D2C Brands, Social Media Networks, Influencers
A Design System and TikTok approved designs create $1.4M ARR.
I was hired to optimize and create features for the heart of the platform: campaign management. This is how creators and influencers work together, and the #1 cited reason brands adopted GRIN.
Problem
GRIN customers were churning, citing turn-offs as "confusing UX" and "…it's not pretty".
Solution
Following interviews and tests with our superusers, I redesigned and optimized Campaign Management using consistent design language and simplifying setup with wizard patterns.
Impact
Working with the architecture team we pitched our POC to leadership, who could see the improved experience - but a round of layoffs hit and our champion was impacted.
Without a unified design system our development process was slow and inconsistent. Just changing the primary button color from blue to purple would take 3 sprints.
Problem
Developers were using a mix of Ant and Element and we were designing custom components. GRIN just had a rebrand and although the website had a facelift, the B2B SaaS platform was not prioritized.
Solution
Collaborating with the lead architect, we explored various design systems and chose Lightning as it was vast and not too opinionated. I re-skinned it to align with our brand, and used the atoms, molecules and organisms as building blocks for GRIN's unique use cases.
Impact
The new design system streamlined development, reduced design debt, and improved time to market. Leadership recognized the scalability benefits, and "Better UI" was cited by users as a reason for our NPS 12 point increase.
As well as not being able to move quickly we a new problem: due to a policy violation, Meta was about to shut down another core feature of our app: Creator Search.
Problem
Losing Creator Search was a significant blow, as it was a core feature for discovering new creators. Without it, GRIN risked becoming less valuable to users who relied on this functionality.
Solution
Having learned the art of turning a problem into a feature at AmEx, I led ideation sessions that resulted in "Curated Lists" - a white-glove service assisting users in finding well-matched creators. This initiative also laid the groundwork for future AI-driven recommendations.
Impact
Curated Lists helped mitigate the loss of Creator Search, and it just about saved GRIN. Off the back of that product launch we won a contract with Uber, as well as retaining some of our valuable D2C superusers like Skims, LiquidIV, MVMT, Cuts, and NutPods.
We lost L’Oréal and FashionNova, and we had to make severe cuts to staff - but the silver lining was - L’Oréal, having been with us from the beginning - no longer dominated our feature backlog. We now had the chance to obsess over our D2C brands.
Problem
With shrinking profit margins and the loss of key features, GRIN needed new revenue streams to remain profitable and continue delivering value to our clients.
Solution
I led a cross-functional team of product managers, engineers, sales and CSMs through the design of upsell features including creator licensing, custom tasks, and adding CRM capacity.
Impact
These new features eventually contributed to +$1.4M in revenue, and helped us retain users during the challenging times of "Metageddon".
Rebuilding trust was essential after the setbacks from Meta. Focusing on authenticity and transparency could strengthen our relationships with both brands and influencers.
Problem
Users were losing trust due to the loss of key features and a subpar user experience. This erosion of confidence threatened client retention and the platform's reputation.
Solution
I designed affiliate links and deep link features that were popular with Influencers, and improved their onboarding flows using data insights from our analytics team that told us where users bounced (34% dropped before getting to the products page).
Impact
These features helped brands build trust with their creators, and helped us rebuild trust with our users. We were moving in the right direction to position GRIN as a reliable partner in influencer marketing.
I had the opportunity to collaborate with designers at TikTok and Meta to ensure our features were approved and compliant. This opened new avenues for revenue and user engagement.
Problem
Having lost our two biggest customers, we needed new, compliant features that resonated with users -and adhered to network guidelines - in order to boost our annual recurring revenue (ARR).
Solution
I led my pod through the design of "TikTok Boost," a network-agnostic paid amplification feature approved by TikTok - helping GRIN's sales and marketing to instill trust with prospects.
Impact
TikTok Boost contributed to a 37% increase in creator campaigns and showcased our ability to innovate within platform constraints.
While losing major clients was challenging, we took the opportunity to focus on direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands that were eager to make GRIN the platform they needed it to be.
Problem
We lost big customers, we lost our database. I had never seen such a devastating and monumental setback at a company before and we were powerless to fix it. We took the hit, which would happen to our competitors soon enough, but it was unfortunate we were first.
Solution
Fortunately the wheels were in motion for our design system and we were able to use it for new features. We focused on building trust. We collaborated on design and got our features approved by TikTok and Meta.
Impact
GRIN went from 300 to 500 to 150 people - and I wasn’t immune - one of the rounds of layoffs eventually got me too. One of the most valuable lessons in my career to date: don’t take shortcuts, and always have a contingency plan.