute significantly to a successful client acquisition while setting the stage for potential future development.
END