CLIENT: Alphacast / DATE: October 2024
While I believe in a mobile-first world, I also believe that the work I do is best appreciated on a big screen for portfolio purposes, so it may not render perfectly here.
How We Cut Customer Questions by Over 80% and Improved Navigation & Overall Experience by Redesigning Alphacast's Main Page.
The Client
In this case study, we explore Alphacast, a rapidly growing startup revolutionizing the way Economic & Financial data is used. The platform focuses on providing ready-to-use data for integration into models, dashboards, and reports.
The Problem
As a fast-paced, highly technical startup, Alphacast did not have a dedicated design team. The development team had been quickly shipping features and tools, but without a clear design direction.
After heavy client usage, they discovered that content creators struggled to understand where their projects were saved. Additionally, users working in teams had to click at least four times to reach their team content, making the experience inefficient and time-consuming.
Economic & Financial data ready to use in your models, dashboards and reports.
http://alphacast.io
Tasks:
- - Design Direction
- - Product Design
- - Figma Mockups
- - Small Frontend Code Additions
UI Problems Before the Redesign
No visual distinction between the header, sidebar, and content area.
No hierarchy between elements; everything looked the same.
No visual cues for identifying owned vs shared repositories.
The "Create New" button was buried in the header, mixed with account-related elements, which caused confusion and broke context.
The Solution
After a few strategic calls with the Alphacast team to understand how the app worked, how users behaved, and what changes we could implement without a major technical effort, we proposed the following updates:
1. Rename “Home” to “Dashboard”
Users now land on a dashboard where they can instantly see the latest projects they’ve worked on and what’s been shared with them.
This change created a more natural and intuitive entry point—something users immediately understood as a hub for their work.
2. Sidebar Improvements
We restructured the sidebar, simplifying navigation and saving two clicks each time a user accessed a repository. We also limited the number of repositories shown (since most users only have 2–3), and added a “View All” link to access the complete list.
3. Context, Content & Title Weight
We made small visual tweaks to better separate context from content in both the sidebar and the header. We also refined typography for improved readability.
Main content cards were redesigned for consistent sizing and formatting, making them easier to scan and understand.
4. Improved Team Page Access
We merged the “Team Info” and “Team Homepage” into a single view and placed direct links in the sidebar. Now, each repository clearly shows the owning team, along with a link to access the team files.
More UI Refinements
Enhanced asset card design for consistency, clarity, and better interaction.
Moved internal tab navigation to a more contextual top-level position.
On team pages, added clearer visual cues to identify team-owned repositories, including a “Follow” button and icons to indicate access level.
Simplified team cards by relocating metadata to a side panel and grouping team members in a compact layout.
The Results
Within one month of deployment, we saw measurable improvements in both user satisfaction and operational efficiency:
83% reduction in support questions related to file and project location.
22% reduction in questions about accessing team pages.
Additionally, the Client Onboarding team reported a smoother, faster onboarding flow, making it easier to present the platform’s structure and features clearly. These improvements led to stronger daily workflows and helped increase platform adoption and trust.
Increased user and team satisfaction
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