Client
AccordIQ
Role
Founding Product Designer
Duration
July - Oct 2024
Platform
Web
Collaborators
1PM, 1 FS Developer
Website
accordiq.co
To simplify modern Contract Management
The main goal of AccordIQ was to create a product that empowers teams to negotiate smarter, manage contracts seamlessly, and make data-driven decisions.
Transforming contract processes into a strategic advantage that drives efficiency, compliance, and business growth.
My Role
As a lead product designer, I initiated the design process for Phase 1 (MVP) of the product including research, product strategy, UX/UI design, branding and marketing assets. The team consisted of 1 PM (Founder) and 1 Full Stack developer.
Research Strategy
Considering the agile nature and time constraints of a startup, I developed a focused research strategy consisting of the following steps:
Competitive Research: Competitive analysis to evaluate existing user journeys in CLM systems, identify gaps, and apply these insights to our product.
Define Users: Define who, where and why of our end user.
User Research: I conducted 20 user interviews to assess current market demands, guiding feature prioritization for the MVP.
Industry Expert: We brought in an expert consultant with nearly two decades of industry experience to leverage their insights on CLM systems.
Competitive Research
Current Industry Leaders
Mapping User Journeys
By comparing the user journey of a traditional CLM system with that of a modern software-based CLM solution, we identified key areas that significantly impact users, enhancing their workflow and productivity.
Defining Users
Who, Where and Why?
CLM software is utilized by multiple teams across diverse industries, including technology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, government contracts and automotive.
User Research
Understanding user needs
To align our MVP with user needs, we conducted 20 user interviews with professionals from legal and finance teams.
Key insights from survey:
Reporting and Analytics: Many users faced difficulty in generating meaningful reports and analyzing contract data effectively.
Storage and Retrieval of Contracts: Primary issues were related to organizing and accessing contracts quickly and easily.
Review and Redlining: Slow and inefficient contract review and redlining processes.
Obligation & Risk Management and Compliance Tracking: Challenges in managing obligations and ensuring compliance throughout the contract lifecycle.
Phase 1 - MVP Features
Final Design
Designed to empowers users by automating contract processing, review, and organization, while providing insightful reporting and seamless integration
Brand Assets
Logo, Color Palette & Website
Phase 2 & Learnings
What's Next?
We plan to go ahead to Phase 2 considering following steps:
Defining Success Metrics:
The success of the MVP will be measured by key performance indicators (KPIs), including customer acquisition rates and qualitative feedback gathered post-implementation.
Iterative User Testing:
Continuous usability testing and feedback loops will guide future iterations, ensuring interface enhancements and feature updates are user-centric and data-driven.
Feature Roadmap Expansion:
Phase 2 will focus on rolling out advanced functionalities, such as in-app approvals, contract version control, a dynamic clause library, and more.
Final Takeaways
Prioritizing function over aesthetics:
Insights from industry experts revealed that users often struggle with complex SaaS products, leading us to focus on creating clean, functional UIs that prioritize efficiency over aesthetics.
Strategy is as important as design:
While designing multiple features, we realized they exceeded our MVP scope. This highlighted that even the best designs can fall short if they don't align with business goals and strategies, prompting us to recalibrate and focus on designing features that truly meet our objectives.
Design guided by users:
Despite the tight timeline, I advocated for conducting user research, recognizing it as the most reliable way to inform design decisions and ensure we prioritize features that truly address user needs.