Case study — Digital product
A concrete project with a clear subject and real-world context.
A mid-size logistics firm in Durban was losing new accounts during the first two weeks. The onboarding process relied on email threads, PDF forms, and manual data entry. We were asked to design a portal that would reduce drop-off and give clients a single place to submit documents and track their setup.
We started by mapping the existing journey with three account managers and two recent clients. The core problem was not missing features but unclear next steps. We structured the portal around a simple checklist: verify company details, upload compliance docs, sign service agreement, and schedule a kickoff call. Each step had a clear owner and a deadline. We built a lightweight prototype in Figma, tested it with five new clients over two weeks, and iterated on the wording of every notification.
The final interface was intentionally restrained. A single left-hand navigation with four sections, a progress bar at the top, and a plain language status panel. We removed the option to upload files in freeform; instead, each document type had a dedicated slot with a specific format hint. The system sent automatic reminders at day two and day five, but only if the client had not completed the step. We also added a direct line to a named onboarding specialist, not a general inbox.
Step 1
Company details
Prefilled from the sales CRM, client only verifies.
Step 2
Compliance docs
Tax clearance, BEE certificate, and insurance.
Step 3
Kickoff call
Scheduled within 48 hours of document approval.
After three months, the average onboarding time dropped from 11 days to 4.5 days. The number of clients who completed the process without a support ticket went from 38% to 74%. The portal did not add new features; it removed ambiguity. The most used part was the progress bar, which gave clients a sense of control.
“The portal changed how we talk to new clients. They no longer ask what happens next — they see it. The design team understood that our clients are not tech-savvy; they just want clarity.”
— Operations lead, logistics client