Designing an AI-powered platform that helps marketers validate ad creatives before investing in media spend.
BrandPulse helps advertisers validate images, videos, text, and HTML5 banners with real audiences before launching campaigns — so marketers get data-backed insights instead of spending on assumptions.
Role
Product Designer (End-to-End)
Timeline
Phase 1 — 2 Weeks
Phase 2 — 1 Month
Phase 3 — Continuous
Team
Discovery Lead, Business Development, Product Manager, Developers, QA Engineers
Impact
The iterative design approach helped evolve BrandPulse from an investor-focused MVP into a more mature product.
Mobile-first product shift
Moved BrandPulse from a desktop-only MVP to a mobile-first experience after analytics showed most users accessed the platform on mobile browsers.
Flexible credit pricing
Increased adoption of the credit-based subscription model and reduced checkout drop-offs by supporting bundles alongside one-time payments.
In-product creative prep
Eliminated third-party editing by integrating image cropping, so users could fix dimensions without leaving BrandPulse.
Broader creative formats
Expanded testing beyond static ads with HTML5 banner support, ZIP/HTML uploads, and a lightweight live code editor.
AI-assisted operations
Reduced manual campaign processing with AI-assisted workflows and clearer reports that helped marketers decide faster.
Context
The challenge
Companies spend thousands of dollars every month on Google Ads without knowing which creative will actually perform best. Traditional research is expensive, time-consuming, and often happens after marketing budgets have already been spent.
The opportunity
The client wanted a platform where advertisers could upload multiple creative variations, test them with real audiences through the Google network, and receive actionable insights before launching campaigns.
Problems & Solutions
Problem 1
Mobile access vs desktop-first MVP
Usage data showed many customers accessed BrandPulse through mobile browsers, even though the product was designed for desktop.
Solution
- Redesigned key workflows for smaller screens
- Mobile-first layouts and responsive dashboard
- Simplified navigation and improved touch interactions
Problem 2
High payment drop-offs at checkout
Users hesitated to pay a relatively high one-time fee for testing a single advertisement.
Solution
- Introduced a flexible credit system alongside one-time payments
- Users could purchase credit bundles and reuse them across campaigns
- Aligned pricing with different customer behaviors and encouraged repeat usage
Problem 3
Upload friction from wrong media dimensions
Users frequently uploaded media that didn’t match required dimensions and were redirected to an external image editor — many abandoned the flow.
Solution
- Designed an integrated image cropping experience inside BrandPulse
- Users could prepare creatives without leaving the platform
Users & Their Needs
Startup Marketers
Small teams launching their first campaigns who needed confidence before investing in advertising.
- Validate creatives quickly
- Reduce wasted budget
- Understand which ad would perform better
Enterprise Marketing Teams
Organizations managing multiple campaigns simultaneously.
- Compare multiple creative versions
- Make data-driven campaign decisions
- Standardize creative evaluation
Team & My Role
I was the sole Product Designer, owning the experience end-to-end — from discovery and research through UI, prototyping, handoff, and report design.
Responsibilities
- Product Discovery, UX Research, Competitive Analysis
- User Flows, Wireframing, UI Design, Responsive Design
- Feature Prioritization, Prototyping, Developer Handoff, Report Design
Team
Collaborated across a multidisciplinary group.
Tools
Design and exploration toolkit.
Constraints & Roadblocks
Investor-driven MVP scope
The initial objective was securing investor interest, so scope had to stay tightly focused on a lean MVP instead of a fully featured platform.
Desktop-only first release
Shipping desktop first delayed mobile readiness even though real usage patterns later showed many customers accessed BrandPulse on mobile browsers.
High one-time pricing
A relatively high fee for testing a single ad created checkout hesitation before a more flexible credit model existed.
External image editor
When creatives didn't match required dimensions, users were sent to a third-party editor — breaking flow continuity and causing drop-offs.
Manual campaign processing
Every campaign was handled manually by the internal team, which limited operational scale as adoption grew.
Long multi-step setup
Campaign creation required many targeting steps, so users risked losing progress without a drafts experience.
Key Decisions
MVP over feature breadth Limited the first release to desktop users and the core testing workflow so the product vision could be validated without delaying development.
Credits instead of one pricing model Replaced a single high one-time fee path with flexible credit bundles while still allowing one-time payments.
Mobile-first redesign Rather than squeezing desktop screens onto phones, I redesigned key workflows specifically for smaller screens.
In-product cropping Brought creative preparation into BrandPulse instead of sending users to a third-party editor.
AI-assisted operations Shifted campaign analysis from fully manual review to AI processing with human validation before report delivery.
Design Solution
After aligning business goals with user needs, we defined a focused experience around the core creative testing journey.
HTML5 banner testing
Extended the platform beyond image and video with a lightweight code editor, ZIP/HTML uploads, and live banner previews.
Drafts
Users could save incomplete campaigns and continue exactly where they left off.
Wallet experience
After credits launched, users needed visibility into available credits, history, package details, and upgrade flow.
Phase 1
Discovery & MVP Design
Phase 1 focused on understanding why the product needed to exist, defining a lean MVP for investors, and shipping a focused desktop experience.
Understanding the Business Problem
The project started with a series of discovery workshops alongside the client and internal stakeholders. Rather than jumping directly into designing screens, our goal was to understand why the product needed to exist.
The client explained a common problem faced by advertisers: businesses invest thousands of dollars into Google Ads without knowing whether their creatives will actually perform. Most campaigns are launched based on assumptions, and meaningful insights only become available after a significant advertising budget has already been spent.
The vision was to build a platform that could help marketers validate their creatives before launching campaigns, allowing them to make informed decisions while spending only a fraction of their advertising budget.
Defining the MVP
Since the client's immediate goal was to demonstrate the product to potential investors, we decided to focus on building a lean MVP rather than a fully featured platform.
To keep development fast and focused, we intentionally limited the first release. Everything outside these essential features was postponed for future iterations.
This approach allowed us to validate the business idea quickly without overbuilding the product.
- Desktop experience only
- Core campaign creation workflow
- Creative upload
- Audience targeting
- Report generation
Research & Competitive Analysis
Before designing the experience, I explored how digital advertising platforms currently operate.
One clear insight emerged: advertisers had plenty of tools to measure campaign performance after launch, but very few solutions helped them evaluate creatives before spending their marketing budget.
This insight became the foundation of BrandPulse.
- Understanding the Google Ads ecosystem
- Analyzing creative testing platforms
- Reviewing competitor workflows
- Identifying gaps in the current user experience
Understanding the Users
During discovery, we identified two primary user groups.
Startup Businesses
Small businesses and startups preparing to launch their first campaigns often lacked confidence in deciding which creative would perform best.
They needed a quick and affordable way to validate ideas before investing in advertising.
Enterprise Marketing Teams
Large organizations frequently manage multiple campaigns with several creative variations.
Their challenge wasn't creating ads—it was identifying which version deserved the advertising budget.
Designing the Core Experience
After defining the business goals and user needs, I mapped the primary workflow around a simple principle: Upload → Configure → Test → Analyze.
The objective wasn't to overwhelm users with features but to help them complete a campaign in the fewest possible steps.
- Choose creative type
- Upload creatives
- Configure audience attributes
- Select targeting options
- Submit campaign
- Receive performance report
Phase 1 Outcome
Lean MVP shipped
Designed and launched a focused desktop MVP that validated the product concept for investors without overbuilding the platform.
Core campaign flow
Users could upload creatives, configure audience targeting, submit campaigns for testing, and receive performance insights before spending ad budget.
Real behavior to learn from
Most importantly, the MVP gave us real user signals—insights that shaped the next stage of the product instead of assumptions.
Phase 2
Learning from Real Users
Launching the MVP was only the beginning. Instead of assuming the product was complete, we analyzed user behavior, gathered feedback, and identified the biggest points of friction across the customer journey.
These findings guided the next phase of design improvements.
Insight 1 — Users Preferred Mobile
Although the MVP had been designed exclusively for desktop, product analytics showed that a large portion of users were actually accessing BrandPulse through mobile browsers.
This meant the original experience no longer matched real user behavior.
Design decision
I redesigned the experience using a mobile-first approach, simplifying layouts, improving navigation, and ensuring every core workflow worked naturally on smaller screens. Rather than adapting desktop screens, the mobile experience became the primary design direction.
Insight 2 — High Payment Drop-offs
Another major issue appeared during checkout. Many users abandoned the purchase flow when they encountered a relatively high one-time fee for testing a single advertisement.
While the pricing made sense from a business perspective, it didn't match how many marketers actually worked. Agencies and businesses often run multiple campaigns, making repeated one-time payments feel expensive.
Design decision
Instead of replacing the existing pricing model, I introduced a more flexible credit-based system. This created a pricing experience that better served both occasional users and frequent advertisers.
- Purchase bundles of credits
- Reuse those credits across multiple campaigns
- Continue using the one-time payment option if they preferred
Insight 3 — Upload Experience Was Too Disruptive
The upload process revealed another usability issue. Whenever uploaded creatives didn't meet the required dimensions, users were shown an error and redirected to an external image editing tool.
Many users never returned to complete their campaign.
Design decision
To remove this friction, I designed an integrated image cropping experience directly inside BrandPulse. Users could now resize and adjust creatives without leaving the platform, creating a much smoother upload process.
Expanding Product Features
As user adoption increased, the platform also evolved. To support more advertising formats, I designed additional testing capabilities that allowed marketers to validate interactive display advertisements alongside traditional creatives.
- HTML5 Banner Testing
- ZIP/HTML uploads
- Lightweight live code editor
Supporting Longer Workflows
Creating campaigns required multiple targeting selections, uploads, and configuration steps. Many users weren't able to finish everything in one session.
Design decision
I introduced a Drafts feature that allowed users to save incomplete campaigns and continue later without losing progress.
Introducing the Wallet Experience
With the introduction of credits, users needed greater visibility into how those credits were being used. This made subscription management much clearer while increasing confidence in the credit system.
Design decision
- View available credits
- Track transaction history
- Review purchased packages
- Upgrade to larger plans
Phase 2 Outcome
By the end of Phase 2, BrandPulse had evolved significantly beyond its original MVP.
The product became more accessible through a mobile-first experience, reduced friction during payment and creative uploads, introduced flexible subscription options, and expanded its capabilities to support more advanced advertising formats.
Most importantly, every improvement was driven by real user behavior, ensuring the product evolved based on evidence rather than assumptions.
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