Traffic by Intent Ad Approval Platform
TIMELINE
3 Week Sprint
TEAM
3 People
ROLE
UX Research, UX Design
TOOLS
Figma/Figjam, G-Suite, Zoom, Slack, Jira
PROJECT OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVE
OUTCOME
RESEARCH
CLIENT INTERVIEW
To kick off the project, we met with stakeholders from Traffic By Intent (TXI), an AI performance marketing startup focused on optimizing ad campaigns for businesses. Our goal was to identify challenges and gather insights on their current ad approval process.
The Problem
Our clients shared that their reliance on Google spreadsheets and email communication led to inefficiencies and data chaos. Wanting to move away from this disorganized system, they sought a polished, streamlined ad approval process that would maintain brand consistency, enhance the user experience, and present TXI as a more professional, established business beyond their current bootstrap approach.
Client Requests
1
Onboarding
2
Approval/Review
3
Brand Guidelines
Along with improving the ad review and approval process, TXI also aimed to create an onboarding experience that could cater to various team members. They wanted to implement brand messaging and guiding principles to provide clients with clear direction and support throughout the process.
USER RESEARCH
Objectives
Our objectives were to understand the user journey for both the onboarding and approval stages, uncover their experiences and frustrations, and envision what an ideal flow might look like for the users.
The Participants
For our research we interviewed four of TxI’s current clients who had experience with their onboarding and ad approval process. We were able to get more insight on how they interact with the spreadsheet for the approval process.
Overall, much of the research reflected each business had different needs. We needed to prioritize, so we decided to used our target users (super + Aura) to help prioritize findings and our persona
What We Discovered
Based on our insights, we found that the users had varying needs—some interacted with their PMs, others with legal, and some required better understanding of updates.
However, a common theme emerged: users wanted to feel in control. The current approval process and spreadsheet contributed to a sense of chaos, stemming from a lack of relevant information. Despite these frustrations, users expressed strong trust in TXI and appreciated working with the team.
HEURISTICS EVALUATION
We conducted heuristic evaluations on the current spreadsheet used for the ad approval process. This involved assessing the usability of the spreadsheet against established user experience principles to identify areas of improvement.
Key Findings
User Control and Freedom
Users felt restricted in their ability to manipulate data. The spreadsheet's design did not allow for easy customization or navigation, leading to frustration and a lack of control over the approval process.
Clearer Workflows
The workflow within the spreadsheet was convoluted, making it difficult for users to complete tasks efficiently, especially if they were being given hundreds of lines of copy. This hindered their ability to make timely approvals and affected overall productivity.
Visibility of System Status
Users lacked clear indicators of their current progress within the approval process. This made it challenging to understand where they were in the workflow, contributing to confusion and reduced trust in the system.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
We then looked at marketing competitors to determine how other companies handle their data. Overall, we found that they have centralized systems, dashboards with filters and sorting options, metrics, and logins to help facilitate a polished, formal platform usable to their customers, a need for TXI’s users.
USER PERSONA
Meet Monica
Monica was created to represent our target users such as Super and Aura (fintech companies). Monica is a growth marketer who is executing her first marketing campaign. She serves as our guide to show us how she would go through the approval process and we used her throughout to serve her needs.
Monica’s Pain Points
Based on our research and interview insights, we outlined the steps Monica would take during the approval process and mapped out potential pain points she might encounter at each stage. This helped us pinpoint where improvements were needed to enhance her overall experience.
SITE MAP
After conducting our research, we gained a clearer understanding of the approval process and key user pain points. To visualize the platform, we developed a site map.
While we initially planned to address multiple areas—onboarding, brand guidelines, and the approval process—user feedback and time constraints led us to prioritize focusing on the approval process. Given the two-week timeline, this allowed us to tackle the most critical issues first while leaving room for future enhancements.
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
Users need access to a collaborative and informative centralized platform that allows them to manage ads because they want to feel in control making approvals so they can execute marketing campaigns.
IDEATION
HOW MIGHT WE
With a clearer understanding of the process and Monica’s challenges, we moved into the ideation phase. Using a collaborative approach called How Might We (HMW), we brainstormed creative solutions to address the pain points. This method helped us narrow down the best ideas that could potentially lead to impactful solutions.
HOW MIGHT WE...
PRIORITY MATRIX
We used a priority matrix to determine which ideas to pursue, focusing on those with the highest impact and feasibility. By categorizing our findings into themes, we concentrated on the top-left quadrant of the matrix. This led us to four key areas for solution development: enhancing spreadsheet management with new features, incorporating visual guides for users, providing accessible resources for information, and fostering trust throughout the platform.
TESTING
USABILITY TESTING
We turned our sketches into low/mid-fidelity wireframes and prepared them for testing.
Research Objective
How successfully can users use the flow to approve ads in a timely manner and receive final confirmation? Do they feel more in control?
Evaluating Test Findings
∙ To-Do’s should be more specific
∙ The amount of notifications/red bubbles on the page felt overwhelming
∙ Wanted less spacing at the top for additional room on the page.
∙ Wanted access to brand guidelines on this page to be able to look at while reviewing ad copy.
∙ Review section was confusing because it was unclear who was reviewing what.
∙ Felt no need for a dedicted new/existing column
∙ This page seemed too formal and unnecessary.
∙ Users wanted the option for partial approval in case they wanted time to think about some ads.
Final Sketches
VISUAL DESIGN
TxI’S BRAND REFERENCE KIT
TXI provided us with a Brand Reference Kit to maintain brand style throughout the final design
FINAL DESIGN
TXI provided us with a Brand Reference Kit to maintain brand style throughout the final design
TAKEAWAYS
NEXT STEPS
TXI provided us with a Brand Reference Kit to maintain brand style throughout the final design
Onboarding
Doing more research on how users go through the onboarding process and to find out what would make this the most helpful to help set them up for a successful partnership
Messaging/Feedback
Develop out the messaging and feedback section on the approval page to make collaboration easy and seamless, all done in one space
Further Testing Across Teams (Legal, PMM)
Talk to other members that marketers might collaborate with and see what they need in order to help
