How I Revamped a Clunky Editorial Tool Into a Simple Workflow That Tripled Our Output
I transformed Brad’s Deals’ internal CMS dashboard from a daily bottleneck into a smooth, editor-friendly tool. In just a few weeks after launch, the team’s output tripled. They went from 5 to 15 deals per editor each day. This meant over 25,000 extra deals a year, all without increasing the team size.
Before
After
Impact
3x Increase in Deals Shared
Editors increased their postings from an average of 5 deals daily in the new CMS to 15, resulting in over 100 deals per day for the entire team.
That’s thousands of additional deals published each month, boosting revenue by increasing affiliate link clicks, conversions, and merchant partnerships.
My Role as Lead Product Designer
User research, ideation, user flows, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, design system implementation, design handoff, design review
Platform
Desktop Web App
The Team
Product Designer (1)
Project Manager (1)
Engineers (2)
Contentstack is the upgraded CMS platform Brad’s Deals uses to create, manage, and publish deal content. Brad’s Deals is different from competitors because our editorial team handpicks and curates every deal we share with shoppers. For more than two decades, editors used our legacy system, ContentHub, to publish deals. Upgrading to Contentstack offered the team a more flexible platform. However, it also brought significant workflow changes that affected their daily processes.
The Challenge
The New CMS Created an Unexpected Slowdown
After 20 years with ContentHub, our editorial team struggled to switch to Contentstack. The default interface was confusing and required excessive clicks for simple tasks. It also didn’t provide a quick view of the information that editors relied on. Workflows slowed down significantly and many editors continued using the old system for their tasks.
The Opportunity
Tailoring the CMS to Editor Needs
I noticed the team struggled with the confusing interface. I saw a chance to improve the Contentstack experience to better support how our editors actually work. My goal was to observe their workflows, identify their shared needs, and change a frustrating tool into a smooth, user-friendly system that could fully replace the old platform.
Contentstack’s Default Dashboard Interface
Turning Feedback Into a Feature Strategy
Understanding the Workflow Challenges
To find out why Contentstack slowed down editors, the product manager and I interviewed each of the seven editors individually. We asked them to walk us through their use of the legacy CMS and the new platform. We wanted to know what they liked about each and where they faced challenges.
We examined their workflows and took their feedback into account to help us identify pain points. Editors wanted quick access to deal details, fewer steps to view past posts, and a dashboard layout that matched their workflow.
“There are so many steps for simple tasks”
“The dashboard view doesn’t provide helpful details”
“It’s hard to find anything”
“I have to click into every deal to see the details”
Why the New Layout Wasn’t Working
Contentstack provided greater flexibility, yet its default layout wasn’t suited to our editors' workflow. Key deal details were hidden, action buttons were grouped in a menu, and too much whitespace made scanning difficult. Even basic tasks like viewing a deal’s coupon code or expiring a post needed extra steps. This slowed down the editorial workflow and caused daily friction.
Deal Preview in new CMS
Key Legacy Features Editors Loved
Several key features from ContentHub stood out as valuable to the editorial team:
Deal descriptions and special instructions are easily visible
Quick access action buttons (View, Edit, Expire)
Coupon codes are displayed prominently
Associated themes are clearly shown
Larger product images
All editors shared similar feedback: they preferred exposed product details. In ContentHub, all critical information was surfaced up front. In the new CMS, accessing basic details required multiple extra clicks — significantly slowing down their workflow.
Deal Preview in legacy CMS
Validating Insights Through a Feature Survey
We asked each editor to picture their “ideal platform” and list the must-have features. While workflows varied from person to person, clear patterns showed which functions they valued most. We sent out a survey to help us decide which features to keep, remove, or redesign. This survey included every potential element from the legacy and new CMS.
Surprisingly, every field was considered essential by at least one editor. Since the user base was small, I was confident I could create a solution with every requested feature.
Translating Feedback Into Functionality
I aimed to create a platform that merged the best features of two systems: the familiarity and simplicity of ContentHub and the flexibility of Contentstack. I opted for a hybrid approach to avoid asking editors to relearn a new interface. I focused on keeping the layout and visual style they were familiar with while layering in the prioritized features uncovered during research.
Wireframing Key Details
I redesigned the deal cards to show the most important details up front, removed unnecessary whitespace, and exposed primary actions for easy access. Each element helps editors scan, assess, and manage deals during their day.
I walked editors through multiple wireframe variations to understand which layouts felt most intuitive to them and incorporated their feedback to refine the final direction.
Various wireframe layouts
Defining the MVP Dashboard Card
Based on the survey results and wireframe feedback, I suggested a content card. This card includes 19 features editors requested (in purple) and 4 extra enhancements from Contentstack (in green). The goal was to add all the features editors considered essential and introduce new functions that made the workflow even easier. Each element was carefully picked to boost speed, clarity, and usability. This way, the MVP meets both old expectations and new capabilities.
Proposed MVP Card:
1. Headline
2. Teaser
3. Store
4. Brand
5. View Link
6. Edit
7. Start Date
8. Expiration Date
9. Description
10. Instructions
11. Coupon Code
12. Expire Now CTA
13. Themes
14. Merchandise Type
15. Photo
16. Editor Name
17. Published Status
18. Click Count
19. Preview on Site
20. Copy Post Button
21. Multiple Images
22. Ability to copy a section
23. Quick links to related deals
Accounting for Edge Cases
ContentHub only showed deal cards when a post went live. Contentstack displayed all listings, whether they were published, in progress, or expired.. This shift introduced new edge cases that we needed to account for. Editors confirmed they wanted all deal information visible, no matter the status. They also asked for a subtle way to show the differences between states.
I created three card variations indicating deal status without disrupting the layout. Published deals featured all editor tools and a green status indicator. In-progress deals had a yellow indicator and limited available actions. Expired deals featured a red indicator, limited actions, and a gray background to visually deprioritize them.
Published, in-progress, and expired card statuses
The New Editorial Experience
The final dashboard blended the ease of ContentHub with the versatility of Contentstack. This offered an experience that matched how editors truly operate. We exposed the filtering panel on the left side to make it easier for editors to sort and find deals quickly. We revamped the deal cards to highlight key details at a glance. They now feature product information, coupon codes, themes, and scheduling details.
While some native Contentstack components, like button UI, needed to remain, the overall layout was streamlined to match the mental model editors were used to. The result was a flexible, user-centered tool that modernized the editorial workflow.
Increase In Individual Output
Editors went from posting an average of 5 deals per day to 15
Deals Posted Per Day
7 editors on the team adds up to thousands of additional deals published each month
Additional Deals Per Year
A direct result of faster workflows without hiring more staff
Additional Impacts:
Eliminated Reliance on Legacy System
Editors no longer needed to reference ContentHub — reducing context-switching and fully transitioning to Contentstack.
More Visibility, Less Clicking
By surfacing critical details in each deal row, editors spent less time digging for information and more time optimizing deals.
Higher Editor Satisfaction and Adoption
Editors quickly embraced the redesigned workflow with minimal retraining because the UI matched their mental model.
Editorial Praise for New Dashboard
“WOW!! This is amazing!!!”
“Thank you for always listening to our needs and feedback.”
“I finally feel like I can learn the new platform. I was getting bogged down looking up information in the old CMS and posting in the new CMS but now I can use the new one for everything!”
“I was wasting too much time navigating Contentstack before. Now it feels intuitive.”
“It’s even better than ContentHub!”
Reflection
With only seven editors, I had the rare opportunity to create something that directly improved each team member’s day-to-day workflow. Because I was able to personally connect with each editor and understand their needs and preferences, I could confidently design a solution that worked for everyone without overcomplicating the experience.
What made this project especially rewarding was hearing the impact firsthand. Editors reached out to share how much quicker, simpler, and more enjoyable their jobs have become due to this redesign. A few told me they couldn’t imagine going back to the old system. It was a great reminder that internal tools need design attention just like user-facing ones and that thoughtful UX can drive real business impact at scale.
