As the first and only designer on the project, I owned everything from wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes and developer handoff. I partnered closely with the product manager, CTO, business analysts, and a developer to shape an AI-driven referral-programs product where any business could onboard hundreds of referral partners and track contract sign-ups seamlessly.

Rapid iteration and collaborative design methodology

From day one, I balanced the need for a lightweight MVP with a platform capable of supporting hundreds of businesses and thousands of partners. I mapped core flows for program creation and management, keeping the big picture in mind even during rapid iteration.

We spent the first month crafting wireframes in Figma and aligning on scope via Miro workshops. For the next six weeks, I refined layouts into high-fidelity prototypes, sharing updates almost daily with the PM and analysts, and weekly with the wider team. Our twice-weekly syncs ensured UX choices stayed aligned with business strategy.

To improve user experience, I designed a step-by-step wizard that combined a high-level progress overview ("heliview") with contextual detail sections on the same screen. This pattern became the project's signature, making it easy for users to create and manage referral programs without losing track of setup steps.

All design artifacts lived in Figma, with user flows diagrammed in Miro. We tracked tasks and feedback in Jira and kept real-time discussions in Slack. By aligning on Angular-style components early, I ensured the handoff to development was smooth, despite never moving to actual coding before the project pivot.

Although management ultimately shifted focus back to the company's primary product, stakeholders unanimously agreed that the referral-program wizard and unified UX structure "nailed" both the creation process and long-term strategy needs. The designs provided a clear blueprint for future growth-tool initiatives and demonstrated how to build scalable, frictionless experiences without a live user base.

This project sharpened my ability to rapidly prototype complex multi-step flows and to let go of ideas that didn't serve the core user journey. I improved my facilitation of cross-functional workshops in Miro, honed the "heliview + detail" pattern as a reusable approach, and strengthened my collaborative cadence with PMs, analysts, and developers under tight timelines.