Sage

Journey Analysis Team (JAT)

The Journey Analysis Team is a continuous cross-functional effort of UX, Content Design, User Research, and CRO to improve the customer experience through data, design, and rapid experimentation in real time.

Overview / TL;DR

Role

Facilitator
Lead Designer

Team

User Researcher
Content Strategist
CRO Analyst
UX Designer

Tools

Figma
Contentsquare & GA
Miro
Userlytics

Approach

Co-creation workshops
UX strategy
Fast prototyping

Outcome

Three interactive high-fidelity prototypes
Eight User Research Session
Revised design based on UR
Design files and specs for final MVP handoff

Miro board: team feeback and notes taken at each step of the project

project context

Sage was transforming Sage Accounting into a more complete offering: Sage Accounting & Payroll - a suite tailored to small businesses with evolving needs.

Sage Accounting now includes Payroll, creating a suite of products.
Sage Copilot (AI) is now embedded across all Sage Accounting plans.
The Payroll product now only supports businesses with 10+ employees.
We wanted to remove friction caused by business-size segmentation and move toward a One-Sage product findability experience (North Star)

challenge

This shift introduced several challenges:

Communicating the value of the suite, clearly and simply
Introducing Sage Copilot, Sage’s new AI tool, across all plan tiers
Addressing eligibility changes, like Payroll now being only for businesses with 10+ employees
Making plan selection easier while building toward a One-Sage, unified experience

Deliver solutions that could:

Be tested quickly (MVP with no Dev effort)
Improve UX further with moderate effort (Enhanced MVP)
Envision the long-term direction (North Star)

User Research - Key findings to guide the project

MY ROLE

Driving the full design workflow across multiple iterations, including:

Planning and facilitating Figma-based co-creation sessions
Curating and interpreting research, Contentsquare data, and page analytics
Drafting and aligning early problem statements
Bringing design system components into real-time ideation
Leading high-fidelity prototyping across all 3 tiers
Presenting concepts for stakeholder validation and leadership alignment
Iterating based on User Research sessions

Design System components to support real-time prototyping

process

Driving the full design workflow across multiple iterations, including:

1. Discovery

Reviewed and highlighted key insights from user research, analytics, and page performance
Collaborated with Research, CRO, and Content to define friction points
Drafted high-level problem statements to align the team

2. Co-Creation Workshops (in Figma)

Prepared structured working files including design system elements, layout building blocks, and content references
Facilitated hands-on sessions to define the structure of MVP, Enhanced MVP, and North Star experiences
Captured decisions and iterations directly in the design files

3. Design & Prototyping

MVP: Realistic, using only Sage Design System components with no dev requirement.
Enhanced MVP: With new layout structures, improved hierarchy and low-dev requirement
North Star: A visionary approach with no business size segmentation and fully modular discovery

4. Validation & Testing

Shared and refined each design tier through stakeholder feedback
Conducted moderated usability testing in partnership with the Research team
Synthesized findings to define improvements and select MVP+ enhancements for release
Shared final recommendations with leadership for alignment

MVP co-working file

The 3 Design Approaches

MVP - Realistic & Shippable
Built fully with Sage Design System to allow a quick go-live.

Updated layout to introduce Sage Accounting & Payroll suite
Sage Copilot presentation
Made eligibility rules more visible
Change segmentation based on business size

🛠 Constraint: No-code using design system components only
🎯 Goal: Fast-to-market and testable

Enhanced MVP - Flexible & Improved
Improved layout and information hierarchy to support better comprehension and usability. 

Reworked product cards for clarity
Grouped content more intuitively
Improved placement and wording for Copilot messaging
Enhanced call-to-action structure

🛠 Constraint: Light development effort 
🎯 Goal: Improved experience with modest dev investment

North Star - Visionary & Scalable
Future-facing version, unconstrained by platform limits. 

Removed business size segmentation
Unified product discovery into a modular, use-case-based journey
Elevated Sage Copilot as a persistent design element
Aligned with long-term One-Sage design vision

🛠 Constraint: Conceptual; requires platform evolution 
🎯 Goal: Define future direction and test ambitious design thinking

North Star co-working file

Outcomes & Impact

✅ All 3 prototypes were tested with users, and the results guided refinement
🔄 The final design (MVP + enhancements) was implemented and shipped
🌟 The North Star approach was retained as a model for future projects and a strategic reference
🤝 The Journey Analysis approach was adopted as a go-to method for tackling other complex product journeys at Sage
💬 Users reported improved clarity in plan options and better understanding of Sage Copilot across the page

User Research

Reflections

This project represents a powerful intersection of strategy, speed, and creativity. It taught us how to bring alignment across teams, frame decisions around user and business needs, and keep future thinking in view - without getting stuck in limitations.

At the start, the process was challenging. The team was used to receiving clear asks and fixed scopes, so shifting into a collaborative discovery mindset was unfamiliar and, at times, uncomfortable. Working without knowing all the answers upfront and doing it live in Figma required trust, flexibility, and a shift in expectations.

But over time, the team embraced the process. They began to enjoy the freedom to explore, challenge assumptions, and co-create solutions together. It wasn’t always easy, but the outcomes exceeded what any of us could have done in isolation.

This project reinforced the power of live, cross-functional design work - especially when solving complex, ambiguous problems. It showed how much better the solutions can be when everyone has a seat at the table from the beginning.

“Crazy how much was done in such short of time.”
- Everyone, Sage

Sage Personas & Customer Segmentation

To better understand the small and medium businesses Sage serves globally, the Competitive Intelligence team conducted an extensive segmentation study surveying over 10,000 decision-makers across 9 countries.

Overview / TL;DR

Role

Designer

Team

User Researcher
Competitive Intelligence Team

challenge

How might we translate complex segmentation data into a clear, usable set of personas that help product and design teams understand who they’re designing for?

GOAL

Define a set of customer segments and personas to inform product strategy, experience design, and messaging.

The segmentation data was detailed, but not easily digestible for day-to-day design use.

COLLABORATION & PROCESS

Phase 1: From Data to Insight

We've conducted a deep analysis of the segmentation study, extracting key patterns in needs, behaviors, attitudes toward technology, and buying preferences.

From our findings, we surfaced 7 buyer personas and 5 customer segments.

MY ROLE

Translated analytical findings into clear, structured persona cards
Created a modular visual system using consistent layout patterns, iconography, and illustrations to ensure accessibility and usability across XD teams
Designed interactive layouts and visuals (used in SharePoint, Figma, and PDF) to allow broad internal adoption

The 3 Design Approaches

✅ A full set of persona cards with needs, behaviors, emotional traits, and product preferences
✅ Segment-overview visuals to connect personas to their market opportunity and attitudes
✅ Visual card anatomy and structure to scale personas across Sage projects
✅ Enabled consistent adoption by multiple product and brand teams

These personas are now being used as a starting point for discovery work across Sage’s Experience Design teams, guiding content, UX flows, and marketing alignment.

Reflections & What’s Next

This project was a great example of working side-by-side with research to simplify complexity. Rather than treat personas as static artifacts, we designed them to evolve.

In Phase 2, we’re aligning these personas with live product work - embedding them into onboarding flows, help content, and UI copy strategy.

This foundational work helps move Sage toward a more user-centered design culture, where insight-led personas support better decisions.

central xd

Leveraging user-centred design methods to create industry-leading user experiences from inception to launch.

glossy uis

Borrowed from UI principles, we've applied an atomic approach to our design system. By simplifying our toolkit into its essential components, we can create a malleable identity that will allow for any eventuality.