Transforming a Low-cost Acquisition Tool to a Million-Dollar Product
Role
Senior Product Designer, Design Team Lead
Team
Artjom Shestajev, Elliott Perks, Julia Cantavella, Sofia Leah (PM), Sarah Shepherd (UXR), Laura Moreno (PrD), Victor Torre (EM), Daniel Nadasan (FE), Alexey Khmelev, Onur Geyik, Wojciech Kumoń, Raul Martin (BE), Attila Felfoldi (TaxTech)
duration: 1m 28s
Role
Senior Product Designer, Design Team Lead
Role
Senior Product Designer, Design Team Lead
Team
Artjom Shestajev, Elliott Perks, Julia Cantavella, Sofia Leah (PM), Sarah Shepherd (UXR), Laura Moreno (PrD), Victor Torre (EM), Daniel Nadasan (FE), Alexey Khmelev, Onur Geyik, Wojciech Kumoń, Raul Martin (BE), Attila Felfoldi (TaxTech)
Team
Artjom Shestajev, Elliott Perks, Julia Cantavella, Sofia Leah (PM), Sarah Shepherd (UXR), Laura Moreno (PrD), Victor Torre (EM), Daniel Nadasan (FE), Alexey Khmelev, Onur Geyik, Wojciech Kumoń, Raul Martin (BE), Attila Felfoldi (TaxTech)
Increase in ARR
5000
%
from €50 k -> €1 mil
Client's FTE saved
€87,000
p.a
from manual validation
Reduced error rate
6
%
one month after release
Increase in ARR
5000
%
from €50 k -> €1 mil
Client's FTE saved
€87,000
p.a
from manual validation
Reduced error rate
6
%
one month after release
Increase in ARR
5000
%
from €20 k -> €1 mil
Client's FTE saved
€87,000
p.a
from manual validation
Reduced error rate
6
%
one month after release
Overview
To capitalise on this interest, I adapted the design strategy to not only address immediate user pain points but to prepare TIN Validation for enterprise-level scalability. Through thoughtful iterations, and strategic feature expansion, we evolved the product from a basic acquisition tool into a a high-value, enterprise-ready compliance solution, reaching million-dollar revenue status.
Today, Lookup validates over 1,500,000 TINs/mo. for our clients
Initially a low-cost acquisition TIN Validation tool, Lookup quickly gained traction due to its user-centric design, simplicity, and usability, capturing demand and creating an upsell opportunity.
Overview
To capitalise on this interest, I adapted the design strategy to not only address immediate user pain points but to prepare TIN Validation for enterprise-level scalability. Through thoughtful iterations, and strategic feature expansion, we evolved the product from a basic acquisition tool into a a high-value, enterprise-ready compliance solution, reaching million-dollar revenue status.
Today, Lookup validates over 1,500,000 TINs/mo. for our clients
Initially a low-cost acquisition TIN Validation tool, Lookup quickly gained traction due to its user-centric design, simplicity, and usability, capturing demand and creating an upsell opportunity.
Key Compliance Challenges
During early research and discovery sessions, several critical pain points emerged among Tax Managers:
Key Compliance Challenges
During early research and discovery sessions, several critical pain points emerged among Tax Managers:
Frequent Validation Errors
Errors due to minor formatting issues led to frustration and inefficiencies.
Frequent Validation Errors
Errors due to minor formatting issues led to frustration and inefficiencies.
Complex Compliance Requirement
Tax managers required help navigating frequently changing validation rules and regulations.
Complex Compliance Requirement
Tax managers required help navigating frequently changing validation rules and regulations.
Manual Processes
Without automation, the validation process was slow and prone to errors.
Manual Processes
Without automation, the validation process was slow and prone to errors.
Lack of Strategic Insights
Tax managers expressed a need for high-level insights to support compliance monitoring.
Lack of Strategic Insights
Tax managers expressed a need for high-level insights to support compliance monitoring.
Design Strategy: Prioritise ease-of-use and strategic insights to evolve the product from an Acquisition Tool to a robust Enterprise Solution
Design Strategy: Prioritise ease-of-use and strategic insights to evolve the product from an Acquisition Tool to a robust Enterprise Solution
Initial Vision
Centred on User Journeys, needs, and pain points, my vision for TIN Validation was to
Initial Vision
Centred on User Journeys, needs, and pain points, my vision for TIN Validation was to
Create a streamlined, intuitive tool
To minimise errors and excel in sales demos
Create a streamlined, intuitive tool
To minimise errors and excel in sales demos
Emphasise simplicity and usability
to enhance tax managers' daily workflows
Emphasise simplicity and usability
to enhance tax managers' daily workflows
Adapting the Strategy
With significant client interest, I evolved the design strategy to position Lookup as an enterprise-ready tool with features that could meet the needs of large organisations such as improving operational efficiency and having strategic value adds.
Adapting the Strategy
With significant client interest, I evolved the design strategy to position Lookup as an enterprise-ready tool with features that could meet the needs of large organisations such as improving operational efficiency and having strategic value adds.
Notable Solutions and Impacts
CSV Instructions for Data Requirements and Format
Introduced to reduce high error rates caused by incorrect data formatting. Early usability testing revealed users struggled with data formatting for TIN validation.
CSV Instructions for Data Requirements and Format
Introduced to reduce high error rates caused by incorrect data formatting. Early usability testing revealed users struggled with data formatting for TIN validation.
Design Approach
Designed a clear, instructional guide outlining data requirements with an easy-to-understand, downloadable CSV template. This template allows users to populate their data accurately, reducing formatting errors before submission.
Design Approach
Designed a clear, instructional guide outlining data requirements with an easy-to-understand, downloadable CSV template. This template allows users to populate their data accurately, reducing formatting errors before submission.
Impact on User Workflow
Simplified data entry, minimized errors, and decreased support needs by providing clear data formatting instructions.
Impact on User Workflow
Simplified data entry, minimized errors, and decreased support needs by providing clear data formatting instructions.
Strategic Impact
By clarifying data requirements, CSV Instructions boosted product appeal in demos, improving user retention and operational efficiency, and solidifying the product’s reputation as a reliable compliance tool.
Strategic Impact
By clarifying data requirements, CSV Instructions boosted product appeal in demos, improving user retention and operational efficiency, and solidifying the product’s reputation as a reliable compliance tool.
Enterprise-Ready Analytics Dashboard
As Lookup matured, a need emerged for high-level insights to support strategic decision-making, especially for enterprise clients.
Enterprise-Ready Analytics Dashboard
As Lookup matured, a need emerged for high-level insights to support strategic decision-making, especially for enterprise clients.
Design Approach
Create a insight rich dashboard displaying detailed information into validation rates, error frequencies, specific error types, and countries prone to invalid TINs.
Design Approach
Create a insight rich dashboard displaying detailed information into validation rates, error frequencies, specific error types, and countries prone to invalid TINs.
Impact on User Workflow
The added strategic layer and actionable data empower Tax Managers to allocate resources efficiently, resolve recurring issues, and take a proactive compliance approach.
Impact on User Workflow
The added strategic layer and actionable data empower Tax Managers to allocate resources efficiently, resolve recurring issues, and take a proactive compliance approach.
Strategic Impact
With enterprise-grade analytics, Lookup evolved into a comprehensive compliance management solution, attracting large clients and boosting retention. This positioned the product as a premium offering, significantly contributing to its growth into a million-dollar revenue generator.
Strategic Impact
With enterprise-grade analytics, Lookup evolved into a comprehensive compliance management solution, attracting large clients and boosting retention. This positioned the product as a premium offering, significantly contributing to its growth into a million-dollar revenue generator.
Notable Iterations
Notable Iterations
Understanding User Goals to Shape New Behaviours
Initially, the Validation page offered separate Single and Batch modes to align with traditional workflows. However, user insights revealed that this mental model was unnecessary and stemmed from limitations in legacy government databases or competitor systems.
Understanding User Goals to Shape New Behaviours
Initially, the Validation page offered separate Single and Batch modes to align with traditional workflows. However, user insights revealed that this mental model was unnecessary and stemmed from limitations in legacy government databases or competitor systems.
Iterations
Unifying Single and Batch modes into a single validation flow, simplifying steps and accelerating access to results.
Iterations
Unifying Single and Batch modes into a single validation flow, simplifying steps and accelerating access to results.
Impact on User Workflow
This iteration fostered a new user behaviour by shifting focus from operational steps to immediate results and insights. Simplifying the validation flow encouraged users to engage with outcomes directly, enhancing decision-making efficiency and transforming their approach to validation tasks.nable error descriptions and analytics, Tax Managers can address compliance errors swiftly and independently, minimizing delays and support dependency.
Impact on User Workflow
This iteration fostered a new user behaviour by shifting focus from operational steps to immediate results and insights. Simplifying the validation flow encouraged users to engage with outcomes directly, enhancing decision-making efficiency and transforming their approach to validation tasks.nable error descriptions and analytics, Tax Managers can address compliance errors swiftly and independently, minimizing delays and support dependency.
Improved Error Management
Users reported that ambiguous error messages, such as “NETWORK_ERROR,” left them unsure of next steps, increasing reliance on support for troubleshooting.
Improved Error Management
Users reported that ambiguous error messages, such as “NETWORK_ERROR,” left them unsure of next steps, increasing reliance on support for troubleshooting.
Design Approach
Craft clear, helpful error messages and present error analytics in an insightful format, transforming error management from a guessing game into a structured, preventable process.
Design Approach
Craft clear, helpful error messages and present error analytics in an insightful format, transforming error management from a guessing game into a structured, preventable process.
Impact on User Workflow
With actionable error descriptions and analytics, Tax Managers can address compliance errors swiftly and independently, minimizing delays and support dependency.
Impact on User Workflow
With actionable error descriptions and analytics, Tax Managers can address compliance errors swiftly and independently, minimizing delays and support dependency.
Strategic Impact
Standardised and improved errors management creates a unified troubleshooting framework across clients, Fonoa CX, Sales Engineers, Engineering, and Product. This closed-loop approach minimises reporting disruptions and empowers users to resolve issues autonomously.
Strategic Impact
Standardised and improved errors management creates a unified troubleshooting framework across clients, Fonoa CX, Sales Engineers, Engineering, and Product. This closed-loop approach minimises reporting disruptions and empowers users to resolve issues autonomously.
Ideation & Prioritisation
We used an Impact/Effort Matrix to select features that aligned with our goal of achieving low-effort compliance for clients
I led How Might We (HMW) workshops with Product Manager, Engineering Manager, engineers, and in-house Tax Managers to generate ideas that addressed user needs.
Ideation & Prioritisation
We used an Impact/Effort Matrix to select features that aligned with our goal of achieving low-effort compliance for clients
I led How Might We (HMW) workshops with Product Manager, Engineering Manager, engineers, and in-house Tax Managers to generate ideas that addressed user needs.
Takeaways
Takeaways
Design Strategy Evolution for Enterprise-Readiness
As client interest grew, the design strategy adapted to prioritise scalability, robust analytics, and enterprise functionality, meeting the needs of large organisations. A flexible design strategy that evolves with client demand is essential for scaling a product and positioning it as an enterprise-ready solution.
Design Strategy Evolution for Enterprise-Readiness
As client interest grew, the design strategy adapted to prioritise scalability, robust analytics, and enterprise functionality, meeting the needs of large organisations. A flexible design strategy that evolves with client demand is essential for scaling a product and positioning it as an enterprise-ready solution.
Fewer feature, more impacts
Adding a CSV guide with clear instructions and a downloadable template reduced errors from incorrect data formatting. Small, user-centric features can have a substantial impact on user experience and efficiency, demonstrating attention to detail that enhances both functionality and client satisfaction.
Fewer feature, more impacts
Adding a CSV guide with clear instructions and a downloadable template reduced errors from incorrect data formatting. Small, user-centric features can have a substantial impact on user experience and efficiency, demonstrating attention to detail that enhances both functionality and client satisfaction.
Streamlining Validation Workflow and Unifying Modes
By consolidating Single and Batch TIN Validation modes, the product simplified the workflow and shifted focus to results rather than processes. Simplifying workflows by aligning product architecture with user goals and needs rather than traditional workflows improves efficiency, encourages new user behaviour, and enhances overall satisfaction.
Streamlining Validation Workflow and Unifying Modes
By consolidating Single and Batch TIN Validation modes, the product simplified the workflow and shifted focus to results rather than processes. Simplifying workflows by aligning product architecture with user goals and needs rather than traditional workflows improves efficiency, encourages new user behaviour, and enhances overall satisfaction.