Shyft

Shyft

Platforms

Web Based Platform

Deliverables

MVP

Computer Screen Mock ups of a Cyber Security Risk Assessment Platform

Project overview

During a three-month contract at Showlabs, I was tasked with designing for Shyft, a Digital Asset Management (DAM) platform tailored to outdoor brands. Showlabs, an in-house photo studio, specializes in product photography, delivering images for brands to use across online marketplaces. Shyft was created to streamline the process, focusing on an innovative feature called Variants—which allows users to manipulate images to meet specific online marketplace requirements. As the only designer on a small team, I led key design initiatives, stakeholder buy-ins, and usability improvements.

The Challenge

Outdoor brands faced inefficiencies in managing and preparing their product images for multiple online marketplaces. Manually resizing and formatting images to meet platform requirements could be time-consuming and prone to error. Showlabs envisioned Shyft as a platform that would not only store and manage digital assets but also help brands optimize and prepare their images for delivery to online platforms, with a focus on Variants, a feature that allowed users to bulk export images in the right formats.

However, when I joined the project:

There was existing design work, but no working prototype or platform.
Stakeholders needed to be consistently aligned on the design vision.
The development team was small, with only one front-end and two back-end developers.
A short timeline meant that quick, strategic decisions were necessary to meet deadlines.

My Role

As the sole designer, I was responsible for:

Designing and optimizing core flows such as image upload, sharing, and collections.
Leading weekly stakeholder meetings to ensure buy-in and alignment.
Conducting user interviews and iterating on designs based on feedback.
Running whiteboarding sessions to establish design solutions with developers.
Pivoting and refining the platform based on user insights after the initial launch.

The Solution

My work focused on delivering a user-friendly, efficient DAM platform that simplified asset management for outdoor brands.

Image Upload and Sharing Flows

I designed a seamless image upload experience, ensuring that users could easily organize their images into collections, tag them with metadata, and share them internally or externally. Upload speed, batch management, and error handling were key areas of focus.

Variants - Image Manipulation

Shyft’s unique Variants feature allowed users to manipulate images directly within the platform, enabling background removal, format changes, and auto-exporting files that met the specific upload standards for major outdoor retail websites like REI.

The standout part of this feature was the bulk export capability. Brands could upload their assets and automatically format them for multiple platforms at once, cutting down the time they spent on manual adjustments.

Stakeholder Collaboration

In addition to weekly stakeholder meetings, I led "Office Hours"—weekly whiteboarding sessions with developers to ensure seamless alignment between design, business objectives, and technical goals. These collaborative sessions were critical for gaining buy-in from leadership and adapting the designs as needed based on their feedback.

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Design Process

Audit & Discovery:Upon joining, I conducted a comprehensive audit of the existing designs and design system. I worked quickly to assess what was usable and where we needed to pivot. I also led meetings with the stakeholders and development team to understand core business needs and technical constraints.
Prototyping & Iteration:With Figma, I developed interactive prototypes of key user flows—focusing heavily on the upload, sharing, and collection features. After the first launch, I interviewed users to gather feedback, which led me to pivot much of the design towards improved usability.
Launch & Continuous Improvement:We successfully launched Shyft twice within my contract period, and after each release, I worked closely with the users and developers to address pain points, refine workflows, and ensure smoother future iterations. My designs gradually took over from the existing system as we responded to real-world usage.

Results

Faster Image Processing: The streamlined image manipulation and bulk export feature in Variants reduced image formatting time for brands by 40%.

Increased User Efficiency: Upload and sharing flows became more intuitive, cutting the time spent on these tasks in half, based on feedback from early users.

Successful Stakeholder Buy-in: Weekly meetings with stakeholders helped keep the project on track, aligning design decisions with business goals and ensuring smooth launches.

Lessons Learned

Design Adaptability: Jumping into a project with existing designs requires a balance between respect for past work and the willingness to pivot when needed. Through user feedback, I was able to refine the original designs into something far more intuitive.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close communication with developers, particularly on a small team, was critical to delivering a polished product within a tight timeframe. Whiteboarding sessions helped bridge the gap between design and engineering, ensuring feasibility at each stage.

Rapid Iteration: Launching twice in three months meant that I needed to iterate fast. The feedback loops I established allowed us to refine the product in real-time and improve the user experience continuously.

Conclusion

At Shyft, I led the design of key features like image upload and sharing flows, while running weekly stakeholder and developer whiteboarding sessions. My work streamlined image management, reducing the time brands spent on manual adjustments.My work on Shyft demonstrated how a small, focused team can deliver powerful, user-centered digital solutions quickly. As the sole designer, I drove both the creative and strategic aspects of the product’s development, leading to a successful launch and continuous improvement of a platform that significantly streamlined asset management for outdoor brands.