Six Months. Four Projects. One Designer.

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01. Overview

This case study shares my six-month contract as the sole UX designer at a commercial property analytics startup. It details how I juggled multiple projects in a new industry, developed tools and processes, and applied technical UI skills to tackle real-world challenges.

02. ROLE

Uncharted Territory

After spending years in the banking sector, I felt it was time to shake things up. So, I took on a six-month contract with a proptech company—my first venture into this industry. This role wasn't just about bringing my existing skills to the table; it was about diving headfirst into a new domain and making a meaningful impact in a short period.

Outcomes

Leasing Data Project: Developed a business case that laid the groundwork for a potentially game-changing feature in commercial real estate management.
Charts and Tables Enhancement: Designed improvements to data visualisation, making complex property data more accessible with added capabilities customers were asking for.
Retail Experience: Proposed strategies to maintain momentum and ensure our retail experience remained a core offering.
Process and Ways of Working: Delivered recommendations aimed at streamlining the design process, setting the stage for scalable growth.

03. Key Challenges

Chaos Meets Simplicity

Client

As the only UX designer for the entire product, I found myself simultaneously working on four projects:

Leasing Data Project
Charts and Table Enhancement
Retail Experience Enhancements
Process and Ways of Working Recommendation

Each project had its own challenges, stakeholders, and tight deadlines. The pressure was on to deliver top-notch work across the board while getting up to speed with the ins and outs of the commercial real estate industry.

Services

Realising I needed a game plan to stay sane and productive, I turned to the 70-20-10 Rule to prioritise my efforts:

70% on the highest priority (Leasing Data Project)
20% on the second priority (Charts and Table Enhancement)
10% split between the remaining two (Retail Experience and Process Improvement)

This wasn't a rigid rule but gave me a solid framework to manage my time and energy effectively.

The 70-20-10 Rule

Weekly Breakdown

I organised my days around 90- to 120-minute 'deep work' sessions. While surprises did pop up, I made sure to reserve at least two blocks for high-priority tasks. The rest of the day was more flexible, adapting to what each project threw at me.

Monday-Thursday

4-6 hours: Deep work on high-priority tasks
2 hours: Work on second priority
1 hour: Tertiary tasks

Friday

Morning: Retail Experience and Process Improvement
Afternoon: Plan for the next week and tie up loose ends

Dealing with Reality

No week ever went exactly as planned. Here's how I handled the curveballs:

Urgent Requests: I built in a buffer during afternoon sessions for any urgent issues. If something couldn't wait, it got slotted in here.
Shifting Priorities: If a project needed more attention, I'd adjust my 70-20-10 split and keep stakeholders in the loop.
Energy Levels: I'd tackle high-energy tasks (like creative design work) when I was at my peak and saved less demanding tasks (like documentation) for when I needed a breather.

This system wasn't perfect, but it helped me keep all the plates spinning without losing focus. Flexibility within a structured framework was key.

05. UX DESIGN

No Scenic Route, Just Speed

Solving core problems goes beyond design—it starts with effective resource allocation. With a fresh perspective, I identified key process improvements to accelerate the work.

Problem

Resource Crunch: Being the lone designer, the workload was hefty. Designs often weren't fully fleshed out before hitting development, leaving developers without enough guidance.
Design-Development Disconnect: The process didn't facilitate smooth collaboration between design and development, leading to extra time spent on QA to fix overlooked gaps.
Lack of User Testing: Without formal research and testing, we risked building features that might miss the mark.

Solution

Out-of-the-Box Efficiency: Rather than building everything from scratch, I recommended using off-the-shelf solutions to cover about 70% of our needs immediately.
Design Tokens for Consistency: Proposed implementing design tokens to unify design and development, reducing rework and ensuring everything looks and feels cohesive.
Rapid Prototyping and Testing: By leveraging existing solutions, we could quickly create prototypes and present them to customers sooner, enabling us to fine-tune features before launch.

Payoff

Jumpstart Efficiency: Meeting 70% of our requirements upfront would mean starting each project with a running start.
Focus on the Critical 30%: Freeing up time to polish the customer experience where it really counted.
Faster Discovery and Iteration: Early testing and feedback loops would help us spot new opportunities quicker.

UX Strategy

70% Boring

Our UX strategy centres on Jakob's Law, which states: "Users spend most of their time on other websites, so they expect your site to work like all the others they already know."

By mirroring design elements from popular websites and apps, we're aiming to make our users feel right at home. This approach taps into their existing mental models and learned behaviours, reducing cognitive load, smoothing out the learning curve, and boosting overall user satisfaction and efficiency.

30% Magic

In data visualisation, it's often the small UI decisions that make all the difference. Elements like typography, spacing, and content play crucial roles in how users perceive and interpret data. By honing in on these nuances, we can enhance the user experience and convey information more effectively.

Design Foundation

The Power of Boring

Solving core problems goes beyond design—it starts with effective resource allocation. With a fresh perspective, I identified key process improvements to accelerate the work.

The UX Model (YouTube)

The Desisgn

Font: We used the Inter font for its readability and flexibility. We also selected alternative character options to enhance legibility.

Font: We used the Inter font for its readability and flexibility. We also selected alternative character options to enhance legibility.

Font: We used the Inter font for its readability and flexibility. We also selected alternative character options to enhance legibility.

Font: We used the Inter font for its readability and flexibility. We also selected alternative character options to enhance legibility.

Tiny Details. Big Impact.

I zeroed in on the small yet impactful aspects of the UI to ensure effective data visualisation. These tweaks might seem minor, but they significantly enhance the user experience by making data clearer and easier to interpret.