Industry
Headquarters
Baltimore, MD
Founded
2010
Company Size
Key Markets
1M+ users globally
Growth Stage
ARR $8M by 2023
Website
Overview
TeamGantt is a project planning platform built around timelines, dependencies, and team coordination.
The challenge was not feature gaps. It was usability at the moment that mattered most: new users struggled to move from signup to building their first usable plan.
The focus of this work was restructuring onboarding and early workflows so users could reach value quickly and understand how the system worked.
Highlights
Faster time to first usable plan
Reduced onboarding friction
Improved activation into core workflow
Clearer understanding of the planning model
Understanding the Problem
The onboarding experience exposed too much too early. Users were introduced to multiple concepts before they had a working mental model of the product.
Too many concepts introduced at once
No clear starting point
Advanced features surfaced before basics
Friction between signup and first usable plan
Users weren’t failing because the product lacked capability. They were failing because the system wasn’t guiding them to success.
Strategic approach
The approach was to simplify how users reached value. Instead of explaining the system, the product needed to guide users into it.
Onboarding redesign: simplify how users reach first value
Onboarding was redesigned around a single goal: build a basic timeline first.
The early experience focused only on the core planning model. All non-essential complexity was removed from the initial flow. Advanced features like dependencies and resource planning were introduced later, after users had created a working plan.
The workflow became the guide. Users learned by doing, not by interpreting instructions.
This shifted onboarding from explanation to execution.
Principle: Start with the core model. Layer complexity over time. Guide users to their first successful outcome.
Key Initiatives
Guided timeline creation
Users needed a clear path to create their first plan.
What I did
Structured onboarding around step-by-step timeline creation
Reduced decision points early in the flow
Focused interaction on a single core task
What changed
Structured onboarding around step-by-step timeline creation
Reduced decision points early in the flow
Focused interaction on a single core task
Progressive feature exposure
Advanced features were overwhelming users before they understood the basics.
What I did
Delayed exposure of advanced functionality
Introduced features based on user progress
Sequenced learning through interaction instead of documentation
What changed
Users adopted features in the right order
Feature comprehension improved
The system felt more approachable without losing depth
Additional workstreams
Simplified onboarding UI and decision paths
Reduced unnecessary steps between signup and first action
Improved feedback states during plan creation
Aligned onboarding with real user workflows
Cross-Functional Collaboration
This work required tight alignment with product and engineering. We prioritized changes that impacted activation and early usage.
Design decisions were validated through usability feedback and product data.
Engineering constraints were factored into sequencing and rollout. The focus was speed to iteration, not large redesign cycles.
Financial Impact & Business Enablement
This work changed how users entered the product.
Instead of learning the system upfront, users experienced success first. That shift made the product easier to understand, faster to adopt, and more effective in real use.
Increased activation into core workflow
Reduced early-stage drop-off
Improved onboarding efficiency
Stronger adoption of planning features
Takeaway
Clarity at the start determines adoption. When users reach value quickly, the system earns the right to introduce complexity.
Role
Head of Product Design and Design Systems
Led UX strategy and workflow design. Defined onboarding structure, simplified core interactions, and partnered with product and engineering to improve activation and early product adoption.
Related Case Studies
Reducing onboarding friction by restructuring how users reach first value.
Making dependency behavior predictable in a visual planning system.
Scaling a product with limited design resources by building systems, not screens.
Lowering early drop off by restructuring how users reach first value.
Keep the product focused on the planning model, not expanding features.
Making product decisions that preserve control and predictability.
Designing scheduling behavior that feels powerful without becoming unpredictable.
Using direct observation to guide product decisions when analytics are incomplete.
Turning design from a service into a system tied to delivery outcomes.
Driving adoption and executive buy-in through phased, measurable impact.
Turning design into a decision driver by making its impact visible.
Turning fragmented research into a system that guides product decisions.