SaaS product design
Designing a scalable employee engagement platform.
My Role
From discovery to delivery, I was embedded in every stage of the product design process:
- Conducted extensive user research & validation
- Built user flows, wireframes, prototypes & designs
- Delivered onboarding guides, demo decks, & internal presentations
- Delivered onboarding guides, demo decks, & internal presentations
Tools
Team
- Product Owner
- Backend Developer
- Front End Developer
- UX/UI Designer
Overview
Essential – Communication That Reaches Everyone
“Essential” was created to evolve Wyzetalk’s platform into a scalable, self-service SaaS product. Built for frontline and desk workers, it aims to empower small to mid-sized clients to engage employees better—quickly, securely, and intuitively.
Business Impact:
- Unlock a new revenue stream
- Improve communication across all levels
- Provide a simple, secure tool for workforce engagement
Design Process
01.
Discovery
- Conducted extensive user research & validation
- Built user flows, wireframes, prototypes & designs
- Delivered onboarding guides, demo decks, & internal presentations
02.
Concept & Testing
- Ideated low-fi solutions
- Ran usability tests & interviews
- Validated concepts through multiple iterations
03.
Design & Development
- Conducted extensive user research & validation
- Built user flows, wireframes, prototypes & designs
- Delivered onboarding guides, demo decks, & internal presentations
04.
Launch & Learn
- Conducted extensive user research & validation
- Built user flows, wireframes, prototypes & designs
- Delivered onboarding guides, demo decks, & internal presentations
Always collaborative:
Developers, stakeholders, and end-users were involved throughout to ensure we solved real problems, together.
Challenges
Customer Problems
- Hard-to-reach frontline workers
- Generic, bloated tools not suited for Small to Medium Businesses
- Content overload
- Manual admin processes
Team Challenges
- No front-end dev for first 1.5 years
- Organizational restructuring
- Needed to prove product viability quickly
Research Findings
75%
Of the frontline is disconnected, no email, no systems, no voice.
Source: Gartner insight
Insight
"
There is too much information to go through and too many places that this information comes from.
Source: User interviews
Research Findings
75%
Of the frontline is disconnected, no email, no systems, no voice.
Source: User interviews
The Solution
A Mobile-First, Self-Service Platform Built for Frontline Teams
Flexible and scalable, tailored to small- and medium-sized businesses.
Branded newsfeed
Customised app themes with accessibility at the forefront ensures the app reflects your brand while being inclusive for all users.
- Upload your brand logo
- Choose theme colour
- Choose font & button style
Interactive posts
Engaging posts that allow reactions and comments boost employee involvement.
- React to posts
- Comment on posts
- Filter your feed
Smart targeting
Target posts and content to specific employees. Eliminate distractions and make sure the relevant individuals are always informed.
- Send to everyone
- Send to individuals
- Send to specific groups based on user segments.
Lightweight Admin
Effortless and speedy bulk user import. Seamlessly oversee users and their roles within the application.
- Role access (Owner, admin & employee)
- Invite users effortlessly as soon as your app is set to launch!
- Quickly toggle access on and off with just a single click.
Secure by design
ISO 27001 certified | POPIA & GDPR compliant
- Built for privacy & scale
- Secure tracking
- Works without emails or enterprise devices
Impact
50%
Time saved on HR user management.
Source: Client Feedback
Impact
30%
Less staff turnover – due to employees feeling more engaged and involved with the company.
Source: Client Feedback
Impact
30%
Time saved in communication efforts.
Source: Client Feedback
Interested
in working together?
Or just want to chat about design, collaboration, or anything in between
– feel free to reach out.
Use Cases
For Managers & HR:
- Send policies, updates, recognition
- Target content to specific groups
- Track engagement and delivery
For Frontline Employees:
- Real-time mobile updates
- Quick replies and reactions
- No extra logins or downloads
Key Milestones & Learnings
01.
Delivered a fully validated MVP
Navigated changing business needs while prioritizing users
02.
Designed a flexible framework for scalability
Balanced business, tech, * design constraints
03.
Built cross-team alignment despite shifting priorities
Reinforced the importance of shared problem-solving
04.
Created tools & systems to support fast deployment
Learned to simplify without compromising value
Design Gallery
Research & Discovery
-
Internal & client interviews
(desk + non-desk workers) - Pain point mapping: users, developers, stakeholders
- Legacy product audit & feature usage analysis
- Industry research: frontline team challenges
Ideation & Design
- Site architecture & phased roadmap
- Feature prioritization (Skeleton > Flesh > Stretch)
- User flows, journey mapping
- Lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes
- Built a design system
Collaboration & Handoff
- Co-designed features with devs & stakeholders
- Created onboarding guides, pitch decks, & explainer videos
- Continuous UX/UI feedback during implementation
- Reworked grouping & theming based on user feedback
- Delivered complete dev handover documentation
Interested
in working together?
Or just want to chat about design, collaboration, or anything in between
– feel free to reach out.
