UX RESEARCH/DESIGN - PROJECT MANAGER
Clario
A centralized hub that unifies contract, project, and finance management for freelancers and contractors — powered by AI insights.
25
Surveys
12
Interviews
8
Participants
Account Linking Flow
BEFORE
20%
AFTER
83%
Moved account sync from hidden nav drawer to onboarding carousel and added persistent FAB button.
Translation feature
MANUAL
29s
INLINE
14s
Implemented inline translation with one-tap language switch, reducing cognitive load and conversation stalls.
Reminder Feature
42%
92%
Added long-press gesture to set reminders and implemented toast confirmation. Users stopped creating duplicate reminders.
Chat Categorization
BEFORE
33s
AFTER
14s
Renamed labels to intuitive categories (Work, Friends, Updates) and added emoji icons for visual recognition.
Key Research Findings — Personas
Divyansh
NEW FREELANCER
Needs simplicity, automation, and speed. Quick setup > project > payment.
Rachel
SEASONED DESIGNER
Wants professionalism, organization, and scope control. AI clause alerts critical.
Stephen
Values accuracy, trust, and privacy. Cashflow and tax clarity are priorities.
01 - CONTEXT
Context and Role
Context
Freelancers and contractors juggle multiple tools (Google Drive, Excel, invoicing apps), leading to errors, late payments, and stress. Most tools focus only on invoices or expense tracking but fail to address the full picture.
Problem
Managing project lifecycle, budgeting, and income/expenses is a constant struggle. They need a solution that connects contracts, project execution, invoicing, delivery, and tax preparation in one place.
My Role
Led a team of 4 designers and 4 developers. Responsible for user research planning, persona development, user journey mapping, information architecture, and feature prioritization. Collaborated with developers to validate technical feasibility and co-designed the smart assistant interactions. Created wireframes, prototypes, and design system components.
02 - RESEARCH
Insights Found
Research revealed five core findings that shaped every design decision and feature priority.
01
Fragmented Tools Create Errors
User Journey Mapping
Journey mapping revealed pain points at every stage: vague contracts, manual tracking, fragmented tools, and stress with invoicing/taxes.
02
Proactive Reminders Are Needed
User Journey Mapping
Journey mapping showed opportunities for proactive alerts at contract signing, milestone tracking, invoicing, and tax prep stages.
03
Contract Risks Go Unnoticed
Persona Development · Interviews
Personas Rachel and Stephen highlighted contract risk analysis as a critical pain point.
04
Financial Clarity is Missing
Surveys · Interviews
User personas revealed need for "clear financial insights" and "tax guidance aligned with CRA standards" as top priorities.
05
Different Needs by Experience Level
Persona Development
Three personas revealed distinct needs: Divyansh (simplicity), Rachel (professionalism), Stephen (accuracy/trust).
02 - DESIGN
Designed Solution
Based on the research insights, CrossTalk was designed as a unified messaging platform addressing fragmented communication, language barriers, and missed updates.
Income & Expense Tracking
Personal finance layer connecting income, expenses, and goals directly with project contracts. Tied to real projects.
End-to-End Project Management
Centralized hub for the whole lifecycle: contracts, project execution, invoicing, delivery, and tax preparation.
AI Smart Guide
Scans documents for missing clauses or risks, provides budgeting guidance and tax estimation aligned with CRA standards.
Insights Dashboard
Clear financial health indicators: income vs. expenses, overspending alerts, income tax estimation, cash flow trends.
Proactive Reminders
Automated alerts for project due dates, invoice deadlines, and tax preparation to keep users ahead of their schedule.
Document Extraction
Upload contracts and receipts with automatic extraction of key information, reducing manual data entry and errors.