Pipeline
Together with the product manager, we identified two key goals for this project: increasing user engagement and reducing support requests related to account-level sales visibility. By equipping users with tools to efficiently manage and action proposals, we achieved a 52% increase in Accepted Proposals, generating an additional $1.2B in customer revenue.
As the lead product designer, I collaborated closely with the PM to prioritise this initiative, securing leadership buy-in. This effort not only met its primary goals but also established foundational patterns that continue to drive engagement and shape the product’s evolution.
Context
Ignition is the leading revenue generation platform for accounting and professional services by automating and optimising proposals, billing, and payments payments, and workflows, enabling greater efficiency and profitability.
In 2021, with a vision to help accounting and professional services firms build lasting client relationships, Ignition launched a new version of its Proposal Editor (NPE) to replace the classic Proposal Editor (CPE).
Recognising the new editor (NPE) lacked some features available compare to the classic editor (CPE) the company maintained both versions simultaneously. The plan was for customer to transition when at their own pace, minimising disruption while steadily releasing new features to close the gap.
Research
The backbone of our discovery phase was engaging directly with our users through customer interviews. These conversations were carefully structured to uncover the underlying frustrations, needs, and aspirations of our core user base. By listening deeply, we sought to understand not just what wasn’t working, but why—and how it impacted their workflows and their trust in Ignition’s tools.
sentiment_very_dissatisfied
the new proposal editor proposals do not show in this list???
sentiment_very_dissatisfied
You cannot drill into any of the dashboard revenue or payments reports so it’s hard to be able to make client decisions from this limited view.
sentiment_very_dissatisfied
This feels like unnecessary extra steps to see basic reporting information.
sentiment_very_dissatisfied
NPE - Drafting proposals NO longer appear under DRAFT - which is unacceptable. The placeholders are almost all gone from the Terms section which is also a big downgrade.
Problem space
Feedback from customers and support teams revealed challenges for users who had switched or used both systems, with most issues centered on visibility after proposal creation.
For users
NPE proposals were only visible within a client. Lacking account level views, users to overlook or miss critical business outcomes.
Navigating through clients was repetitive and time consuming, work arounds were offline and introduced the possibility of stale data.
Diagram highlighting problem
Business Challenges
Maintaining parallel systems increased engineering and operational overhead. Supporting two design languages with unique components added design and development complexity. NPE-related issues made up 30% of support tickets, overwhelming account managers and front-line resources.
Goals
Through feedback analysis, support tickets, 20 user interviews, and behavioral analytics, we defined three measurable goals for our solution to address.
Solution
Ignitions Pipeline
A unified view of all proposals across clients and editors reduced task times by up to 75% and boosted user satisfaction.
Segments tailored
Quick Filters streamline workflows by embedding best practices, going beyond simple status segmentation. User testing showed expiring engagements were often missed, so we introduced a filter to surface them instantly, ensuring critical tasks aren’t overlooked.
Precision filtering
‘More Filters’ adds precision, enabling users to tailor their experience with attributes aligned to their workflows. Dynamic options simplify common tasks while providing full control when needed.
Classic + New editor
Combining the datasets into a unified view proved unfeasible within the project’s timeframe and performance constraints, especially for a limited user subset. As a compromise, we organized the data into two tabs, enabling quick switching—an effective solution given the limitations.
Bulk actions
Making visibility more visible!
Initially, all Quick Filters shared the same column headers. The redesign introduced contextual headers tailored to each segment, improving clarity. Status badges were removed where unnecessary (e.g., drafts) to reduce visual clutter. Contextual actions were added per segment and proposal state, allowing users to take action directly within the pipeline. Quick Filters were also re-ordered, re-labeled, and redesigned to align with user expectations, informed by testing.
Key results
Pipeline addressed real user needs with practical solutions, reducing workload and boosting confidence. By iterating on feedback, we delivered a solution that enhanced experiences, drove business goals, and set a lasting product trajectory.
User Engagement
Within the first year, daily engagement among active users reached 47%, surpassing our 25% target. Additionally, ~80% of subscribed practices used Pipeline monthly, demonstrating its value and encouraging broader adoption.
Daily active users
Target achieved
Operational Efficiency
Support requests related to NPE/Proposal visibility dropped from 30% to 5%, enabling KAMs to focus on higher-impact work.
% of total support requests
Target achieved
Accepted proposals
Streamlined tools and full proposal visibility drove a 53% increase in accepted proposals, from 650,000 to 1 million in a year, generating $1.3 billion in additional user revenue.
Accepted proposals
Target achieved
For a deep dive into this case study, see the process:
