Mount Manager
Mount Manager
Reducing workflow friction in a case-management SaaS
Reducing workflow friction in a case-management SaaS
Summary
Summary
Mount Manager is a SaaS platform built for taxidermists to create cases, manage them through dashboards, handle invoices and payments, and keep day-to-day operations organized in one place. I worked with another designer to revamp the product’s UI and UX, improve workflow clarity across the platform, and create a design system and developer handoff that made implementation easier.
Mount Manager is a SaaS platform built for taxidermists to create cases, manage them through dashboards, handle invoices and payments, and keep day-to-day operations organized in one place. I worked with another designer to revamp the product’s UI and UX, improve workflow clarity across the platform, and create a design system and developer handoff that made implementation easier.
Scope
Scope
UX improvements, UI redesign, design system, developer handoff
UX improvements, UI redesign, design system, developer handoff
Role
Role
Product Designer / UX Designer
Product Designer
(UX, UI, Development)
Team
Team
Founder & 2 designers
Founder & 2 designers
Focus
Focus
Workflow clarity, operational efficiency, implementation readiness
Workflow clarity, operational efficiency, implementation readiness
Platform
Platform
Web SaaS
Web SaaS
In evaluation, the broader workflow was associated with a
In evaluation, the broader workflow was associated with a
47% faster setup
60% faster job search
55% more jobs processed/hour
Context
Context
The Problem
The Problem
The product already supported the right business tasks, but the experience created too much friction in daily use. Users could create and manage cases, handle payments, and work through operational screens, but the workflows were slower and harder to navigate than they needed to be.
The product already supported the right business tasks, but the experience created too much friction in daily use. Users could create and manage cases, handle payments, and work through operational screens, but the workflows were slower and harder to navigate than they needed to be.
The biggest issues showed up in three areas:
The biggest issues showed up in three areas:
Setup took too long and often required assistance
Job creation felt heavier than it should
Navigation made it harder to quickly locate and manage active work
For a workflow-heavy SaaS product, that friction directly affects speed, confidence, and onboarding.
For a workflow-heavy SaaS product, that friction directly affects speed, confidence, and onboarding.
Role
I worked closely with another designer on the product’s UI and UX redesign.
I worked closely with another designer on the product’s UI and UX redesign.
Contributions
improving workflow structure across key product areas
contributing to the dashboard and case-management redesign
refining the job creation experience
helping create the design system
preparing detailed developer handoff documentation
shaping decisions around clarity, consistency, and implementation readiness
This was a collaborative design effort, so I present the redesign as shared ownership while being explicit that my contribution centered on workflow improvements, system consistency, and implementation-ready design.
This was a collaborative design effort, so I present the redesign as shared ownership while being explicit that my contribution centered on workflow improvements, system consistency, and implementation-ready design.
The workflow
Starting with a tool that was not ready for testing
Before we could learn from researchers, the product needed to be stable and usable enough to test. I started by cleaning up the older web tool, improving the codebase, and hosting it live so the team could run remote studies and focus groups.
That work was important because it moved the project from concept territory into something researchers could actually interact with.
Making large transcript sets easier to scan
One of the biggest workflow improvements I implemented was around transcript navigation. I contributed in adding:
The question-based view made it easier to compare responses across participants without forcing researchers to read every transcript linearly. Instead of digging through full conversations one by one, they could move directly into grouped responses around the same prompt.
Designing for comparison, not just reading
A key part of Chromascribe’s value was helping researchers compare patterns across data, not just read one transcript at a time.
To support that, the product used a timeline-like visualization with color-coded themes across participant rows. This gave researchers a higher-level way to scan where themes appeared, then drill into transcript details when needed.
Because I was implementing the product directly, I was also able to work closely with the UX team on layout and element placement, helping balance researcher needs with what was realistically achievable in the interface.
What we changed
We approached the redesign around three workflow goals and made dev handoff clear for developers to implement
Make job creation faster to start and finish
We reworked the form experience to reduce hesitation, improve clarity, and help users move into action more quickly.
Make active work easier to find and manage
We simplified the setup experience so users could understand the system faster and configure it with less support.
Design decisions that mattered
Design decisions that mattered
Design for repeated operational tasks
Instead of optimizing isolated screens, we focused on the workflows users repeated throughout the day. That helped us prioritize changes that would improve real daily efficiency.
Reduce hesitation, not just completion time
In the job creation flow, we looked beyond total task time and considered how quickly users could start. Reducing time to first input helped signal that the interface felt clearer from the beginning.
Design for repeated operational tasks
Instead of optimizing isolated screens, we focused on the workflows users repeated throughout the day. That helped us prioritize changes that would improve real daily efficiency.
Reduce hesitation, not just completion time
In the job creation flow, we looked beyond total task time and considered how quickly users could start. Reducing time to first input helped signal that the interface felt clearer from the beginning.
Improve hierarchy where users recover context
In dashboard and navigation flows, the goal was not just cleaner UI. It was to reduce the mental effort required to find the right job, understand status, and continue work quickly.
Design for implementation quality
We built a clearer design system and more detailed handoff so developers could implement the redesign with less ambiguity. That improved delivery speed and made the final product easier to build consistently.
Improve hierarchy where users recover context
In dashboard and navigation flows, the goal was not just cleaner UI. It was to reduce the mental effort required to find the right job, understand status, and continue work quickly.
Design for implementation quality
We built a clearer design system and more detailed handoff so developers could implement the redesign with less ambiguity. That improved delivery speed and made the final product easier to build consistently.
Outcomes
Founder-shared results showed measurable improvements across usability and operational efficiency:
Founder-shared results showed measurable improvements across usability and operational efficiency:
48%
48%
faster data discovery
faster data discovery
48%
48%
faster data discovery
faster data discovery
48%
48%
faster data discovery
faster data discovery
48%
48%
faster data discovery
faster data discovery
The qualitative feedback reinforced the same pattern:
“Feels much less cluttered”
“I don’t have to think as much while using it”
“Faster to train new employees”
“Feels much less cluttered”
“I don’t have to think as much while using it”
“Faster to train new employees”
The development team also reported that the redesigned system was easier and quicker to implement because the design and handoff were clearer.
The development team also reported that the redesigned system was easier and quicker to implement because the design and handoff were clearer.
Reflection
One of the strongest lessons from this project was that clarity has compounding value. When workflows become easier to understand, users move faster, confidence improves, onboarding gets easier, and implementation becomes smoother for developers.
One of the strongest lessons from this project was that clarity has compounding value. When workflows become easier to understand, users move faster, confidence improves, onboarding gets easier, and implementation becomes smoother for developers.
