UX Research and Design for a

Freelance Collaboration Platform

UX Research and Design for a

Freelance Collaboration Platform

Context

Fortefor is a freelance platform that connects creative professionals with clients through project-based microteams.


It used to be a manual service handled by a single “design concierge” — phone calls and one-by-one freelancer matching. It worked for a handful of projects but wasn’t scalable in any way. It worked for a while, but couldn’t scale.


My goal was to redesign the system so that it could scale without losing the human quality that made it valuable.

Fortefor is a freelance platform that connects creative professionals with clients through project-based microteams. It used to be a manual service handled by a single “design concierge” — phone calls and one-by-one freelancer matching. It worked for a handful of projects but wasn’t scalable.


My goal was to redesign the system so that it could scale without losing the human quality that made it valuable.

Company

Ngrane Agency

Role

Product Designer

March - July 2025

Duration

Team

8 people

Research

I interviewed clients, senior freelancers, and juniors to understand where their workflows were falling apart, because most problems came from mismatched expectations between them. The analysis pointed to four clear issues for the MVP: unclear briefing, no transparency in matching, no structure for junior mentorship, and collaboration spread across too many tools.


These findings shaped the redesign. After quick ideation sessions, a clear direction emerged: guided briefing, transparent matching, a defined senior-junior setup, and one central place for project work.

I interviewed clients, senior freelancers, and juniors to understand where their workflows were falling apart, because most problems came from mismatched expectations between them. The analysis pointed to four clear issues for the MVP: unclear briefing, no transparency in matching, no structure for junior mentorship, and collaboration spread across too many tools.


These findings shaped the redesign. After quick ideation sessions, a clear direction emerged: guided briefing, transparent matching, a defined senior-junior setup, and one central place for project work.

Design Process

I translated the research insights into product requirements and mapped the end-to-end flow to understand where alignment broke between clients and freelancers.


The design focused on three principles: reduce cognitive load, make progress and ownership predictable, and keep automation grounded in human context.


I explored multiple system concepts, refined them through weekly reviews with a senior UX designer and developers, and moved into prototyping once the core logic was validated.

I translated the research insights into product requirements and mapped the end-to-end flow to understand where alignment broke between clients and freelancers.


The design focused on three principles: reduce cognitive load, make progress and ownership predictable, and keep automation grounded in human context.


I explored multiple system concepts, refined them through weekly reviews with a senior UX designer and developers, and moved into prototyping once the core logic was validated.

Design Process

Impact

Enabled companies to scope design projects on their own through a guided brief flow, removing the need for manual consultations.


Made senior-junior matching transparent, increasing trust for clients and clarity for freelancers.


Introduced a predictable workflow with automated status updates, reducing delays and misalignment.


Consolidated communication, tasks and files into one workspace, improving project collaboration efficiency.


Established a scalable mentorship model that supports junior talent and reduces load on seniors.


Validated the end-to-end MVP: all user groups completed their core tasks independently.

Results

Results

Clients completed full project briefs without assistance and reported higher confidence in describing scope.


Seniors and juniors both reported clearer expectations during team formation and throughout delivery.


All participants immediately understood the project flow and could identify the next required action.


Freelancers noted fewer coordination steps thanks to having communication, tasks, and files in one place.


Juniors expressed increased confidence due to visible mentorship cues and structured review points.


Usability testing showed 100% task completion across roles, confirming the MVP’s clarity and readiness for development.



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