AeroBoard, a content creation tool.

AeroBoard is a SaaS creative workflow tool that streamlines content creation for digital marketers through features such as visual identity calibration, AI-guided brief creation, and a built-in digital asset manager.

Cover image of AeroBoard.
Role
Freelance UX/UI designer
Impact
Transformed a high-level concept of an early-stage startup into a functional and easy-to-interpret interface and delivered high-fidelity mock-ups that are ready for the investment pitch deck in 1 week’s time.
Timeline
1 week
discover
Demand for fast content is higher than ever
People’s ability to consume content has exponentially increased in the last decade and so has the demand for rapid  creation of content. Digital marketers are now expected to deliver high-quality visual content faster than ever before.

Which is great and all, except that it takes time to strategize, plan, and execute on shooting high-quality custom imagery. Not to mention that budgets have not increased at the same rate as the demand.
Reality is, current methods of creating content are not sustainable.
Enter AeroBoard.
AeroBoard is a powerful creative workflow tool that simplifies content creation for digital marketers.

With features like visual identity calibration, AI-guided brief creation, and a built in digital asset manager, AeroBoard bridges the gap between creating high-quality, custom visual assets and delivering polished content quickly.
define
Building what’s needed - no more, no less
As a freelancing UX/UI designer, I was tasked with the job of creating high-fidelity mockups for the AeroBoard’s pitch deck. I was excited to get the creative juices flowing!
Before I can hit the ground running, there were a few potential bottlenecks to keep in mind:
And one big constraint: the requested turnaround timeline was 1 week.
It felt like a daunting task to say the least. But nothing I can’t tackle with a good roadmap! To start, I sat down to map out exactly what I need to prioritize, what tasks need to get done, and the time allotted to complete each task.
Priorities
Tasks in a
7-day timeline
Day 1
  • Connect with client to confirm expectations (e.g. what potential functionalities are they hoping to highlight in the pitch?)
  • Research and understand all technical concepts (e.g. what is aperture and depth of field?)
Day 2
  • Create a task flow and share with client for feedback
  • UI inspiration board
  • Moodboard
Day 3
  • Create low-fidelity sketches of the interface and share with client for feedback
  • Create a mini design system (typography, brand colour swatches, buttons, etc.)
  • Once client approves, start building on Figma!
Day 4-6
  • Continue building high-fidelity mockups in Figma
Day 7
  • Final design review - spacing, spelling check, content hierarchy, etc.
  • Send off final deliverable to client!
It took time to strategize and build out this roadmap but it was a good investment.

Having this plan meant that I can stay level-headed, focus on the task at hand (rather than being overwhelmed by the big picture), and best of all, it allowed me to truly be creative by reducing my cognitive load. All I had to do next was execute!
develop
From strategy to design
The first step in converting a high-level idea into a tangible interface was to create a user task flow. I divided the flow into 3 separate sub-tasks in order to simplify the process.
AeroBoard task flows.
Next, I collected inspiration for UI components that would be relevant or AeroBoard, such as an image curation interface.
UI inspiration of AeroBoard.
After collecting UI inspiration, it was time to create the first iteration of the interface through pen and paper sketches.
Lo-fi sketches of AeroBoard interface.
Once functionality has been accounted for through lo-fi sketches, it was time to create a visual identity. I created a moodboard to facilitate this process. Since a user persona was not yet created for this product, I focused on creating an interface that was clean, neutral, and simple - one that would appeal to a large audience.
Aeroboard moodboard.
Now that AeroBoard’s visual identity has taken shape, I created a mini design system by extracting colours from the moodboard, choosing a typeface and creating a few UI components that will be repeated throughout the mockups.
Design elements of AeroBoard.
Once the above steps were complete, it was the final sprint to the finish line!
deliver
The final design
And voila! By end of day 7, the high-fidelity mockups were complete.
Final design mockup of Aeroboard.
takeaways
What did I learn?
  1. Done is better than perfect.
    Working with a tight deadline meant I was forced to step out of my comfort zone and make quick decisions that will allow me to deliver the work on time. For example, I went from lo-fi sketches to hi-fi design, skipping the mid-fi stage. Had I made a mid-fi wireframe, would I have gotten a more polished final product? Perhaps. But I prioritized getting a finished product in front of my client on time, rather than being bogged down with details.
  2. Seek out feedback early and often.
    This product included features and functionalities that required a level of expertise in an area unfamiliar to me (e.g. photography). In order to make sure I was building what was expected of me, I stayed in contact with my client throughout the process, sharing my work periodically for feedback prior to presenting the final design. While it felt like putting brakes on at the time, it was necessary in avoiding critical errors that would later make us go back to the drawing board. It’s as they say - do it nice or do it twice!
Check out my other projects!
Care project design mockup.Sandbox project design mockup.MiWay project design mockup.