XODA: Empowering Health Businesses with a New Experience

Summary

XODA’s goal is to simplify and revolutionize the health industry by providing health businesses with complete flexibility in managing operations, finances, marketing, and people management. The platform enables seamless exchanges of products and services between businesses and their clients while empowering users to benefit from the network effect and shared data insights. In March, Zenbly rebranded to XODA, and I was given full autonomy over the designs, branding, and overall experience of XODA products.

Case study snapshot.

Start date:

Feb 2022

Feb 2022

Feb 2022

Duration:

3-6 mos

3-6 mos

3-6 mos

Squad:

Madhavi and Teja as BA & QA, John Rahme (Co-founder)

As the Lead Designer for XODA, I was responsible for simplifying the user experience of our SaaS platform and mobile applications, enabling our sales team to land new clients, and creating a scalable design system for use across all areas of the business. I also championed user-centered design principles throughout the organization, fostering a design-led culture.

Impact

  • 80% faster onboarding process, streamlining client adoption and setup.

  • Accelerated feature rollouts through a scalable design system, reducing development time and improving efficiency.

  • Increased sales effectiveness by delivering prototypes that helped close new deals with prospective clients

  • Enhanced cross-team collaboration with the Weekly Design Digest, leading to better alignment and faster decision-making.

  • Improved brand consistency and accessibility, strengthening XODA’s market position and appeal to a broader audience.


Simplifying the User Experience for XODA BIZ

The XODA BIZ platform was initially built by engineering teams, leading to a convoluted user experience. As the CEO noted, the platform needed a redesign to enhance its usability. My primary focus was on simplifying the navigation and reducing clutter, allowing each screen to focus on a single task with ample negative space for clarity.

Key Improvements:

  • Simplified navigation for easier access to key features

  • Updated UI using a new design system, providing consistency across the platform

  • Reduced each screen to have one main function, making tasks clearer and more manageable

  • Increased onboarding speed by 80%, streamlining the process for new users





Quick Wins for Sales: Prototyping Website Integration

I developed a prototype for website integration tailored to boutique fitness clients, many of whom were already using XODA’s main competitor, Mindbody. The goal was to provide seamless booking and payment integration directly on clients’ websites, a critical feature for closing sales.

Outcome:

  • Signed a client with 4 facilities on a basic package at $249 per month

  • Time Taken: 2 days to develop the prototype

Developing a Scalable Design System and Branding

To support XODA’s growth and scalability, I created a robust design system based on The Designership’s component library. Key changes included updates to fonts, colors, and navigation components for a more efficient workflow.

Key Elements:

  • Colors: Chose vibrant, AAA-accessible tints from Tailwind CSS, aligning with the health and wellness industry.

  • Typography: Roobert for headings (optimized for screen sizes) and Nunito for body text (playful yet professional).

  • Scalability: Focused on integrating design tokens to ensure cross-compatibility and maintainability for front-end development.

Championing a Design-Led Culture

To foster a design-centric approach throughout XODA, I initiated a Weekly Design Digest—a transparent update shared with the entire company. This not only kept everyone informed but also encouraged active participation in the design conversation, creating a cohesive and collaborative environment.

Impact:

  • Improved cross-team communication and alignment

  • Empowered non-design teams to provide feedback on design decisions

  • Increased transparency and efficiency in design planning

Key Takeaways from XODA’s Design Journey

  1. Appreciation for Collaboration:
    The need for a dedicated Product Manager and teamwork became evident, as I often had to wear multiple hats during the project.

  2. Faster Feedback Loops:
    By working in design sprints, I was able to push out features quickly and iterate based on real-time feedback.

  3. The Power of Design Systems:
    While incredibly helpful, maintaining a design system can be challenging, particularly when creating new components. Basing components on well-established systems can significantly speed up development.

  4. Documentation and Reflection:
    Regular documentation and the Weekly Design Digest were crucial for planning and retrospectives, ensuring that the team stayed aligned on goals and progress.

Conclusion

XODA’s rebranding and design transformation empowered the company to scale rapidly while improving the user experience for both businesses and their clients. Through a combination of design system development, UX enhancements, and a company-wide design culture, XODA is now better positioned to lead in the health industry.

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