PROBLEM
When the client acquired a company specializing in CRE debt transactions, they needed to fold an entirely new, complex workflow into their existing custom CRM — one originally built without debt transactions in mind. Before any development could begin, the debt transaction process itself needed to be fully understood, mapped, and translated into a design the development team could build from.
SOLUTION
Once the debt process had been defined, wireframes were built to visually present to the client and development team how such a process would work. An experience audit was performed to identify areas that could enhance the solution beyond scope.
Project Overview
Over a 5-month engagement in 2020, I worked with Main Digital — a Tysons, VA-based consulting firm — on behalf of a major commercial real estate firm that had just acquired a company specializing in CRE debt transactions. The challenge: integrate an entirely new business line’s workflows into the client’s existing custom CRM, a process with no existing precedent in their platform.
My Contributions
I led research and design for this integration, starting with a deep dive into CRE debt transaction workflows — interviewing stakeholders and the existing development team to understand both the business process and the platform’s current capabilities. Alongside this core work, I conducted an experience audit of the existing CRM, surfacing additional usability issues beyond the project’s original scope.
From this research, I produced high-fidelity, interactive wireframes covering the new debt transaction features as well as the broader experience enhancements identified — giving the development team a clear visual foundation for a prioritized backlog of product backlog items (PBIs).
This was a 5 month project, completed in March of 2020.
I worked with Main Digital, a consulting firm based in Tysons, VA.
Process
Understanding through research
- Understanding CRE and their current CRM solution
- What are the current capabilities and future goals of the software?
- Initial experience audit
- Understanding the users through interviews
- Defining goals and direction
- Feedback loop from users & stakeholders
Exploration of Solutions
- Concepts for implementation of proposed features
- Overall UX enhancements
- Feedback and refinements
Testing and Implementation
- Building wireframes within their current design system for implementation of new features and PBI’s
- Feedback and refinements
- Delivery of PBI’s and wireframes
Results
The result was a clearly defined integration plan: a prioritized backlog of PBIs backed by interactive wireframes, giving the development team everything needed to begin building the new debt transaction workflow into the existing CRM. The experience audit also surfaced a broader set of usability improvements for the platform overall, giving the client a roadmap for enhancements beyond the immediate acquisition-driven scope.