Context
AI Surge is a no-code Decision Intelligence platform helping businesses make faster, data-driven decisions—without needing a team of data scientists. They're building ModelOps pipelines that cut down time and cost by over 90%, letting companies unlock real-time insights with ease.
I was brought in as the sole UX designer to rethink their Customer 360 dashboard—one of their most important products. The goal was to transform it from a cluttered, overwhelming interface into a clean, modern, and intuitive experience that delivers real business value.
Why They Needed Help
The original dashboard wasn’t doing justice to the product’s power. Internally, the team agreed the UI felt outdated, unintuitive, and lacked the clarity that decision-makers needed. They wanted something that looked and felt cutting-edge—on par with enterprise-level platforms—but still approachable for non-technical users.
If the first version was a hit, I’d continue building out the rest of their website and design system.
My Role
I led the UX design from research to final delivery over a three-month period. I worked closely with the internal product and marketing team to understand their goals, align on business metrics, and ensure we stayed focused on users throughout the process.
Process
1. Diving Into the Data (and the People Behind It)
We kicked things off with stakeholder interviews and user sessions—mainly internal teams and a few early clients. I wanted to understand how people were currently using the dashboard, what was frustrating them, and what success looked like.
From this, we identified four core user needs:
- A complete but digestible overview of customer data
- Easy segmentation and filtering without technical steps
- Personalized marketing insights and triggers
- Real-time campaign analytics in a way that wasn’t overwhelming
We also did a competitive review of similar tools to see what design patterns worked (and what didn’t). This helped us narrow in on a direction that felt familiar but still fresh.
2. Making Sense of the Mess
The old design had issues with:
- Cluttered UI
- Inconsistent layouts
- Hard-to-find insights
- Lack of hierarchy
- Charts that looked impressive but didn’t actually help users take action
So before jumping into visuals, I had to restructure the entire dashboard IA.
3. Ideation and Prototyping
Using Figma and FigJam, I sketched out ideas for layouts, charts, and filters. The focus here wasn’t just aesthetics—it was clarity and usability. I tested out different types of charts and visualizations, always asking:
- Is this chart intuitive?
- Can a non-technical user understand it quickly?
- Does it help answer a real business question?
From low-fidelity wireframes, I moved into high-fidelity prototypes with real sample data. These clickable prototypes helped the team experience the product before development began.
4. User Testing & Iteration
We tested early designs with both internal users and a few pilot customers. Feedback came fast—and honestly, it was great. People said the new layout felt “simpler but smarter,” and they loved how actionable the dashboard was becoming.
A few rounds of iteration helped fine-tune things like:
- Label clarity
- Chart color usage (especially for colorblind accessibility)
- Button placements and call-to-actions
Results
A few weeks after launch, the redesigned dashboard became the centerpiece of client demos. Engagement metrics went up, and according to the founders, the new design played a big part in closing conversations with larger enterprise clients.
The success of this project led to an ongoing collaboration—extending the new visual language to the rest of the site and helping shape their design system.
What I Learned
This project reminded me that even the most powerful tools can fall flat if the UX doesn’t serve real people. Working closely with business teams and jumping on some marketing call as well helped me design something that wasn’t just beautiful—but actually made sense in the real world.