Grandstage Redesign
The Situation
When I joined Grandstage, the company had an exceptionally high churn rate (~80%) and was getting very interesting feedback from their users. At first, the company was aimed at the solo content creator that had a tech background and mainly focused on producing content for TikTok but it turned out that most of their users were professionals on medium sized B2B companies that were using the product to stay on top of trends in their respective market. So I was tasked to design a desktop version of their current product with a new persona, a professional aiming to build their thought leadership content on LinkedIn.
The Result
We grew MRR by 53% and raised retention to 100%!
You heard that right, a design change grew Grandstage's monthly recurring revenue by 53% and raised customer retention to 100% after months of high churn. I'll go into detail below.
My Role
Product Designer
UX/UI Researcher
Tools
Figma
Miro
Jira
Aesthetic Change
Before embarking on any design work, I delved into comprehensive UI research to ensure that the product I was creating would resonate with working professionals. While the previous design at Grandstage excelled on mobile (pictured here), it didn't quite align with the tools commonly used in professional settings.
To bridge this gap, I turned to popular apps like Click Up, Asana, and Slack to identify design patterns that would resonate with our new target users. What emerged from this research was a clear preference for minimalistic design that seamlessly integrated robust features without overwhelming users with unnecessary elements.
This research was pivotal in guiding my next step: selecting or building a design system that would embody these principles and cater to the needs of our professional audience.
Investing in a Design System
When it came time to revamp our design process, I rallied the team around the idea of adopting a design system that would supercharge our iteration speed. I floated a few paid options, including Untitled UI, but we quickly realized that many of these off-the-shelf systems were overkill for our needs. They came with a ton of features we'd never use, which would just bog us down on the development side.
With deadlines looming, we made the bold decision to roll our sleeves up and create our own design system. We dove into the Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) to identify the core elements we needed—things like buttons, drop-down menus, and tooltips—and set to work. It was a small investment of time and resources upfront, but boy, did it pay off.
Our custom design system became our secret weapon, allowing us to iterate on designs at breakneck speed. Thanks to this agile approach, we managed to cut our design timeline in half, getting our new look out into the world in record time. Below is a small snippet of what the greater design system looked like.
Content is King
As we conclude this case study, I want to delve deeper into a design element that truly stands out: the new content card. This component served as the cornerstone of user interaction, demanding a design that not only allowed for quick scanning but also provided users with a wealth of information at a glance.
Developing this design involved a unique approach to research. Rather than confining my study to direct competitors, I broadened my scope to include applications renowned for presenting copious amounts of information effectively. This strategy ensured that our content card would excel in delivering a seamless scanning experience. Throughout this process, I remained anchored to the Product Requirement Document (PRD), ensuring that the design met all specified requirements.
This in-depth exploration yielded a valuable insight: the principles of excellent design transcend specific industries. It became evident that borrowing design patterns and best practices from diverse fields was not only acceptable but often beneficial. This realization underscores the belief that great design is, fundamentally, universal in its appeal and effectiveness.
Key Takeaways
Principles of good design, transcend industries.
Great design is everywhere, and making a good product, great can sometimes mean you need to look at external sources that are not your competitors to truly separate yourself.
Communication is the most important tool in Lean UX teams.
This was the first time working in a team where I was working with developers directly and we were using a Lean methodology to work fast. I quickly learned it was better to communicate before designing to ensure my designs were not only feasible but also would be easy to scale.
Final Design
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