Smart Renewals

Reducing Manual Effort and Building AI Trust


Org: ThreeFlow

Role: Product Design Lead

Timeline: 2 months (2021)

Platform: Web

Tools: Miro, Sheets, Jira,
Partners: Product Management, Underwriting, Engineering

ThreeFlow is a benefits placement platform connecting carriers and brokers in one collaborative system

The Original Ask

I was initially tasked with improving the underwriting dashboard inside the ThreeFlow admin platform. The goal: reduce friction in how underwriters track projects and improve visibility across teams.

What Changed

Through early research and cross-functional workshops, I uncovered a deeper issue:

The real blocker wasn’t the dashboard—it was tool fragmentation and context switching between multiple systems.

A redesigned UI would only mask the symptoms. We needed a workflow-level solution that addressed both usability and operational strategy. This insight led me to pivot the project from a UI revamp to a tool integration and systems strategy — ultimately resulting in a far more impactful, org-wide outcome.

The Problem

  • Fragmented Workflow: Teams tracked projects across multiple tools

  • Productivity Loss: Constant switching slowed onboarding and increased errors

  • Stakeholder Misalignment: Product wanted to improve the internal tool; underwriters favored a proven external solution

Solution Evaluation

Challenge: Stakeholders were divided on whether to enhance the internal tool or integrate something new.

Approach:

  • PM estimated cost and velocity impact of internal tool upgrades

  • I conducted user research with underwriters, surfaced key pain points, and validated interest in external tooling

  • We created a decision matrix and ran async reviews to accelerate consensus and build ownership

Outcome:

The usability and adoption advantages of external integration were clear. We selected ClickUp — a decision co-owned by the team and championed by end users.PM estimated cost and velocity impact of internal tool upgrades

Results

  • 50% reduction in onboarding time

  • 50+ hours saved per new customer

  • Strong, growing adoption across departments

  • Enabled the formation of a BizOps team and laid the groundwork for AI workflow design

Strategic Impact

This work created ripple effects beyond the feature:

  • Shifted ThreeFlow’s approach from UI optimization to tool and workflow integration as strategy

  • Became a blueprint for cross-functional decision frameworks later reused in platform planning

  • Laid the technical and operational groundwork for follow-on AI capabilities

  • Demonstrated how product design can unlock org-wide efficiency beyond the screen

What I Learned

  • Systems-level thinking is a design skill — it helps reframe scope toward higher-leverage outcomes

  • Influencing org direction doesn’t always require formal authority, but it does require clarity and cross-functional trust

  • Strategic design isn’t always about building new UI — it’s about helping the team choose what not to build

This project became a cornerstone in ele that enabled future Principle-level work, including Smart Renewals.