Operator is PartnerHero’s (now Crescendo) internal platform that unifies multiple support operations tools into one product suite. It helps agents, managers, and admins work faster with consistent workflows, shared data, and a cohesive UI across applications.
I led UX and UI design for Assist, Quality, and the Operator admin panel, collaborating closely with designers, PMs, developers, and stakeholders.
Formerly PartnerGenie, an AI copilot that helps agents draft and refine customer emails, reducing response time and improving accuracy. It is comprised of a web app for managers/admins and a Chrome extension that agents use to interact with the AI copilot.
Formerly Aprikot, a peer-to-peer review tool that enables teams to evaluate and improve agent performance collaboratively. It is comprised of a web app for managers/admins and a Chrome extension that agents use to score tickets.
A powerful analytics dashboard that aggregates key metrics, providing actionable insights for managers and clients. It is comprised of a web app for managers/admins.
Project Type
Internal SaaS Platform
Role
UX/UI Designer
Timeline
2023–2024
Tools
Figma, Material UI, Jira
Scope
Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Visual Design
Company
PartnerHero (now Crescendo)
Problem & Context
Customer support teams previously relied on fragmented tools, inconsistent workflows, and manual processes, which led to inefficiencies and rising operational costs. After several proof-of-concept tools proved their value, PartnerHero decided to fully design and develop a centralized platform that would empower every team across the organization.
My mission was to transform the fragmented internal tools into an integrated, scalable product suite, ensuring that every feature enhanced efficiency, clarity, and agent satisfaction.
Research & Insights
Current State Analysis
At the time of evaluation, the product experience relied on fragmented workflows and inconsistent interface patterns. Core tasks required unnecessary steps, increasing cognitive load and slowing down users’ ability to complete their work efficiently. While the system functioned from a technical standpoint, it lacked clarity, hierarchy, and scalability from a user experience perspective.
Interviews
To ensure Operator effectively addressed the challenges faced by customer support agents, I planned and led a series of user interviews with agents and managers who interacted daily with Assist and Quality. My objective was to identify pain points, usability concerns, and improvement opportunities in the tools.
A diverse group of agents and managers across different teams and experience levels were selected. We used:
- One-on-one video call interviews
- Open-ended questions to encourage detailed feedback
- Live walkthroughs of the tools to observe agent workflows
Insights
These insights directly influenced feature updates and UI improvements, making the tools more intuitive and valuable for agents.
Agent experience
- The Chrome extension UI is unclear
- Management through the web app is difficult, and so is reviewing data
- Some agents felt AI-generated responses were too generic and needed more customization
- Trust in AI suggestions varied based on agent experience level
- Agents wanted a way to quickly edit AI responses before sending
- It is common for agents to prefer the use of macros over the tool
Quality & ops
- Agents had difficulty navigating and scoring in the Chrome extension
- Managers had difficulty understanding how to create rubrics
- Reviewing and comparing data felt slow
- Managers asked for different scoring methods, capabilities, and requirements
- Lack of actionable feedback for agents being scored
Ideation & Design Process
After reviewing insights gathered during research and incorporating feedback from PMs, stakeholders, and developers, we aligned on a structured vision for the software suite and developed a clear plan for the MVP.
With the roadmap in place, we began wireframing and designing section by section. To ensure a consistent and cohesive experience across all apps, we chose Material UI as our design framework. For the MVP, customization was kept minimal to prioritize functionality and speed of development.
UI Previews
Impact And Results
Operator improved usability and adoption across the company’s internal tools.
The success and maturity of Operator’s product direction contributed to Crescendo’s interest in PartnerHero during the acquisition process, demonstrating the value of scalable internal tooling and thoughtful product design.
Adopted by 500+ agents across teams
Unified design language across 3 applications and an admin panel
Positive feedback from early users highlighting clarity and visual consistency
Reflection
Through my experience with Operator, I gained valuable insights into implementing design strategies across multiple teams and products while maintaining consistency, transparency, and purpose.
As features regularly changed, objectives transformed, and deadlines shifted, I was motivated to develop greater flexibility, better communication skills, and a more practical design methodology.
However, the most fulfilling aspect went beyond the process itself; it was observing teams thrive using the exact tools we had created.
...exceptional design goes beyond visual interfaces.
Exceptional design involves empowering individuals to perform at their highest level through clear communication, understanding, and flexible systems that evolve alongside their users.