When I joined this project we didn’t have endless resources or a big team. Just a shared vision and a tough challenge ahead: turn a confusing, slow procurement process into something clear, fast, and reliable for CFOs and managers.

The messy starting point

Procurement was chaotic. Approvals got lost in email chains, spreadsheets ruled everything, and no one had a real sense of progress. In the first round of talks, I kept hearing the same frustration: it could take up to 12 days to get a purchase approved, and people didn’t know who was responsible for what.

What we set out to build

The goal wasn’t just to move things online. We wanted to design a tool that made complex workflows feel natural—a space where vendors, contracts, approvals, and budgets all connected in one clear flow.

The small-team reality (and how we made it work)

Working as a product designer in a small startup means doing a bit of everything and learning fast. Some moments stood out:

• No research ops? No problem. I organized and ran five interviews with CFOs and procurement managers, turned raw notes into key themes, and mapped out the biggest opportunities.

• Prioritizing under pressure. With limited development capacity, I helped the founder narrow the MVP to what mattered most: vendor management, approval workflows, and a unified budget view.

• Constant change. Requirements shifted almost daily. I kept things moving with quick prototypes and weekly validations, keeping feedback loops short and decisions grounded.

• Design that scales. I built a simple but solid Design System so we could stay consistent even while iterating fast.

• Side by side with devs. I worked closely with engineers, writing edge-case states and empty screens so development stayed smooth and predictable.

What changed for our first partner clients

When we launched the MVP with our first partner clients, the difference was easy to see:

• Approval time dropped from 7 to 3 days on average.

• User satisfaction increased by around 70%, with CFOs saying they finally trusted the approval chain.

• Onboarding insight (fixed): At first, setup took longer than expected. New users got stuck understanding role permissions and vendor categories. We simplified the language, redesigned the flow, and turned the first‑run checklist into guided steps—cutting onboarding time by roughly 50%.

Those first results confirmed we were on the right track and gave the whole team the energy to keep improving.

The design choices that made a difference

• One clear home: A single dashboard for tasks, approvals, renewals, and payments—so people could act instead of search.

• Clarity everywhere: Clean hierarchy, friendly language, and visible states reduced confusion and clicks.

• Transparency by default: Every step showed who was responsible and what came next.

• System over screens: The Design System kept things consistent, even as the product grew.

What I learned

In a small company, design is strategy. You listen, simplify, adapt, and make things move. Watching teams who once felt stuck finally work with ease—that’s the part that stays with me.