Duration

8 months (2023)

Tools

Figma (Design, Figjam), Balsamiq, Notion, Github, Paper

Related Projects

Learning is only as good as what surrounds it

The tool behind the tool

Making progress feel like something

The feature we knew better than to ship [shelved]

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A note on visual design

Due to branding constraints and the need for rapid iteration across multiple product lines, the design system prioritised functional clarity over visual innovation. Most interfaces defaulted to a neutral black-and-white palette with minimal colour usage.

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The challenge

The Bubble prototype had proved the concept. But proof of concept and production-ready are different things. As the user base grew, the cracks showed: performance degraded under load, feature additions compounded technical debt, and users couldn't fully articulate what the platform was for - because the product itself wasn't sure yet.

Context

StackUp is a SuperApp empowering developers with tools, resources, and community. Originally built as a Bubble prototype, it proved the concept but couldn't scale. As the user base grew, platform limitations became critical, prompting a complete rebuild focused on scalability, modularity, and a seamless experience.

The solution

The design team mapped the full platform ecosystem - every user type, every content state, every integration, and proposed an architecture that drew clear lines between modules. Each piece would work independently. Each piece would feel like part of the same product. We were realigning purpose, product, and potential.

In this case study

Understanding what we were actually dealing with

Four things the platform had to get right

Information architecture

Prioritisation and breaking down the work

Results & outcomes

Retrospectives