Featured work, Calendly

Analytics

An industry-first dashboard designed for Account Managers, offering performance metrics and usage data to guide usage strategy.

Platform

(Responsive) Web

Timeline

16+ weeks • Research > Design > Validation cycle (2x)

Domain/Topics

Enterprise, Data-Viz, Design Systems

Core Team

Designer (me), Product Manager, Content Strategist, 2 Engineers

Results

1500

MAUs within the first 90 days of launch

23%

Increase in MAUs in the following 2 quarters

Platform

(Responsive) Web

Timeline

16+ weeks • Research > Design > Validation cycle (2x)

Domain/Topics

Enterprise, Data-Viz, Design Systems

Core Team

Designer (me), Product Manager, Content Strategist, 2 Engineers

Results

1500

MAUs within the first 90 days of launch

23%

Increase in MAUs in the following 2 quarters

Users lacked access to their Calendly usage data

We wanted to empower our customers (Account Managers) with insights into their team's usage data and behaviors. This helps them make strategic decisions like optimizing schedules, coaching or rewarding members, and improving overall workflows.

Goal

This initiative was meant to address a clear gap: give a better understanding of their product usage to maximize its benefits.

Our measurable goals were:

  1. Increase user retention

  2. Add value by providing insights

  3. Increase Analytics MAUs by 10% within first quarter of launch

This initiative was meant to address a clear gap: give a better understanding of their product usage to maximize its benefits.

Our measurable goals were:

  1. Increase user retention by improving their understanding of the product

  2. Increase Analytics MAUs by 10% within first quarter of launch

Final results

After the public launch, users received a rich dashboard offering an array of features, allowing them to customize views, explore in-depth data, and gain unique insights. Several customers gave positive feedback on its impact and value:

We used the dashboard trends to quickly reduce our meeting cancellations by 10%.

Nabil Belmezouar, Senior Product Manager

I started the project with a problem-framing exercise to pinpoint challenges.

Uncovering key insights through research

We started off by validating our problem statement to fine-tune our goals.

Methodologies

  1. Competitive Analysis: Assessed similar tools or features in the market to understand the competitive landscape and identify opportunities for differentiation

  2. Discovery interviews: I worked with our Content Strategist to run 3 rounds of discovery interviews. Our primary audience was admins or account managers from diverse company sizes — from nimble startups to established enterprises.

  3. Usability Testing: After creating prototypes, I conducted a series of moderated tests to identify pain points, and user expectations

Some of the competitor applications that I used as reference.

Some of the competitor applications that I used as reference.

Key insights

  • Users valued exploring interesting data and wanted insights on anomalies and key indicators

  • Data export for in-depth analysis was essential

  • Customization was key, users wanted dashboards tailored to role-specific requirements

Unexpected learnings:

  • Some metrics initially believed to be important (like global seat usage data), were less relevant


I want something that summarizes usage data that I can easily share with my exec team in our monthly meeting

Discovery interview participant

Design principles

From the research, I derived a set of design principles which then used to guide my designs:

  1. Simplicity
    Ensure the designs remain intuitive and user-friendly

  1. Encourage interaction
    Elements should invite users to engage, sparking curiosity and promoting exploration

  1. Modularity
    Ensure each component is self-contained for easy future adaptability and expansion

Designing solutions to meet user needs

After the ideation phase, I delved into crafting storyboards, defining the information architecture, and making user flows and wireframes.

Below is a simplified prototype of I ended up creating (click on the image to open in a new tab).

Summarizing successes, lessons learned, and next steps

Challenges

  • Design optimization: Striking the balance between simplicity for everyday users and detailed insights for administrators was challenging

  • Technical constraints: Scope changes occurred due to engineering research and performance issues that were uncovered during tests

  • Stakeholder communication: Engagement with stakeholders took longer than anticipated, limiting the data available and affecting the project's timeline

Results

After launching, we noted a 23% increase in MAUs within two quarters, confirming that our goals were met and our approach was effective. Stakeholder's testimonial reinforced this success: "We used the dashboard trends to quickly reduce our meeting cancellations by 10%"—Nabil Belmezouar, Senior Product Manager.

The project's journey from idea to implementation demonstrated our ability to create a useful analytics tool that meets diverse user needs, presenting data in an accessible and significant manner.

Reflections

Some things I would do differently:

  • Process optimization: Reflecting on the communication delays, and developing a more structured approach to stakeholder engagement could save time in future projects

  • Conduct engineering research earlier: Getting more accurate performance data earlier would have enabled more informed design decisions, impacting the project's outcome in a positive way

Next steps:

  • Improve sorting/filtering mechanisms: enhancing these functions will provide better contextual data availability

  • Expand dashboard customizability: Further personalization options will increase user efficacy and satisfaction

  • Scheduled data exporting: Introducing automation will enhance workflow efficiencies

These targeted improvements emphasized our commitment at the time to evolve the product and deliver the maximum value to users.

© 2023 Charles Wu