Case Studies

🚀 REDESIGNING RIVET'S PUSH SYSTEM

Rivet's Push feature is an in-platform email builder that allows artists to create and send fully customizable emails ("pushes") to targeted fan segments, serving as a direct communication tool.

With options to select templates, view drafts and sent messages, and reply to fan responses, it plays a key role in Rivet's CRM functionality for enhancing fan engagement.

(During this feature's redesign, I collaborated with contract designer Samuel Adeyemi to integrate Rivet’s updated design system into the Push feature, ensuring platform-wide consistency.)

a. PROBLEM

When I joined Rivet, the Push feature suffered from a lack of clarity, visual appeal, and general user-focused functionality. Via user feedback presented by the team, I was able to gather that this feature presented several challenges that disrupted users’ experience and efficiency:

I reviewed user feedback and roughly documented my own ideas for redesigning the original push feature, as shown above. Compiling all the notes I gathered led me to the question:

b. RESEARCH

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

To expand on research around this feature, I conducted an analysis of three other platforms offering similar email-building services: Active Campaign, Mailchimp, and Klaviyo. Taking notes on different versions of this feature helped me gain a better understanding of specifics I wanted to include or improve in Rivet's version of the feature, as well as what to exclude.

AFFINITY MAPPING

Using the insights gained from both previously-collected user feedback and my competitive analysis, I organized them into an affinity map that split the redesign process into 3 sections: notes on creating Pushes, notes on viewing Pushes, and notes on the interface of the entire process in general.

c. SOLUTION GOALS

Three main solution goals emerged from the key takeaways I gathered from my research and served as foundational principles guiding the redesign of this feature.

d. IDEATION

LOWER FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

I began by designing low-fidelity wireframes for viewing and sending Pushes. To streamline navigation, I used the side menu to separate these actions into two distinct sections: sending a new Push and viewing past Pushes. This structure would help users quickly choose their path upon selecting the 'Push' tab, minimizing distractions and enhancing focus during Push creation.

As I advanced to mid-fidelity wireframes, I incorporated Rivet's evolving design system, led by Sam. I refined an inbox-style layout for managing Pushes and streamlined the creation flow with template and audience selection, followed by a preview screen. These updates simplified the process by breaking it into smaller steps, ensuring clarity and reducing user intimidation.

USABILITY TESTING

During mid-fidelity user testing, the team conducted 8 usability sessions with artists on the platform, uncovering 3 key issues with the initial 'Create New Push' and 'View Pushes' pages.

FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION

Addressing: Lack of Template Previews
I collaborated with the Product team to design standard templates tailored for common use cases. Using these templates, I implemented a new template display and selection feature. This design also proved to align more closely with Rivet's new design system and contributed to the interactive, sleek look we were trying to achieve.

Addressing: Push Creation Flow Confusion
To address the issue of users skipping the recipient selection step, I questioned why it was placed on the initial template selection page rather than after the Push editor.

I found that competitive platforms such as Mailchimp offered a more intuitive and thorough flow for creating an email, allowing users to start by choosing from various template categories (e.g., Recently Used, Saved, and Standard templates) and reserve recipient selection for a later preview/review page.

This insight led me to design a dedicated template selection page with multiple template categories, creating a clear first step for users starting a new Push. I also relocated the 'Send to' step to the preview page after the email builder, streamlining the process and allowing users to review and edit all Push details before sending.

Addressing: Lack of Push Analytics
Rather than burying data fully within subpages, the goal was to bring key insights directly to the user by previewing analytics in prominent areas — with the option to dive deeper if needed.

This called for transforming the 'Push inbox' into a more dashboard-style design. Summarizing key metrics and adding clear CTAs, this redesign followed the precedent set by the template selection redesign and aimed to streamline user engagement with critical information.

I created a new 'Push inbox' page as well as a page for users to go to after they click 'View full report' to view data associated with the push.

e. FINAL SOLUTION

SENDING PUSHES

Rivet’s original flow for sending pushes lacked clear CTA segmentation, leading to ambiguity and clutter. Additionally, users struggled with confusion due to insufficient guidance and inspiration on how to create and customize a push for their audience.

In the redesigned flow, users can initiate a Push from the side navigation, select a template from various categories, or edit existing drafts — offering a clear starting point and ample inspiration to engage with their fans.

After selecting a template, users are guided to the email builder, where they can easily customize their Push via a structure that reflects the final result — an improvement over Rivet’s previous, less intuitive email builder.

After customizing their Push, users proceed to the preview page. Here, they can update key details like recipients and subject, preview the final version of the push, send a test, or schedule it for a later time.

VIEWING PUSHES

Users can select to view pushes in the side navigation, allowing them to see sent pushes, scheduled pushes, and replies to Pushes (with the option to check performance details for sent Pushes). Separating the flows for sending and viewing Pushes in this way makes it easier for users to choose an action and follow clear steps to complete it.

f. IMPACT

After implementing the redesigned Push system, our team observed notable improvements in user experience.

g. REFLECTIONS

This was one of my first major undertakings at Rivet, so I was new to product design and learned a lot from it!

1. Working Within Existing Constraints
   Redesigning an existing system, rather than building from scratch, required an understanding of the limitations of the current system (including backend architecture, data models, and technical debt) and designing improvements that align with those constraints. I learned how to innovate to improve the Push system without overhauling its foundational systems, ensuring a smooth transition for both users and our development team.

2. Balancing User Needs and Business Objectives
   ‍I developed the ability to balance user needs with business objectives, resulting in a design that was both intuitive and aligned with Rivet’s Push outreach goals. Each design decision furthered a clear vision for driving measurable business impact, while maintaining ease of use for the user.

3. Working in a Dynamic Environment
   ‍I navigated the fast-paced nature of a growing startup by continuously integrating new updates, features, and user feedback into the Push redesign — such as the ability to send both email and SMS pushes. This iterative approach ensured that the design remained aligned with evolving user needs and Rivet's mission as it gained a more prominent footing in the music space.