Our client, a creative leader in custom promotional boards, approached us with a vision to simplify how businesses request and manage their designs. They sought to build a platform that streamlined design submissions, offered easy template selection, enabled real-time collaboration with in-house designers, and ensured businesses stayed ahead of seasonal promotions through smart reminders and an integrated calendar.
Role:
Designer & PM
Industry:
Design Services & Printing
Duration:
9 weeks
Scope
Chalkman Signatures is a specialized CRM platform designed for business customers of Chalkman, enabling them to easily request and manage custom board designs for their locations. Unlike a design creation tool, Chalkman Signatures streamlines the process of submitting design references, choosing from pre-uploaded templates, and collaborating with Chalkman’s in-house designers to produce promotional and event-based boards.
The platform ensures that businesses, such as restaurants and retail outlets, can keep their promotional boards updated year-round, with features that prompt design requests ahead of seasonal events like Easter and Christmas.
My Approach
Discovery Phase
Client Consultation: Conducted detailed sessions with the client to understand how their customers currently request board designs and identify opportunities to make the process faster and more collaborative.
Workflow Analysis: Mapped the entire journey from design request to delivery, ensuring the CRM addressed both customer convenience and internal efficiency.
Design and Development
UI/UX Design: Created a simple, intuitive interface where customers can log in, upload reference designs, select board sizes, and browse a template library.
Feature Integration:
Template and board size library with easy selection tools.
Event calendar with preset seasonal promotions to prompt early collaboration.
Real-time alerts for customers and designers to avoid delays.
Chat support for quick communication.
Revision system for design feedback and approvals.
Testing and Iteration
User Testing: Conducted usability testing with both customers and internal designers to refine navigation, calendar reminders, and revision flows before launch.
Challenges
Balancing Customization and Simplicity
Ensuring the platform made it easy for customers to give detailed design instructions while keeping the submission process quick and user-friendly.
Seasonal Campaign Management
Building a calendar-based reminder system that works for both designers and customers without overwhelming them with notifications.
Collaboration Between Designers and Businesses
Catering to varied dating preferences and relationship goals while maintaining a unified and consistent app design.
Avoiding Fatigue
Creating an efficient revision and approval loop to ensure designs meet expectations and are shipped on time.
Balancing Customization and Simplicity
