NovaHome CRM
Order Tracking & Client Communication Platform Redesign
Redesigned NovaHome's order management — giving clients self-service tracking and staff centralized workflows — lifting satisfaction 65% and cutting manual inquiries 30% from day one.
Role
UX/UI Designer & Front-End Developer
Timeline
10 weeks
Year
2022
Team
- 2 Developers
- Sales Teams
- Stakeholders
The Problem
Why this mattered.
NovaHome's order management ran on outdated systems and phone inquiries. Clients had no real-time visibility. Staff spent significant time answering status questions rather than processing orders. Fragmented data caused compounding errors.
Clients didn't want to call — they had no choice. Given a self-service alternative, they would use it immediately. The staff didn't need a better phone process; they needed the phone to stop ringing.
Starting Baseline
No real-time order visibility for clients · manual inquiries consuming staff capacity · fragmented order data
Discovery
What the research revealed.
Stakeholder interviews to identify pain points, existing workflow analysis, competitive CRM review for client portal best practices
Clients preferred self-service tracking — they were calling because there was no other option
Staff needed centralized order data with streamlined workflows — multiple disconnected systems were the root cause of errors
Competitor CRMs with client portals showed dramatically lower support volume — the pattern was proven, just not applied here
Solution
The architecture.
Client-facing self-service portal combined with a staff-side centralized order management system — both aligned to NovaHome's brand, built for zero learning curve.
Client portal — real-time order status without a phone call
Staff dashboard — centralized order data, notes, task scheduling
Integrated client updates — no switching to email or phone
Brand-aligned UI — felt like NovaHome, not a generic SaaS tool
Design Process
Clarity first. Usable by clients with varying technical comfort — zero learning curve required.
Phase 1: Wireframes & prototype validation
Platform structure and flows defined before any visual design. Validated with stakeholders and sales teams to eliminate assumptions early.
Phase 2: UI refinement
FinalIterated based on feedback from actual users — sales teams and administrators — not just executive sign-off.
Specifications
Led UX design and front-end development end-to-end. Responsive for desktop and tablet. NovaHome brand component library. Integrated with existing backend without modification.
Constraints & Solutions
Backend couldn't be modified — all UX improvements had to work within the existing data structure. Front-end layer abstracted legacy complexity from both clients and staff.
Outcomes
What moved.
| Metric | Before | After | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client Satisfaction | Baseline | +65% | ↑65% |
| Manual Inquiries | Baseline | -30% | ↓30% |
| Task Management Efficiency | Baseline | +25% | ↑25% |
Impact
Clients adopted the self-service portal immediately — inquiry volume dropped in the first week. Staff shifted capacity from reactive support to proactive order management.