Rec
Freelance
Overview
Role
Rec is technology company that partners with local Parks & Rec departments and community institutions to enable people to play more.
They simplify the process of accessing sports facilities, fostering the discovery of new hobbies, and promoting community connections through various recreational activities.
Lead Designer
Ongoing
Timeline
Tools
Figma / Figjam
Linear
Links
The Problem
Up until now, Rec prioritized the development of customer-facing products to streamline scheduling, booking, and exploring diverse class options. However, the company recognized the need to provide a comprehensive platform for Parks & Rec department employees to efficiently manage class creation for site customers.
Leading this initiative, I spearheaded the development of an SaaS admin tool platform. This platform empowers employees from various recreational facilities to seamlessly access centralized user information, encompassing class attendance records, customer receipts, booking history, and comprehensive details of both past and upcoming classes.
Our platform facilitates efficient editing and updates, empowering administrators to optimize their workflows.
Challenge
How can we develop an MVP for a multi-tiered admin SaaS tool that enables admins to access and edit user and class information across all tiers of the system?
Identifying Key Issues
Developing a Framework
The current system for editing and adding classes or reservations forces parks dept. employees to email Rec directly with requests.
Once reservations were booked, employees had no way to access the information
Operationally intensive
Limited visibility
Lack of design system
The existing booking process presented numerous challenges for both Parks & Departments administrators and the Rec team. However, with the introduction of the new admin tool, both the Rec team and administrators gained the essential tools needed to streamline a multitude of critical tasks effectively.
Creating a Multi-Tiered System
User Flows
We needed to give admins the tools to edit information on multiple scales:
1) On the individual user level
2) For creating a reservation that users could then book into from the customer facing site
3)From a location level for each Parks & Rec department
Flow 1 | Editing User Booking
Flow 2 | Publishing Class
Flow 3 | Create a Reservation
Beginning a Framework
Design System
To build rapid hi-fi prototypes for our MVP, we needed to establish the groundwork of a design system. I spearheaded the creation of a foundational design system, defining elements such as color palette, text styles, and essential components. This ensured clear communication with engineers within our tight timeframe. With this design system as our starting point, we can streamline the iteration and development of our future tools.
Creating an Identity
Design System
To distinguish the admin tool from the customer-facing one, I crafted a unique color palette and text styles. This approach allowed the admin tool to possess its own identity while still maintaining a connection with the customer-facing tool. This visual contrast enables administrators to immerse themselves in a platform tailored specifically to their needs.