Internal VIP Invitation System
How I turned a confusing B2B process into a seamless experience with 50% fewer user errors
A B2B VIP invite system that actually works.
Great idea! But catastrophic execution.
INVITI built a guest list manager for high-end events—then buried it in confusing flows and “Huh?” moments.
I rebuilt the experience from the ground up: fewer clicks, clearer CTAs, and logic that actually makes sense.
Now it runs smooth, fast, and smart, just like a B2B tool should.
Year
Jan, 2025 - Present
Platform
Website
Client
INVITI
Role
Lead Product Designer
First thing first
Before (left) and after (right)
what's the impact?
No more guessing. Clearer steps meant they could focus on the event and not fighting the tool. They saved time, avoided mistakes, and felt in control.
Less support. Less friction. And a product that’s finally ready to scale without walkthroughs or extra ops overhead.
what's the context?
INVITI is an event company that runs high-profile events with VIP guests. The team had been managing invitations manually, like Google Sheets, emails, endless Slack messages. So they built an internal system to make things faster.
Product
INVITI’s internal VIP invite-sending tool
Users
Internal planners handling high-profile guest lists
Goal
Remove confusion and get ready for external launch
My role
Lead product designer – research, UX flow, visual design
what's my role?
I joined as the first and only product designer after the MVP had already shipped. It worked…technically. But users were confused, support was overwhelmed, and it clearly wouldn’t scale.
I focused on:
Spotting friction fast through user interviews and testing
Redesigning core flows to reduce confusion and errors
Thinking ahead, designing for external rollout, not just internal teams
I partnered closely with PMs, engineers, ops, and event planners, and synced regularly with the CEO and leadership to align design with business goals.
What started as an internal tool is now positioned to scale beyond the company with UX that drives adoption, not support tickets.
why it wasn't wokring?
When I joined, INVITI’s internal invite system was already built. You could technically create events and send emails.
The team thought it was fine. "Users will figure it out," they said.
But in real usage, planners struggled, and it wasn’t just user error. It was a sign the system wasn’t ready to support teams at speed, or scale to external clients.
I observed users fumble through tasks they should’ve breezed through. Here's where the design broke down:
01.
Unclear Where to Start
INVITI event planners landed on a blank homepage with no clear guidance or primary action. They hesitated, clicked randomly, and often asked teammates for help.
Why it matter?
For internal users
This wasted time and caused frustration in an already fast-paced environment.
For external users
Without a clear start, new customers would be lost from the first click and jeopardizing adoption.
For the business
Onboarding bottlenecks mean higher support costs and slow growth, hurting the product’s scalability.
02.
Guest Flow Was Hidden
Inside events, the “Invite” button was mislabeled. INVITI planners learned to work around it, but it caused confusion and errors.
Why it matter?
For internal users
Confusing flows led to mistakes and extra work to fix invite lists.
For external users
New users would struggle even more, risking missed invitations for VIPs.
For the business
Errors here threaten customer trust and retention, both critical for product success.
03.
Sending Felt Risky and Unclear
The send action forced users to pick from email types with no explanation, and sent emails immediately, without review. Internal users lived with the risk; external users would fear it.
Why it matter?
For internal users
Anxiety over mistakes slowed workflows and generated questions.
For external users
Mistakes could damage reputation and event outcomes.
For the business
Increased risk of user error means more support, more training, and limits expansion.
04.
No Help When It Was Needed Most
There was no contextual help or feedback for critical actions. No tooltips, no status explanations, no reassurance.
Why it matter?
For internal users
Lack of clarity created guesswork and uncertainty, increasing support tickets.
For external users
Without guidance, onboarding becomes painful, and user confidence drops.
For the business
Support load grows, and scaling becomes expensive and risky.
The Stakes Were Clear
Internal users struggled because the system wasn’t designed for real-world use. It was a fragile tool, not a scalable product.
If left unchanged, external users would face confusion, errors, and frustration, leading to lost trust and adoption.
For the business, that means higher support costs, slower growth, and a damaged reputation.
My job was to reshape the system into a reliable, intuitive platform that reduces risk, builds confidence, and unlocks new market opportunities. This wasn’t just design. It was a critical step toward sustainable growth.
What did I discover?
After digging into interviews and watching planners navigate the tool, it became clear: the problem ran deeper than missing buttons or unclear labels. The flow expected users to just know what to do next, but gave zero signals where to start, where to go, or what to expect.
What looked like isolated usability bugs were really symptoms of a broken end-to-end flow:
・Lack of clarity at key decision points
・No reinforcement when actions were completed
・Misleading labels that chipped away at user trust
What Users Actually Experienced
Understanding this shifted the entire design approach. It wasn’t about patching UI. It was about rebuilding momentum, creating a flow that felt natural, obvious, and safe. This insight shaped how we simplified the product, increased user confidence, and reduced costly support requests.
More importantly, it laid the foundation to scale the system beyond INVITI. Fixing the flow was no longer a nice-to-have—it was the business’s best chance to grow without hand-holding every user.
What did I change?
I didn’t just clean up UI. I reshaped the flow, redefined mental models, and aligned design with product goals. Each solution was grounded in research, scoped with engineers, and built for long-term maintainability.
01.
Clear, Guided First Step
Approach
Users landed with no direction and froze.
Decision
Redesigned dashboard with one clear CTA—“Create Project”—to guide the first step.
Why it matters
For the users
Lack of clarity created guesswork and uncertainty, increasing support tickets.
For the business
Support load grows, and scaling becomes expensive and risky.
02.
Guest Flow Made Obvious
Approach
Users confused “Invite” with “Add Guest” which misleading wording broke flow.
Decision
Introduced a bold “+ Add VIP Guests” button near the guest list.
Why it matters
For the users
Easier to take action
For the business
Fewer mistakes → fewer support tickets
03.
Smarter Send Flow
Approach
Dropdown for email types (invite, confirm, reminder) overwhelmed users.
Decision
Replaced with one “Send” button that opens a focused email modal (choose, edit, preview, send).
Why it matters
For the users
More control, less stress
For the business
Reduces mis-sends, protects brand
04.
Hover Tips for Key Actions
Approach
Key buttons and status tags had no explanation.
Decision
Added smart tooltips on Send, RSVP status, bulk actions, and email status.
Why it matters
For the users
Confidence without clutter
For the business
Less support, more trust in system
Why All this matters?
Scaling a product means building a system that works without hand-holding.
Here’s what that looks like:
Fewer errors avoid awkward VIP slip-ups.
Clear flows slash training and support time.
mart design speeds up onboarding new teams and clients.
My role? I cleared the roadblocks, so the business can move faster, rely less on support, and grow with confidence.
Business users want tools that just work.
No guesswork, no frustration, no wasted time. That’s where real design impact lives.
Why fixing this was weirdly fun?
🧠 Clarity feels like cleaning
You know that feeling when you finally clean your room and everything’s in the right spot? That’s what a clean flow feels like to me. Just peaceful.
✨ Small fixes feel big
Sometimes it’s one tiny change, like giving someone the exact tool they need. Suddenly, everything clicks and the team runs smoother. I love that.
🧪 I still ask why
When I was little, I used to ask my parents stuff like “why do clouds float?” I haven’t stopped asking questions—I just go find the answers now.
💼 Real people, real work
Making someone’s day easier, even just a little, gives me that warm “I did something good today” feeling. It reminds me why I do this.
