Thilo app
At-A-Glance
I have been working as a main UX/UI designer on the DigitalCube’s Thilo app project. I collaborated with the company partners, 2 Project Managers, a team of backend and frontend developers to build a SaaS web app which will simplify complex workflows, reduce errors, and free up resources to enhance clients’ operational efficiencies and drive.
Timeline
Nov 2022-present
Platform
Figma
My role
UX/UI Designer
Collaboration
Company founders
2 PMs
1 Team of SWEs
Problem
DigitalCube is an experienced boutique software development house with a vision to become the leading provider of cutting-edge intelligent automation technologies that empower organisations to optimise their operations and achieve unparalleled levels of efficiency and productivity. Therefore they intend to create a multi-tenant business support application with the power of intelligent automation that will consist of organisational features such as user management, business partners, CRM, wiki and timesheet, in order to help their own company and other organisations streamline and scale their decision-making processes.
Solution
Alongside our company’s Project Managers, I have done an extensive research on similar cloud-based platforms that allow users to create their own applications and project management software, like Notion, ClickUp and monday.com, for usability inspiration. Soon after the research process ended, it was evaluated that developing such an extensive system was going to require much time and many resources, and decided that a ticketing system/task manager was going to be the first feature available on Thilo app, with a free version, but also an extended premium one where adaptations will be developed to suit each company’s personal needs.
Process
Logo creation process
The last logo is the final one for the Thilo app. This logo symbolises simplicity with its sans serif logotype which gives a clean, minimal, friendly and modern look and feel, typical for a growing and innovative software development company. Its symbol with the formation of dots transmits the idea of simplicity, flexibility and growth. The dots are positioned in a specific order, but are a bit inclined towards the bigger dot, which is to be interpreted as the movement of the dots towards a focal point. This illusory motion symbolises the processes of data collection and digitalisation, which are exactly the operations Thilo project intends to optimise.
Black and white logos provide a clear message of authority and showcase minimalism, elegance and professionalism. This is precisely the message we wanted to convey with Thilo app’s logo design. In contrast, colour yellow is commonly used in logo industry to highlight an important logo feature, which would in this case be one dot. The dot is a simplification of a bulb that symbolically represents ideation and innovation, both closely related to Thilo app’s vision and mission.
Color library
Buttons
Other design components
Design iterations
There was a need to adapt the design on the left because it did not give clear cues to suggest that the content inside the table is editable, as the design on the right straightforwardly succeeded to transmit.
The interface on the left seemed pretty confusing and overwhelming for the user, so the design on the right was chosen instead.
The first filter dropdown menu for the ticketing system in kanban view was not the adequate one because it did not solve the problem of understanding each filter’s purpose and meaning, as the design on the right achieved. Also, when it comes to the dropdown menu design on the left, an issue with clickability space could present itself in the future.
The readability of the ticket’s intermodal content on the left was called into question, especially the “blockstream” part where the user would need to easily find and access important system and user messages which occurred on a specific date, so the intermodal on the right was designed with the idea to prevent this potential problem from occurring.
Product successes
Thilo’s ticketing system design has undergone three rounds of iterations, as this feature was developed first in order to solve the particular task management issues our company was encountering, and therefore all DigitalCube team members have been involved in the decision-making process. The reactions of all team members included in the process of testing design and app’s beta version have been been rather positive and encouraging, especially the one of Branislav Čavić, “Thilo app succeeds in its mission: it solves our main problems of task assessment, classification, assignment, progress tracking and reporting.”
What I learned
Even though Thilo project has resulted to be quite challenging timewise, I am quite satisfied with the results. In a short period of time I have created a design system from scratch in both light and dark mode for all features that will be available in Thilo web app in the future, with adaptable components that enable easy and quick updates throughout the whole Figma document. I have learned how to focus on the product, its functionality and usability, without disregarding aesthetics and the user’s tendency to perceive attractive products as more usable.