Platform

MVP engagement platform

Balancing innovation and familiarity in evolving the dashboard UX

Product Designer | SaaS Platform | May 2025

Overview

Our client, a SaaS provider serving sports clubs, stadiums, and pubs, needed a streamlined way to boost user engagement around matches — before, during, and after the event.

The goal: enable users to create and share engagement events that bundle various interactive activities into a single, shareable link.

With a tight deadline and no time for upfront research, the client wanted to quickly test an MVP that would introduce this new feature without overwhelming existing users. They also emphasized minimizing development effort by maximizing reusable components.

The challenge

  • Introduce a new event creation flow that is intuitive for new users yet unobtrusive for existing ones

  • Build an MVP fast with sustainable, reusable UI components to reduce coding and future maintenance

  • Provide a clear starting point for new users focused on creating and sharing engagement events

  • Ensure the solution supports easy sharing and management of multiple events

  • The client’s strategic goal is to encourage users to prioritize event creation as the primary action within the platform

My role

  • I led the design of user-centered solutions that aligned business goals with user needs

  • I collaborated closely with client stakeholders to ensure clear communication and shared vision throughout the project

  • I prepared detailed handoffs for developers to enable smooth and efficient implementation of the MVP features.

  • I prepared documentation for components

Inheriting the existing dashboard

I started by analyzing the current dashboard, which served as the foundation for the MVP. The layout was functional but with inconsistent components and unclear hierarchy. While this made adding new features more challenging, it also revealed opportunities to introduce a more scalable structure. My task was to build on top of this setup, improving usability and design without overwhelming existing users.

  • Conducted user interviews and surveys to identify motivators and pain points

  • Found motivation and clear feedback loops are critical for habit formation

  • Performed competitive analysis to find differentiation through AI-powered scanning and gamification

  • Conducted user interviews and surveys to identify motivators and pain points

  • Found motivation and clear feedback loops are critical for habit formation

  • Performed competitive analysis to find differentiation through AI-powered scanning and gamification

My approach

I designed and delivered two quick event creation flows for the client to review and choose from:

  • Conducted user interviews and surveys to identify motivators and pain points

  • Found motivation and clear feedback loops are critical for habit formation

  • Performed competitive analysis to find differentiation through AI-powered scanning and gamification

  • Conducted user interviews and surveys to identify motivators and pain points

  • Found motivation and clear feedback loops are critical for habit formation

  • Performed competitive analysis to find differentiation through AI-powered scanning and gamification

Flow A – Event-centered, familiar experience

  • Maintained the original dashboard layout in Flow A to ensure continuity for existing users.

  • Introduced a new “Events” tab positioned first to direct user attention toward event creation.

  • Utilized the same reusable components for events as for activities, ensuring scalability of the system.

  • Enabled users to add existing activities to events at the end of the flow or via quick actions like the “+” button on activity cards.

  • After creating an activity, users are prompted to either attach it to an existing event or start a new event, facilitating a smooth and intuitive transition to event-based engagement.

  • Integrated event tab as a visually prominent element using size, color, and badge to make events stand out.

Pros:

  • Maintains a familiar layout

  • Lower implementation effort

  • Uses existing components

  • Smooth transition toward event usage

Cons:

  • Events might feel secondary

  • Less visually distinct from the current flow

Best Use:

  • Quick MVP iteration with minimal disruption

Flow B – Introducing a scalable event-centric section

  • Designed a dedicated Events section within the dashboard in Flow B, featuring a distinct layout with horizontal scrolling event cards to highlight events as a primary user action.

  • Developed the new Events component with scalability in mind to accommodate future growth.

  • Ensured the event creation flow mirrors the activity creation process for consistency and familiarity.

  • Enabled users to drag and drop activities into events (client will use it later in iterations), add activities during or after event creation.

  • Displayed linked activities directly on each event card, providing users with a clear overview from the dashboard.

Pros:

  • Clearly separates events as core feature

  • Scalable, modular design

  • Strong emphasis on event-first behavior

  • Future-proof, ready for expansion

Cons:

  • Higher cognitive load for returning users

  • More front-end development effort required

  • Possible disconnect from existing structure

Best Use:

  • Long-term growth with bold UX shift

Chosen approach and strategic alignment

The client decided to pursue Flow B to align with their long-term strategic goals focused on growth and user engagement

  • They want events to be positioned as a core, clearly defined feature for better user discoverability

  • The client values a scalable, modular architecture that supports future expansion

  • They prefer a bold UX shift that differentiates their product in the market

  • They accept the higher upfront effort in exchange for greater long-term value and sustainable impact

Flow A

Pros:

  • Maintains familiar layout

  • Lower implementation effort

  • Uses existing components

  • Smooth transition toward event usage

Cons:

  • Events might feel secondary

  • Less visually distinct from current flow

Best Use:

  • Quick MVP iteration with minimal disruption

Flow B

Pros:

  • Clearly separates events as core feature

  • Scalable, modular design

  • Strong emphasis on event-first behavior

  • Future-proof, ready for expansion

Cons:

  • Higher cognitive load for returning users

  • More front-end development effort required

  • Possible disconnect from existing structure

Best Use:

  • Long-term growth with bold UX shift

Flow A

Pros:

  • Maintains familiar layout

  • Lower implementation effort

  • Uses existing components

  • Smooth transition toward event usage

Cons:

  • Events might feel secondary

  • Less visually distinct from current flow

Best Use:

  • Quick MVP iteration with minimal disruption

Flow B

Pros:

  • Clearly separates events as core feature

  • Scalable, modular design

  • Strong emphasis on event-first behavior

  • Future-proof, ready for expansion

Cons:

  • Higher cognitive load for returning users

  • More front-end development effort required

  • Possible disconnect from existing structure

Best Use:

  • Long-term growth with bold UX shift

Sustainable, reusable component

At the core of the design is a versatile Event Card component that users interact with to:

  • See and manage engagement activities displayed as interactive chips (scalable for more activities for the future)

  • Drag-and-drop or click-to-add activities from an adjacent activities section

  • Share the event link directly from the dashboard

  • This component was built for scalability and easy updates, ensuring long-term maintainability with minimal development overhead.

At the core of the design is a versatile Event Card component that users interact with to:

  • See and manage engagement activities displayed as interactive chips (scalable for more activities for the future)

  • Drag-and-drop or click-to-add activities from an adjacent activities section

  • Share the event link directly from the dashboard

  • This component was built for scalability and easy updates, ensuring long-term maintainability with minimal development overhead.

At the core of the design is a versatile Event Card component that users interact with to:

  • See and manage engagement activities displayed as interactive chips (scalable for more activities for the future)

  • Drag-and-drop or click-to-add activities from an adjacent activities section

  • Share the event link directly from the dashboard

  • This component was built for scalability and easy updates, ensuring long-term maintainability with minimal development overhead.

This component exemplifies the principles of atomic design. It functions as an organism, composed of smaller building blocks—atoms and molecules. For instance, an individual chip represents an atom, which we developed as a standalone, reusable component. This approach not only ensures consistency but also enables efficient reuse across current and future implementations.

This component exemplifies the principles of atomic design. It functions as an organism, composed of smaller building blocks—atoms and molecules. For instance, an individual chip represents an atom, which we developed as a standalone, reusable component. This approach not only ensures consistency but also enables efficient reuse across current and future implementations.

This component exemplifies the principles of atomic design. It functions as an organism, composed of smaller building blocks—atoms and molecules. For instance, an individual chip represents an atom, which we developed as a standalone, reusable component. This approach not only ensures consistency but also enables efficient reuse across current and future implementations.

Interactive prototyp for client and testing

New user onboarding

  • I also crafted a simple onboarding experience guiding new users through event creation, making the process clear and inviting.

Validation

  • The client was very satisfied with the significant impact delivered within a tight timeline, praising the balance between speed and quality

  • Developers appreciated the use of reusable components, which streamlined implementation and simplified future updates

  • Early user feedback was positive, with many expressing curiosity and actively trying the new event creation feature, confirming its intuitive design and potential for engagement.

Solution highlights

Redesigned dashboard

  • Introduced a redesigned dashboard that places events in the spotlight, reflecting their growing importance in the user journey.

  • The new layout moves closer to a true dashboard experience, offering users a more structured, actionable, and visually organized overview.

  • By prioritizing events visually and functionally, the interface better supports strategic planning and engagement at a glance.

Adding new activity

  • Streamlined the activity-adding process with a +Add button that opens directly into a contextual creation step, where I used the same layout and flow.

  • Introduced expandable lists grouped by activity type, providing users with a clear overview and enabling faster selection based on their needs.

  • This approach enhances usability by reducing friction and supporting quicker decision-making within a structured, intuitive interface.

Streamlined task management with Drag&Drop

  • Implemented drag-and-drop functionality on the dashboard to support a faster, more intuitive workflow.

  • Users can easily assign activities to events directly from the dashboard, reducing steps and enhancing productivity.

  • This interaction model reinforces a sense of control and efficiency, aligning with modern UX expectations for dynamic content management.

Visual event browsing with reused layout patterns

  • Repurposed the existing “See All” layout used for activity types to maintain visual consistency and reduce cognitive load.

  • Replaced the list format with event cards, offering a more visual and engaging way to browse and manage events.

  • This approach leverages familiar patterns while adapting the layout to suit the content, improving usability without introducing unnecessary complexity.

Learnings & next steps

What I learned:

  • Designing with constraints (tight timelines, no initial research) can still lead to strong outcomes when focusing on clarity, reusability, and business alignment.

  • Early stakeholder collaboration and fast prototyping help validate direction quickly and reduce unnecessary rework.

  • Modular design not only speeds up development but also sets a solid foundation for scaling features efficiently.

Next steps:

  • Monitor real user behavior to identify friction points and refine the event creation flow

  • Expand the engagement activity library and improve personalization based on usage patterns- add filters, sort by…

  • Gradually introduce analytics and sharing insights to help clubs measure event impact

Next Project

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