Phaseo
Designing an all-in-one CRM and Marketplace ecosystem that eliminates tool-switching and recaptures billable hours for independent creators.
From research to prototyping, I designed this product to help passionate creatives monetize from their skills and elevate awareness of their brands.
Identifying the problem space.Market analysis revealed a significant barrier to entry: current CRM solutions on the market carry high cognitive load and price points that alienate early-stage creators. Phaseo was conceptualized to fill the 'Affordable Complexity' gap.
Synthesis & Strategic AlignmentMoving from raw research to a functional roadmap required a rigorous synthesis of user pain points. I utilized a User-Centric Framework to ensure Phaseo wasn't just a collection of features, but a cohesive ecosystem.
The North Star: The Independent Creator
I categorized our users into a tiered ecosystem to prioritize the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) roadmap:
- Primary: Independent creators requiring "High-Utility" CRM tools (Project Management, Invoicing).
- Secondary: Clients looking for a streamlined, "Low-Friction" communication and payment experience.
- Tertiary: Marketplace browsers driving the "External Economy" of the app.
To avoid feature bloat—a common pitfall in CRM design—I utilized a MoSCoW prioritization framework. This ensured the MVP focused on high-impact 'Must-Haves' like mobile-first invoicing while deferring secondary marketplace features to the roadmap.
Crazy 8s
How Might We? Questions
Using Crazy 8s and How Might We? sessions, I moved through 20+ iterations in 48 hours. The focus wasn't just on "cool features," but on reducing the "Click-Depth" for core tasks.
Key Value Propositions Developed
- Time-Recapture: Designing "Workboards" that facilitate brainstorming without leaving the project context.
- Inclusive Design: Optimizing for a mobile-first experience to accommodate the "on-the-go" nature of creative entrepreneurship.
- Revenue Transparency: Building an integrated marketplace to lower the barrier between "Idea" and "Sale."
Defining User Flow
In-app communication for effective collaboration
Empower revenue generation with a marketplace
03 Design
Divergent Design IdeasDesign concepts centered around time efficiency, addressing project management challenges, enhancing stakeholder-client communication, and empowering users in an eCommerce marketplace.
Based on the current information architecture, I designed prototypes for testing and feedback at low-fidelity and high-fidelity stages. This helped me better understand user flows and overall usability.
The Information Architecture was designed for 'In-the-Field' usability. I prioritized a bottom-navigation system to ensure one-handed operation—critical for busy business owners managing logistics on the go.
Phaseo’s brand and product visual identity system speaks to the expression of creative intellect and grand ideas.
04 Solution
Making creative work easy.Phaseo is all-in-one standalone mobile app tailored for creative small-business owners. It simplifies work, empowering users to seamlessly grow, market, and monetize their businesses through a user-friendly platform integrating project management, CRM, and eCommerce functionalities.
Save time now.
Streamlined project management for creative professionals. Define scopes, create to-do lists, and manage finances. Focus on important tasks through each phase for a seamless process.
Centralize workflows.
Generate project-specific invoices. Set due dates, define product quantities and discounts, and easily share PDF versions. Eliminate the need for multiple tools.
Easy collaboration.
Users and clients can directly communicate using a RichText Editor to add or reply to comments. This facilitates smooth interaction for addressing questions, brainstorming, providing updates, and scheduling alignments.
Effectively monetize.
Create a customizable no-code shopfront to elevate brand presence on the Phaseo Marketplace. Show and sell products and services with ease in a way that reflects your unique brand identity.
Pre-optimization pain points from an MVP prototype tested early in wireframe stage, provided data that positively affected the second iteration of the app.
Initially, Affinity maps and questionnaires recorded behavior and sentiment for 5 participants and 3 user flows. Success was measured through task completion time and SUS scores. Testing goals included assessing participant behavior and feelings about product usefulness, usability, efficiency, sastisfaction, and productivity.
Conversion Rate
Error Occurrence
Confusion
Indifference
Users were pleased about Phaseo’s aesthetic usability, increased time saved during project management, and other necessary CRUD functions that allowed the ability to create, read, update, and delete content in the app.
Addressing feature overload and premature branding saved valuable time spent on technical debt during design. I adopted a 'Keep it simple, stupid' approach with a minimum viable product and emphasized frequent testing, feedback, and iterative refinement. Phaseo enhanced my research skills, allowing me to develop data-driven potential solutions for the needs of my local community.