Redesigning a Royalty Billing Platform
Franchisees struggled with manual data entry, confusing royalty logic, and error-prone workflows—leading to billing delays and growing support requests. This redesign automated royalty calculations, standardized POS data uploads, and unified insights across multiple franchises.
60%
reduction in manual data errors
40%
increase in user satisfaction
50%
faster POS uploads
Project Type
Enterprise Fintech SaaS Platform (B2B)
My Role
Product Designer (UX, UI, and Strategy)
Team
Frontend Designer, PM, Developers, QA, Client Stakeholders
Tools
UXPin, Adobe Photoshop, Assembla
highlights
A Quick Look at the Impact
Account Configuration Made Scalable
Redesigned the complex account mapping UI into clean, editable rows—enabling admins to configure royalties, AD funds, and fees with clarity and control.
Cap Templates with Smart Defaults
Introduced a structured “Add Cap” interface allowing finance teams to manage royalty caps by type, value, and date—all in a centralized view.
Mass CPI Rule Updates in Seconds
Bulk-update royalty rules across multiple franchises with one action. Rule names, types, dates, and center counts are clearly surfaced and editable.
Faster Franchise Onboarding
Streamlined new franchise creation into a 3-step process—making it simple for non-technical admins to onboard centers with proper rule linkage.
Live Royalty Calculation at Checkout
Sales and subcontract data feed directly into a visual royalty calculator, offering instant breakdowns and transparency across all applied rates.
the problem
Unveiling Franchisee Frustrations and Operational Risks
The platform's poor usability impacted franchise performance and data accuracy. Manually calculated royalties caused frequent delays, inconsistent POS file support led to errors, and limited visibility restricted decision-making across stores.
What We Were Up Against
While the project began with assumptions about workflow inefficiencies, we validated and reframed the problem through discovery.
Manual entries led to billing errors and distrust
Upload formats varied by POS, causing confusion
Non-technical users struggled with setup
No real-time dashboard for multi-store oversight
We had a product backlog, but not a clear path. We needed to dive deep into the franchisee experience to uncover what really mattered.
Research-Driven Product Direction
Listening to Users, Steering the Product
We ran user surveys, 1:1 interviews, and mapped out POS data workflows to identify the pain. I led the qualitative synthesis and shared opportunity maps with the team to frame our MVP.
Key Findings
Franchisees wanted real-time insights—not delayed reports
Most users lacked technical knowledge and needed guided experiences
Diverse POS file formats required universal data mapping logic
Manual error handling was overwhelming
How Might We
How might we simplify POS uploads across multiple formats?
How might we provide clear royalty breakdowns across locations?
How might we reduce errors without increasing workload?
How Personas Guided Decisions
Personas like Sarah (Multi-Unit Manager) and James (Solo Owner) directly shaped key design decisions. Sarah prioritized accuracy and needed oversight across locations, which influenced our multi-store dashboard design. James sought simplicity and mobile-first access, guiding our responsive layouts and frictionless upload workflows.
“I just want to upload a file and know what I owe. It shouldn’t be this hard.”
Research uncovered friction, but we had to prioritize what to fix first. Our challenge: balance automation, visibility, and simplicity in a single platform update.
Ideation to MVP Definition
From Insight to MVP
I led design strategy workshops using Crazy 8s and Impact–Effort matrices with PMs and devs. We identified 12 high-value features aligned with user needs and platform constraints.
Key Features
Automated Royalty Calculations: Predefined logic tailored to franchise rules
POS Upload Validator: Drag-and-drop with error flagging
Multi-Location Dashboard: Central KPIs across stores
Role-Based Access: Manager vs. owner views
Custom Reporting: Downloadable insights by timeframe or store
Guided Walkthroughs: Simplified onboarding for new users
We translated the most valuable features into intuitive, scalable design—balancing clarity, speed, and reusability.
Execution & Validation
Designing for Scale
I led the design process from flow mapping to final prototypes—ensuring each phase aligned with our core product principles of automation, clarity, and scale.
Process
Wireframes: Mapped user paths for upload, validate, calculate, report
Interactive Prototypes: Tested flows with users to validate clarity
Responsive UI: Supported desktop-first with mobile dashboards
Design System: Created consistent styles and reusable components
Accessibility: Color contrast, readable tables, screen-reader friendly alerts
Selected Screens from Final Design
Below are selected visuals including wireframes and UI designs, showcasing improvements across functionality, layout, accessibility, and design scalability.
Design System Foundations
Color palettes, typography, and accessibility standards unified into a scalable UI system.
Franchise Dashboard Overview
Centralized view of franchise info, rules, caps, and status for better oversight.
Transaction Search Results
Easily locate billing details with filters and a franchise-level summary.
Rule Template Editor
Streamlined rule builder supports granular logic, prefixes, and status toggles.
POS Configuration Module
Organize monthly sales and exceptions with categorized MIS/POS data blocks.
This redesign changed how franchisees manage billing—reducing churn, streamlining reporting, and boosting adoption.
Outcomes & Lessons
Measuring What Mattered
We assessed success not just by cleaner UI, but by measurable improvements in user satisfaction, billing efficiency, and platform adoption.
Business & UX Outcomes
60%
fewer support tickets for billing errors
40%
franchisee satisfaction (NPS)
50%
faster upload-to-calculate time
Takeaway 1
Takeaway 2
Disclaimer
The project displayed here represent ongoing work and concepts developed during my tenure at Covalience. All rights to these projects are owned by Covalience, and the designs are shared here with respect for confidentiality. Please do not share or distribute these materials.