Captain HQ

Dashboard of the web application I was responsible for creating as the Lead Designer at Captain HQ.

As the UX Designer at this Fintech Startup, I was the sole designer to create the web application for Captain’s varied users.

Overview

Homeowners require faster action when their homes need repair. Captain hired me as the Lead UX Designer to make sure this happened.

Captain is a startup in the Fintech space providing capital to communities impacted by natural disasters. It ensures homeowners get their homes repaired fast by advancing money to contractors to pay for all fees associated with the repairs - all without having to work with insurers.

*Because a user of this app must be a Captain-verified contractor, policyholder, or insurer, it may not be accessible to everyone.

Problem

Each user type has their own priorities while their actions affect users across all portals.

Assuming that no one is thrilled to deal with an insurance claim after their house has suffered damage, how can we make this process as pleasant as possible?

Dealing with damage to your home is stressful. Policyholders, Contractors, and Insurers need clarity and support throughout the duration of home repair claims.

Solution

Present distinct web application portals with very little gatekeeping so that Contractors and Policyholders can file claims through Captain right away.

My task was to design unique dashboard and navigation experiences - and then the rest of the app - depending on user types to break down the complexity of filing a claim into simple steps highlighted by satisfying UI.

As the sole designer on the team, I was responsible for the entirety of designs and worked to gather user insights every step of the way.

Building a design system

First, I had to build a design system from scratch. The accessibility of Captain’s color palette and design components became one of my biggest contributions to the team as this had not been considered before I arrived.

The Design System

I adjusted the button colors in default and hover states to blue instead of hot pink to allow for better accessibility.

Since the web application colors were meant to differ with those of the website, I chose cool blues and made sure every color was accessible on the different white and grey backgrounds we used.

I adjusted Captain’s typography to fit on an 8 pixel grid to allow for less mistakes when switching off from design to engineering and make everything pixel perfect.

Although it’s usually a PM’s job, working at a start up meant I needed to take on more roles- including creating a timeline for the product.

User Research

To begin research, I started with the problems at hand and the assumptions I was making as someone who has not been in the users’ shoes.

Persona Research

After conducting a few user interviews, I mapped out the needs of the user types Captain has.

How might we…?

Looking at a specific situation from someone’s point of view helps me get in the user’s mindset and figure out where to look for the solution first.

In house at Captain, we discussed the User roles extensively to understand how each user’s actions affected others.

Define & Ideate

I created a Product Features Roadmap to help get each feature into MVP status. Communicating with other teams and departments was critical during this phase and different features took precedent over others as time went on.

I created a venn diagramn for project goals from every perspective.

Next, I created first-draft sitemaps for each user type, including the phases present in filing a claim with Captain.

The Outcome

A web application that breaks down the process of filing a claim into simple steps including interactions between users from different portals.

Working closely with engineering, I considered the constraints at hand and the affordability of every new design choice. I worked with product to help their department understand my design choices and advocate for the user.

If you’d like to know more about the designs, email me below!

Want to know more about the process?