Designing a workflow builder to help
Asset managers close deals efficiently
Designing a workflow builder to help Asset managers close deals efficiently
Designing a workflow builder to help Asset managers close deals efficiently
Turning rigid processes into fluid workflows for faster deal execution.
Turning rigid processes into fluid workflows for faster deal execution.
Company name has been altered to maintain client confidentiality
MY ROLE
I was the Lead UX Designer. Collaborated with UI Designers, Sr. UX designers, PMs
and Dev team
I was the Lead UX Designer. Collaborated with UI Designers, Sr. UX designers, PMs and Dev team
IMPACT
The solution directly helped Quanto to close a high-stakes customer, as it solved their core deal management challenges precisely.
TIMELINE
4 weeks
Overview
Overview
Problem
Problem
Problem
Asset managers struggled to track project progress and maintain team coordination. This resulted in missed investment opportunities and financial losses.
Asset managers struggled to track project progress and maintain team coordination. This resulted in missed investment opportunities and financial losses.
Constraints
Constraints
Constraints
4 week deadline
4 week deadline
Lack of access to direct competitors.
Lack of access to direct competitors.
Seamless integration into the live product.
Seamless integration into the live product.
Solution
Solution
Solution
A workflow builder that helps asset managers to standardize process and track team.
A workflow builder that helps asset managers to standardize process and track team.
What is Quanto?
Imagine
10 years from now, your net worth is $10 Billion.
10 years from now, your net worth is $10 Billion.
You are so rich that you don’t need to work for money anymore.
You make your money work for you.
You are so rich that you don’t need to work for money anymore.
You make your money work for you.
You do that by giving your money to your
Asset manager
You do that by giving your money to your
Asset manager
The asset manager knows the ways of the economy and
where to invest your money to make it grow the most.
The asset manager knows the ways of the economy and
where to invest your money to make it grow the most.
He works his magic, doubles your money and gives it back to you.
He works his magic, doubles your money and gives it back to you.
The tool which helps Asset managers to do their magic is
The tool which helps Asset managers to do their magic is
Quanto
The target user - Private Credit Managers
The target user - Private Credit Managers
The target user - Private Credit Managers
Private Credit Managers(a type of asset manager) specialize in investing in companies by giving them loans.
Quanto helps PCMs to record, analyze and track their investment data.
Private Credit Managers(a type of asset manager) specialize in investing in companies by giving them loans.
Quanto helps PCMs to record, analyze and track their investment data.
What's a deal?
What's a deal?
What's a deal?
Before giving out loans, the PCM and their team has to perform
multiple stages of analysis and negotiation to ensure that it is a good investment. Until all the processes are completed, the potential investment is called a Deal.
Before giving out loans, the PCM and their team has to perform
multiple stages of analysis and negotiation to ensure that it is a good investment. Until all the processes are completed, the potential investment is called a Deal.
Here Comes the Problem
Here Comes the Problem
Defining an action plan takes time and effort
Defining an action plan takes time and effort
When a new deal comes through, the PCMs have to define a multi-step action plan to analyze and verify company documents, negotiate and successfully close the deal. These processes can be different depending on each Deal.
Currently it is tracked through Spreadsheets and Excel files, which is time consuming especially when they have to customize the steps for each deal.
When a new deal comes through, the PCMs have to define a multi-step action plan to analyze and verify company documents, negotiate and successfully close the deal. These processes can be different depending on each Deal.
Currently it is tracked through Spreadsheets and Excel files, which is time consuming especially when they have to customize the steps for each deal.
INITIAL PROJECT BRIEF
Build a feature where the PCM can easily create a set of processes in Quanto for each deal and assign tasks to their team member, track progress and deliver outputs on time.
Build a feature where the PCM can easily create a set of processes in Quanto for each deal and assign tasks to their team member, track progress and deliver outputs on time.
Decoding Asset Management
Decoding Asset Management
Talking to Finance bros
Talking to Finance bros
To understand the current process of closing a deal and to uncover the core problems, I interviewed few Private Credit managers and studied the domain technicalities. What I found was 3 key areas that desperately needed a design intervention.
To understand the current process of closing a deal and to uncover the core problems, I interviewed few Private Credit managers and studied the domain technicalities. What I found was 3 key areas that desperately needed a design intervention.
PAIN POINTS
PAIN POINTS
WORKFLOW
CREATION
WORKFLOW
CREATION
WORKFLOW
CREATION
Lack of Standardization
Lack of Standardization
Workflows rely on individual memory rather than company standards, wasting resources.
Workflows rely on individual memory rather than company standards, wasting resources.
Manual Creation
Manual Creation
Building workflows in Excel is slow, repetitive,
and error-prone.
Building workflows in Excel is slow, repetitive, and error-prone.
Can't establish Dependencies
Can't establish Dependencies
Impossible to link tasks or visualize the
sequence of steps.
Impossible to link tasks or visualize the sequence of steps.
TRACKING
PROGRESS
TRACKING
PROGRESS
TRACKING
PROGRESS
No Real-Time Visibility
No Real-Time Visibility
Managers cannot see the live status of
deals or tasks.
Managers cannot see the live status of deals or tasks.
Managers cannot see the live status of deals or tasks.
Information Silos
Information Silos
Critical updates are trapped in personal
inboxes and notes.
Critical updates are trapped in personal inboxes and notes.
MANAGING
DELIVERABLES
MANAGING
DELIVERABLES
MANAGING
DELIVERABLES
Versioning Chaos
Versioning Chaos
Confusion over the "final" file leads to teams working on outdated documents.
Confusion over the "final" file leads to teams working on outdated documents.
How
might
we
How
might
we
How
might
we
Enable PCMs to orchestrate the entire deal process, ensuring standardized workflows, real-time progress tracking and a single source of truth for all deliverables?
Enable PCMs to orchestrate the entire deal process, ensuring standardized workflows, real-time progress tracking and a single source of truth for all deliverables?
The Designs
The Designs
Reframing Deal folder
Reframing Deal folder
To prevent context switching, I consolidated Workflow, Tasks, and Team modules into the Deal Folder. This restructuring ensures all deal-specific actions and assets live within a single, accessible ecosystem.
To prevent context switching, I consolidated Workflow, Tasks, and Team modules into the Deal Folder. This restructuring ensures all deal-specific actions and assets live within a single, accessible ecosystem.
Creating a workflow template
Creating a workflow template
Ensuring standardization of the workflows was critical, so I created ‘Workflow Management’ inside Admin Console, which only allowed an Admin to create, edit and delete workflows. This ensured that the whole team is always working from the same approved playbook.
Ensuring standardization of the workflows was critical, so I created ‘Workflow Management’ inside Admin Console, which only allowed an Admin to create, edit and delete workflows. This ensured that the whole team is always working from the same approved playbook.
Deploying workflow in Deals
Deploying workflow in Deals
I accelerated the workflow deployment process by enabling the PCMs to simply select templates from the library, customize the details and deploy it instantly in the deal, saving time and manual effort drastically.
I accelerated the workflow deployment process by enabling the PCMs to simply select templates from the library, customize the details and deploy it instantly in the deal, saving time and manual effort drastically.
Adding a Task
Adding a Task
Adding a task was one of the fundamental features in this flow.
Creating a new task involves entering extensive details. To prevent overwhelming the user, I arranged the fields into logical groupings with familiar UI patterns, making sure that the creation process feels lightweight even with dense details.
Adding a task was one of the fundamental features in this flow.
Creating a new task involves entering extensive details. To prevent overwhelming the user, I arranged the fields into logical groupings with familiar UI patterns, making sure that the creation process feels lightweight even with dense details.
Workflow Dashboard
Workflow Dashboard
For the Workflow Dashboard, clarity was key.
I designed a layout that establishes a clear visual hierarchy between high level stages and their granular tasks.
To handle a myriad of task data without clutter, I created a table component, which ensured complex details remain
scannable and organized.
For the Workflow Dashboard, clarity was key.
I designed a layout that establishes a clear visual hierarchy between high level stages and their granular tasks.
To handle a myriad of task data without clutter, I created a table component, which ensured complex details remain
scannable and organized.
Impact
Impact
A universal workflow feature
A universal workflow feature
The solution was primarily designed for deal pipeline, but it's framework was easily extended to Investor Pipeline as well. This proved the design’s robustness, solving the broader ‘Pipeline Management’ challenge across the system with a single solution.
The solution was primarily designed for deal pipeline, but it's framework was easily extended to Investor Pipeline as well. This proved the design’s robustness, solving the broader ‘Pipeline Management’ challenge across the system with a single solution.
Closing a Big customer
Closing a Big customer
The designs became a decisive factor in enabling Quanto to secure a major enterprise customer. Our solution directly addressed their specific pain points. This was the moment where I realized the importance of User centered design in business growth and generating revenue.
The designs became a decisive factor in enabling Quanto to secure a major enterprise customer. Our solution directly addressed their specific pain points. This was the moment where I realized the importance of User centered design in business growth and generating revenue.
Reflections
Reflections
Deeply understanding the user problem does half the job
Deeply understanding the user problem does half the job
If you truly understand the user’s problem, the solution becomes obvious. The difficult part is to bring out the real problem through rigorous research and interviews. Once you get that right everything else becomes easier.
If you truly understand the user’s problem, the solution becomes obvious. The difficult part is to bring out the real problem through rigorous research and interviews. Once you get that right everything else becomes easier.
Understanding the PCM workflow
Understanding the PCM workflow
It was an intense phase while understanding the entire process of a PCM, what problems they faced, why they faced, their goals and motivations. It brings me joy to work through seemingly complex stuff only to find that through sheer effort and curiosity you can crack anything
It was an intense phase while understanding the entire process of a PCM, what problems they faced, why they faced, their goals and motivations. It brings me joy to work through seemingly complex stuff only to find that through sheer effort and curiosity you can crack anything
Want to chat or debate about design?
I'm down for both.