Upload Flow Redesign
Fixing Findable's most critical feature and rebuilding user trust.
Findable is built on documents – every feature relies on them. The upload flow is the single gateway into the platform, making it the first step for every user and the most critical one. When that experience is unclear or unreliable, the product cannot deliver its value.
The original upload flow was overly complex, blending multiple technical steps into a single, confusing experience. This led to long delays, user frustration, and lack of trust. As both project lead and sole designer, I took full ownership of the redesign, rethinking the flow end-to-end to make it reliable, clear, and easy to use.
The goal was simple: remove friction, restore confidence, and raise the upload success rate from below 60% to over 95%.
ROLE & TIMELINE
Project Lead &
Sole Designer
Jan 20 – Feb 7, 2025
TEAM
1 Designer (me)
1 Software Engineer
TOOLS
Figma
PostHog
Mixpanel
Linear
IMPACT
99% success rate with 15,000 uploads and no support tickets
INTRODUCTION
What is Findable?
Findable is a fast-growing B2B scale-up delivering AI-powered solutions for the construction and asset management industries.
It helps companies organize, search, and manage large volumes of building documentation by extracting metadata and structuring technical files into a single, accessible platform – solving a widespread problem in an industry where documentation is often fragmented and hard to retrieve.
Used daily across thousands of buildings by non-technical users
Most Findable users are not particularly tech-savvy. They rely on familiar tools and established routines, and they expect software to feel simple, reliable, and easy to understand.
PROBLEM
The current flow is complex and confusing — it leads to delays, user frustration, and lack of trust.
Since every feature in Findable depends on documents, a broken upload flow creates a bottleneck that blocks the product from delivering its full value.
A deeper breakdown of user pain points will be added soon, including specific examples and interface issues uncovered during research.
GOAL
Design a trustworthy and frictionless UX
Findable users are not tech-savvy and are often resistant to new tools or workflows. Uploading is the very first action they must take — if it feels confusing or unreliable, they lose trust immediately. Creating a clear, seamless experience from the start is critical to building confidence and long-term adoption.
Boost success rate
Increase the reliability from below 60% to above 95%, solving the #1 source of broken onboarding and support tickets.
Build user trust
Deliver clarity and feedback at every step so that non-technical users feel safe, in control, and confident from day one.
Remove complexity
Redesign the architecture to separate upload and processing, reduce failure points, and make error handling intuitive.
PROCESS AND REASONS
Mapping the Upload Lifecycle
Before opening Figma, I audited the entire document lifecycle to understand exactly how files moved from a user’s local machine to being usable inside Findable.
The audit confirmed that the existing flow merged uploading and checking into one long session, forcing users to keep the browser open well beyond what was necessary.
For large ZIPs with thousands of files, this meant extra waiting, extra complexity in the UI, and more opportunities for bugs — all without any user benefit.
🚨 Why it mattered:
Knowing where user dependency actually ended (at the end of the upload stage) was key to reducing unnecessary wait times and simplifying the UX.
Architectural Redesign for Simplicity
Working with developers, we redesigned the architecture so the drawer only handles the upload stage. Once the upload finishes successfully, the user is free to close the browser or move on — checking and metadata extraction happen server‑side without blocking them.
🚨 Why it mattered:
Removed wasted waiting time.
Reduced UI complexity and number of states to manage in a small space.
Lowered technical complexity, making the system more reliable.
Improving Post‑Upload Transparency
Previously, once a file was uploaded, users had no clear way to track what happened next — especially for large ZIPs. We introduced a Recent Uploads page that lists each upload, allows ZIP expansion, and shows file‑level statuses.
Below, a sketch generated with V0 to quickly wireframe and test how the Recent Uploads page could look and feel.
Designing the Upload Card Layout
I began by sketching the UI for each upload entry (card) in the list. Each card was divided into two vertical containers:
Header area: split into left (file context: type icon, file name, building) and right (contextual action button).
Status footer: a dedicated row for clear, always‑visible feedback (e.g., In queue, Uploading, Paused – connection lost, File received, Failed, Canceled).
🚨 Why it mattered:
This structure ensured every upload had a consistent, scannable format, where users could instantly understand status and act if needed (cancel, retry, or view details).
Contextual Actions Based on Status
Each card’s action button changed dynamically:
In queue / Uploading / Paused → Cancel
Success → View details (opens Recent Uploads page)
Failed / Canceled → Upload (retry)
We replaced “Retry” with “Upload” after A/B testing and interviews showed it was clearer for our audience.
🚨 Why it mattered:
The button label always matched the user’s immediate mental model, reducing hesitation and misclicks.
Redesigning the Drawer Header
The drawer (bottom‑right upload panel) was redesigned so the header alone could communicate progress when collapsed:
Left side – status icon, title, and short description (e.g., Uploading 1 of 6 files, Estimated time for all files: 4 min).
Right side – action icons for expand/collapse and close (close available only when all uploads complete or canceled to prevent accidental closure).
🚨 Why it mattered:
Users could keep the drawer collapsed without losing awareness of progress, freeing up screen space.
Introducing Status‑Aware Callouts
A persistent callout was added above the list of uploads to reinforce the next step:
Parallel vs. Sequential Upload System
We explored two technical models:
Parallel – multiple files uploading at once (faster, but harder to track and recover from errors).
One‑at‑a‑time – a single active upload with others in a queue (slower peak speed, but predictable and easier to manage).
By prototyping both and testing internally and with customers, we found one‑at‑a‑time fit our audience best. It kept the UI predictable, simplified error handling, and worked better for less tech‑savvy users.
Final Designs
A seamless, transparent upload experience—combining clear statuses, contextual actions, and guided feedback—pulled together into one cohesive flow. These final designs show how every component works in harmony, from the initial file upload to full processing visibility, delivering a faster, calmer, and more predictable experience for our users.
DEVELOPER HANDOFF
Detailed design guidelines for front‑end implementation
To ensure the final experience matched the intended design, I provided the development team with fully‑structured Figma files using auto‑layout, precise spacing, and component variants. Each state and interaction was documented to minimize ambiguity, reduce back‑and‑forth, and make implementation as seamless as possible.
LEARNINGS AND IMPACT
Product shipped
Above 99% successful upload rate
The redesigned upload flow shipped successfully to all Findable customers. Post-launch telemetry showed >99% successful upload rate, exceeding the original goal of 95%. This confirmed that the new flow eliminated the core pain points while improving speed, clarity, and trust.
Do more of...
Validating assumptions through wide collaboration
Reaching out to developers, customer success, and end users early prevented incorrect assumptions from making their way into the final design. These conversations uncovered hidden edge cases, technical constraints, and opportunities that shaped the final solution.
Key takeaway
Attention to detail drives clarity
Every state, label, and interaction was deliberately designed and tested, ensuring users always knew what was happening and what to do next. Balancing thoroughness with simplicity proved essential to delivering a clear, frustration-free upload experience.
Hello there!
🚧 Mobile Version Coming Soon
This portfolio is best viewed on desktop for now.
I'm working on a mobile-friendly version — thanks for your patience!