Unqork
Unqork specializes in no-code app development for large companies. Its platform enables users to quickly create complex features using a visual tool. I joined Unqork in June 2020 as a Senior and Lead Product Designer. I led important design projects and helped guide and mentor other designers. I also served as Interim Head of Design for a time.
Project Samples:
Workflow
I led design across a cross-functional team to build out and mature Workflow, a business process automation tool. I led areas from design system implementation to building out new features driven by customer needs/opportunities.
Module Builder
I led a cross-functional team to re-design “Module Builder” - the core product of Unqork’s No-Code IDE that allows Creators to configure applications.
Workspaces
I led a cross-functional team to re-design the end-to-end “Workspaces” journey - the surface areas in which teams of Creators organize their application and project elements.
Case Study 1: Using Atomic Design for Modern Interfaces
Is Unqork truly 'No-Code'? Not for modern interfaces.
To build applications with Unqork, users (or “Creators”) configure pre-packaged components that perform specific tasks, such as UI, logic, or data. Unqork's customers, including a Fortune 50 bank, demand that their consumer-facing app UIs reflect their brand identity. Styling Unqork applications was technically challenging and time-consuming, requiring users to dive into CSS, which contradicts Unqork's No-Code promise. This necessitated costly styling services for customers.
Listening for problems and opportunities
I start by learning from experts in the problem space, so I organized interviews with customers and key stakeholders. I discovered that styling demands extensive coding, which contradicts Unqork’s mission. Few people can style within Unqork, and clients with consumer audiences expect modern brand displays. Without a productized styling solution, Unqork risks losing potential clients.
Uncovering a key insight
Interviews with technical leaders revealed that Unqork’s components are built from monolithic structures, making them hard to edit and style. They prefer a more granular, atomic approach to reduce tech debt and improve component styling.
Introducing "Atomic Design" as a framework for a diverse, cross-functional audience.
I explored literature on scaling granular systems, re-reading Brad Frost's “Atomic Design.” I created documentation to help team members understand the concepts. I hypothesized that if Unqork assets were defined atomically, any component could be built from atomic units, and atomic units could be accessed from any hierarchy level.
What would change about our customer journey if components were composed atomically?
Guiding our roadmap with new experiences and visual storytelling.
I supported Product and Engineering in validating ideas and focused on creating productized solutions to demonstrate the value of atomic composition for Unqork. I outlined "key moments" in the user journey to stakeholders and developed prototypes to validate solutions. I also provided narratives highlighting key moments for customers and senior leaders.
Outcomes
After socializing and iterating on solutions, I was pleased to see concepts become reality. Senior leaders from Unqork and our customers were excited about easily styling their applications. Our teams appreciated a solution grounded in Atomic Design. The ‘Self-Service Styling’ initiative became a major investment, currently being developed by our cross-functional teams.
Case Study 2: Parallel Execution & Timed Events
Role: I was the Lead Product Designer for Workflow for ~15 months. During that time, I collaborated closely with partners in Product and Engineering. My thought partners in developing experiences included internal SMEs and customers.
Current state of Workflow:
Workflow is an Unqork tool for crafting business processes via a visual drag-and-drop interface, managing user journeys, data routing, and API connections. Previously, Unqork workflows were linear, non-collaborative, and inefficient, requiring multiple roles to wait for task completion.
Listening to customers revealed a desire for workflows that enhance collaboration among roles in business processes. End-users should work in parallel with automation to assist their tasks.
Considering solutions:
I worked with Product and ENG to develop solutions for customer needs. The main workflow issue was the inability to bifurcate submission data. We created the “Inclusive Gateway” and “Parallel Gateway” to address this, and I illustrated these concepts to align teams on next steps.
Rapid Prototyping for use case discovery and validation:
The team collected user feedback and defined the new feature. I created mocks, journeys, and prototypes for ongoing learning. The mock below shows a typical customer use case where a broker and an underwriter operate simultaneously based on specific logic. Submission data diverges and converges at the Inclusive Gateway nodes, while automation in parallel processes streamlines tasks.
Continuous learning drives product iteration:
As ENG developed the MVP for the feature set, my Product partner and I engaged with customers and internal stakeholders. We recognized that multiple parallel users relied on each other within the workflow. Although users could work simultaneously, guardrails were necessary to prevent delays in the business process due to dependencies.
Impact:
Account teams marketed the Parallel Execution features in the subsequent sales cycles and noted a high adoption rate from customers. Read more about Parallel Execution from Unqork’s marketing materials.