UpperLevel CRM & Website redesign
As the primary designer for UpperLevelCRM, I led a complete redesign of the CRM and its landing page experience, along with a full rebranding of the company. I collaborated closely with the product manager/CEO and worked alongside developers to bring the vision to life.
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UpperLevelCRM is a product of Acoustic Reproductions, designed specifically for music professionals, voice-over artists, and related industries.
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In this case study, I showcase my work on the landing page redesign, the login/signup experience, and key improvements within the CRM, including select UI screenshots.
COMPANY
UPPERLEVEL
ROLE
PRODUCT DESIGNER
TEAM
CEO
LEAD ENGINEER
FRONT-END ENGINEER
TOOLS
WHIMSICAL,PROCREATE, FIGMA,
ILLUSTRATOR
TIME
6 MONTHS
The Process
Objective & Strategy
The primary objective of the redesign was to enhance the user experience for UpperLevelCRM, ensuring seamless access to the platform. The strategy focused on providing prospective users with clear, comprehensive information upfront to support informed decision-making.
User-Driven Insights
Key aspects of the redesign were guided by user feedback collected through "The Genie," a built-in feedback tool that allows existing users to share concerns, frustrations, and suggestions. This valuable input shaped the refinement process and informed critical design decisions.
Outcome
By leveraging this iterative, user-focused approach, the redesigned UpperLevelCRM interface prioritizes usability and clarity, ensuring essential information is easily accessible and simplifying the onboarding process for new users.
Market Research
As always I started off with a thorough research about existign CRMs. The first thing was to understand what a CRM is, CRM stands for “Customer Relationship Management” and is a software system that helps business owners easily track all communications and nurture relationships with their leads and clients. A CRM replaces the multitude of spreadsheets, databases and apps that many businesses patch together to track client data. The result: organization, efficiency, better time management, and impressed clients.
What a CRM does must be communicated effectively to the new users.
Gathering Insights
I collected user reviews and feedbacks by conducting user interviews with a couple of regular users of the CRM.
I also combed through previous concerns raised by the users on "genie" to understand where the problems lie.
After gathering all these insights and feedback I conducted affinity mapping to synthesize the pain points identified. I then grouped these problems under common themes and features in the platform
The Challenge
01
Outdated & complex interface
Users found the previous CRM interface outdated and challenging to navigate, leading to increased cognitive load. The redesign focused on streamlining navigation and improving usability across the platform.
02
Lack of Trust and Information:
New users were hesitant to sign up due to uncertainty about the product's features and functionality. To build trust, the redesign incorporated existing customer testimonials, an FAQ section to address common questions, and effectively communicated the verification process and waiting periods to users.
03
Unclear Pricing and Signup Process:
Prospective users experienced confusion regarding pricing plans and free trials, resulting in drop-offs during the signup process. The redesign introduced clearer communication of pricing details and a simplified signup form with additional verification steps to filter out bogus users.
The User
User Persona
With an understanding of the user’s goals, needs, motivations and frustrations I set out to create a user persona based on the insights gained previously.
User Journey
To get a deeper understanding of the user’s needs and frustration I sorted through several "genie" requests and talked to clients. I also made use of google analytics to understand the users' trends.
With the data collected I created a storyboard to help myself and the product team to visualize the user’s experience.
Define
After analyzing user feedback and understanding their journey and pain points, I defined clear goals to address these challenges in the redesign.
Problem Statement
Sarah Thomson is a sales manager based in Austin, who needs an easy to use customizable CRM software that helps her and her team keep track of her client information, scheduling meetings because she wants to improve her company's sales.
Goal Statement
UpperLevelCRM will let users streamline customer management, keep track of scheduling which will help team members by centralizing client communication and save valuable time. We will measure effectiveness by analyzing daily/weekly appointments and also user feedback from geenie.
The Strategy
To address the issues we identified, I focused on simplifying the user flow, improving clarity in pricing and onboarding, and enhancing product communication to build trust.
User Flow
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User verification
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Email authentication
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Onboarding process
Product Clarity
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Pricing Information
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User Id verification
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FAQ section
Build Trust
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Effective communication
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Testimonials
Ideation
After collecting user feedback and conducting competitive analysis, I created initial design sketches and refined them with input from my team and stakeholders, leading to finalized wireframes. I also created a sitemap and user flowchart to streamline navigation and enhance the onboarding experience.
Site Map
Here's the new updated site map with the added features. I decided to keep the workflow simple and intuitive. The previous design only had the landing page with the value proposition.
Identified Issues
1.The Homepage
Issues Identified with the homepage
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Cluttered layout made it difficult for users to focus.
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The CRM software image wasn’t prominent enough to communicate the product's value.
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The primary CTA (Request Invitation) lacked visibility and hierarchy.
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Lack of guidance on how the CRM works, leading to user confusion.
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Complex signup flow caused drop-offs during the onboarding process.
2.The CRM
Issues Identified with the CRM
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Cluttered Interface – The previous design was visually overloaded, making it difficult for users to find key information quickly.
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Poor Information Hierarchy – Important data was not clearly separated or highlighted, causing confusion.
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Complex Navigation – The sidebar and main content lacked a logical flow, increasing cognitive load.
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Lack of Visual Consistency – The UI elements lacked alignment and consistent spacing, making the design feel disjointed.
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Duplicate Management Issues – The merging of duplicate records was unclear and not intuitive.
Design Improvements
1.Redesigned Homepage
Improvements adopted on the homepage:
✅ Streamlined the layout for a cleaner, more modern look.
✅ Positioned the CRM software image at the center to draw attention.
✅ Elevated the Request Invitation button as the primary CTA for better conversion.
✅ Added a How It Works section and an FAQ section to guide new users.
✅ Simplified the signup experience to reduce friction and improve completion rates.
2.Redesigned CRM
Improvements adopted on CRM redesign:
✅ Streamlined Layout – Reduced visual clutter by organizing content more logically and improving spacing.
✅ Clear Information Hierarchy – Enhanced the visibility of key data fields (e.g., name, email, phone) with better grouping and consistent font styles.
✅ Enhanced Navigation – Improved the sidebar for a more intuitive structure and added clear labels.
✅ Cleaner, Modern Design – Applied consistent colors, fonts, and spacing for a cohesive look.
✅ Simplified Duplicate Handling – Redesigned the duplicate management feature with a clearer merging flow and better call-to-action placement.
Visual Design
Here are the final designs for the home page and the CRM Design
The redesigned CRM received positive feedback from users, with a noticeable improvement in overall satisfaction.
✅ Reduced Complaints: Since launching the new CRM, complaints submitted through The Genie have significantly decreased.
✅ Higher Engagement: We observed fewer website drop-offs and a marked increase in signup requests.
✅ Successful Testing: User testing confirmed that the streamlined design, simplified signup process, and enhanced user flow have made the platform more intuitive and user-friendly.