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Coaches Pick

My Role
Product Discovery
User Research
UI / UX Design + Prototyping
Product Management
Team
1 x Designer
1 x PM
3 x Software Engineer
1 x QA Analyst
Timeline
December 2024 - February 2025
Context
UPlace’s carrier recommendations were algorithm-driven, but underwriters lacked control to reflect local or strategic insights. Every override required engineering support, slowing decisions. Coaches Pick solved this by giving underwriters a direct way to adjust rankings.
Problem
The business needed a way to manually adjust carrier rankings to promote key partnerships and exclude poor fits. Without an override system, they lacked control over recommendations and couldn’t align selection with strategy.
Impact
I designed and launched the end-to-end override workflow for Coaches Pick—a step-by-step guided wizard flow enabled localized control by state and NAICS codes, reduced support tickets by 40%, and reached 85% adoption within six weeks.

Business Goals

1

Improve Win Rates w/ Smarter Recommendations

Make UPlace recommendations more competitive by reflecting local underwriting strategy.

2

Reduce Operational Overhead

Remove reliance on engineers for override requests.

3

Align Carrier Strategy with Market Insights

Let underwriters prioritize based on appetite, region, and partnerships.

SYNTHESIS

Key Insights from Research

To avoid designing based on assumptions, I grounded decisions in real user behavior. I focused on when underwriters override recommendations, what level of control they need, and how to build trust in the tool.

Lack of Autonomy

Underwriters couldn’t update rankings themselves- every change required backend support.

Dimensions of control

Users wanted flexibility to target overrides by both industry and geography.

Transparency Builds Trust

To feel confident using the tool, users needed visibility into overrides and a clear way to track what had changed.

GOAL

My main focus was to empower underwriters to quickly and confidently adjust carrier recommendations without backend support, using a system that aligned with their real-world decision-making.

INITIAL CONCEPT

Two Paths to Clarity

After defining the MVP, I explored two layout options to support carrier ranking: one with all sliders visible for a broad overview, and one with collapsible sections for focus. These early concepts helped clarify user priorities and shaped the design direction.

Initial NAICS
Search Page
Updated NAICS
Slider Option 1
Updated NAICS
Slider Option 2

SYNTHESIS

Engineering & Stakeholder Feedback

After presenting the initial wireframes, I received new feedback that shifted the design direction.

Simpler Controls

Replace sliders with promote/demote logic to streamline ranking decisions.

More Specific Targeting

Shift from broad regions to individual states for greater precision.

LOC-Based Rules

Overrides were separated by line of coverage, reflecting how underwriters think.

WORKFLOW MAPPING

Flow for Real-World Logic

I reworked the user flow to reflect updated needs—introducing promote/demote logic, NAICS targeting, and state-level overrides. This helped the team align on implementation and clarified the path for NAICS Code Selection and State Targeting.

flow

ITERATION

NAICS Code Selection

Initial Version

I tested the search-first interface with 4 internal users to validate usability.

  • 2/4 Didn’t understand code hierarchy
  • 3/4 Had difficulty remembering codes
  • 3/4 Struggled with limited visibility

Design Changes Based on Insights

  • Clearer structure: Categories are collapsible and surfaced up front for easier scanning.
  • Less friction: Users can bulk-select across categories—no more repeated searching./li>
  • Familiar logic: The layout reflects how underwriters already understand NAICS groupings.
Initial NAICS
Initial Concept
Updated NAICS
✅ Revised Version

State Selection

Initial Options

I tested two options with 4 internal users: a searchable dropdown vs. region-based grouping.

  • 2/4 Had difficulty finding states
  • 3/4 Found dropdowns tedious
  • 3/4 Preferred bulk selection

Design Changes Based on Insights

  • Displayed all states up front to eliminate dropdown friction and speed up selection.
  • Added “Select All” to match how underwriters typically work — bulk select, then fine-tune.
  • Reflected mental models by grouping states in a way that feels intuitive and scannable.
State Before
Iteration 1
State After
Iteration 2
State After
✅ Final Iteration

HIGH FIDELITY

I designed a guided three-step flow to reduce friction, minimize errors, and help underwriters submit overrides quickly and confidently.

Initial NAICS

Step 1: Basic Info

Capture appetite name, type, and line of business to define the goal.

Updated NAICS

Step 2: NAICS Code Selection

Expandable layout to scan and select multiple codes easily.

Updated NAICS

Step 3: State Selection

Flat checkbox layout with "Select All" for quick bulk action.

Building Trust through Transparency

To build user confidence, I focused on clarity, feedback, and control. From step indicators and inline guidance to success confirmations and audit trails, every detail reinforces that the system is working as expected with no surprises.

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1 Stepper sets clear expectations
2 Step label reinforces user progress
3 Next button only activates when required fields are filled
4 Success banner confirms save
5 Audit trail shows who changed what, and when
6 Edit/Delete options offer control

FINAL DESIGN

The Prototype

I created a clear, annotated handoff file that grouped screens by flow and highlighted key logic. Live walkthroughs with engineers helped resolve questions early and ensured smooth implementation with fewer surprises.

Laptop frame Prototype gif

DEVELOPER HANDOFF

Collaborating with Developers

I created a clear, annotated handoff file that grouped screens by flow and highlighted key logic. Live walkthroughs with engineers helped resolve questions early and ensured smooth implementation with fewer surprises.

Final step flow mockup

SOLUTION AND IMPACT

The Results

🚀

60days

Launched MVP version of the product within 60 days of design hand-off.

🕒

Faster

Freed up developer time by removing manual override requests from their backlog.

🧑‍💻

100%

All 4 internal users adopted the new workflow within the first two weeks.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Move beyond binary Promote/Demote logic to a system where underwriters can express strength of preference, enabling more strategic, nuanced decisions.

LESSONS LEARNED

Takeaway 1
Rough wireframes > perfect mockups. Starting messy helped surface strategic misalignments early.
Takeaway 2
Stakeholders are more articulate when reacting to something real — even if it’s wrong.