Client Management System
ICV asked for a database, we built a client-journey platform
Inner City Visions3 min read- CRM
- Social Service
- Product Design Lead
- Role
- Product Design Lead
- Team
- 2 PMs, 5 engineers, 3 designers
- Timeline
- Jan–Jun 2025
- Tools
- Figma, Maze
The Challenge
Client data is fragmented across systems
As a nonprofit, ICV's funding depended on reporting their impact accurately. But messy spreadsheet data meant staff had to count each new client, handout, and check-in by hand. With a clicker.
The Ask
Digitize ICV's client intake for tablets and automate their data analysis.
My Role & Process
As the Product Design Lead...
I owned the end-to-end design and coordinated handoffs to engineering, PM, and client stakeholders across a 6-month 0-to-1 build. From there, I led the team through a full cycle: research, synthesis, ideation, prototyping, usability testing, iteration, and handoff, designing responsively across tablet, laptop, and desktop use cases.
Responsibilities
- Split and assigned design work across the team based on developer pairings, keeping design and engineering moving in sync
- Designed the client profile screens myself, consolidating medical, biographical, family, and housing data
- Presented and defended design decisions to stakeholders, translating tradeoffs (like the Head of Household model) into terms the client could weigh in on
Discovery Research
Surfacing blockers in ICV's client workflows
Methods
- 4 one-hour, 1:1 stakeholder interviews
- Competitive analysis on 5 database systems
Insight
We discovered that everything in between intake and reporting—check-ins, case notes, updates—still lived scattered across paper documents, Dropbox files, and spreadsheets. The core pain point was actually a fragmented journey.
This discovery transformed the scope from a basic data-entry tool into a comprehensive client management system.
Pivot
Not just a database,
a system that tracks a client's journey
Intake form
Standardizes data entry and auto-generates a client profile
Case Notes
Logs check-in notes and keeps full case history in one place
Housing History
Tracks housing history and generates impact reports
Scanned documents
Keeps client records on hand to send to shelters instantly
Database
Surfaces all client data with filters built for reporting
Design Decisions
Working around existing structures
For staff to actually adopt the system, it had to work within ICV's existing workflows. Even when a cleaner structure would've been more efficient, these tradeoffs had to be made.
01 ICV supports families but they can only intake adult members
I tried adding a household count to each client’s profile, but it ended up double-counting dependents. Thus, I suggested a Head of Household label that indicates the primary profile where all dependent and household information will be stored.
02 ICV has 3 different types of check-ins
I tried a single, multi-step check-in flow, but it slowed down quick, high-volume check-in. Therefore, I created three different entry points and journeys that map to the time and complexity of each check-in type
03 Check-in reminders needed a calendar, but ICV already ran on Google Calendar
I tried importing Google Calendar, which would risk creeping into ICV’s internal operations. Thus, I narrowed the scope to a custom calendar where the events automatically create and link a case note in the client's profile.
Final Product
Guiding a client through their housing journey
Fill out the intake form with a client to generate their profile
Impact
50%
faster intake, from 40 → 20 minutes
500+
client profiles created
92.4%
task success rate during user tests