dubizzle
2026
AI-Powered Search Experience
Redesigned the exisiting search with AI-driven interactions and animation to create a more intuitive and engaging discovery experience.
Overview
Introduced a new AI search experience within dubizzle’s existing search interface.
The experience included a transition between traditional and AI search, a distinct visual treatment for the AI state using glow and frosted-glass effects, and animated suggestions designed to give users ideas of what they could search for.
The Impact
Significant improvement in user engagement and session time.
Problem
Search often required users to do too much of the work.
Traditional keyword search relied on users knowing what to type and manually applying the right filters to narrow down results. More complex or conversational queries could also fail to return relevant matches, sometimes leading users to a no-results page rather than helping them continue their search.
01
High reliance on filters
Users often had to manually apply multiple filters to reach relevant results
02
Limited understanding of complex queries
Traditional keyword search struggled when users searched using more descriptive or conversational language.
03
Dead-end experiences
Queries that couldn't be interpreted could lead to no results, interrupting discovery instead of helping users refine their intent.
What we learned
Good AI search isn't just about understanding more, it needs to make searching feel easier.
The opportunity was to move some of the effort away from the user. Instead of expecting people to translate what they wanted into the right keywords and filters, AI could interpret more natural, descriptive queries and help users get closer to relevant results.
We also recognised that introducing AI created a new interaction challenge: users needed to understand that they could search differently. The interface therefore needed to demonstrate the possibilities of AI search through examples and prompts rather than expecting users to discover them on their own.
“Most of the time, I understood the numbers — I just didn’t understand what needed my attention first. I kept jumping between balances, transactions, and reports to make sure I wasn’t missing something important before taking action.”
Interview participant
E-commerce founder
Organizing recurring patterns and behaviors
I used Claude AI to help cluster interview notes, recurring frustrations, and behavioral patterns into broader themes. This made it easier to identify where users experienced the most friction across the dashboard experience.
Key insights
Users struggled to quickly identify the most relevant financial information.
Payments and recent activity lacked enough context before taking action.
Important actions became harder to find within visually dense layouts.
Similar visual weight reduced clarity across key dashboard workflows.
Understanding the user journey
I mapped the most common financial workflows to better understand where friction, hesitation, and repeated actions appeared across the dashboard experience.
01
Checking balances
Friction
Pending, available, and used balances were not clearly distinguished.
Opportunity
Introduce clearer balance separation with distinct visual hierarchy.
Impact
Improve balance scanning and reduce repeated checking behavior.
02
Seeing transactions
Friction
Payments and activity lacked enough context before actions.
Opportunity
Surface merchant details and payment status directly within activity flows.
Impact
Reduce uncertainty and help users understand activity faster.
03
Managing payments
Friction
Important actions became harder to find within visually dense layouts.
Opportunity
Simplify navigation patterns and prioritize key financial actions.
Impact
Improve task completion and reduce navigation friction across workflows.
04
Scanning data
Friction
Similar visual weight reduced clarity across dashboard sections and data.
Opportunity
Create stronger hierarchy between balances, activity, and supporting details.
Impact
Help users scan information faster and focus on what matters most.
Ideation
Exploring interface directions
I explored multiple layout directions focused on balance visibility, transaction context, and workflow clarity. Each concept tested different approaches to grouping financial information, simplifying navigation, and helping users scan important details faster.
Exploring different dashboard concepts focused on hierarchy, transaction visibility, and clearer everyday financial workflows.
01
Focused overview
Explored a simplified top-level summary with clearer balance visibility and primary actions.
02
Modular layouts
Tested flexible dashboard blocks to improve grouping, spacing, and information hierarchy.
03
Task-oriented flows
Structured the interface around key financial actions and recurring user workflows.
Testing interaction flows early
Before moving into high-fidelity designs, I tested early interaction flows using low-fidelity paper prototypes. These quick sessions helped validate navigation patterns, layout hierarchy, and task completion behavior before investing time into polished UI design.
Designs
Refining the dashboard experience
The final redesign focused on improving clarity across everyday financial tasks through stronger hierarchy, simplified navigation, and more contextual transaction feedback. The updated interface made balances easier to compare, actions easier to locate, and activity flows easier to understand at a glance.
Overview of spending trends, category insights, and budget usage designed for faster financial scanning.
Instant card controls allowing users to freeze cards, manage limits, and update payment settings with minimal friction.
A simplified dashboard focused on balance visibility, transaction context, and clearer everyday financial workflows.
Before & after
The redesign focused on improving clarity across everyday financial workflows by simplifying navigation, strengthening visual hierarchy, and surfacing more contextual transaction information throughout the experience.
01
Clearer balance hierarchy
Balances became easier to distinguish through improved grouping, spacing, and visual separation.
02
More contextual activity flows
Transaction details, merchant information, and payment states were surfaced earlier to reduce uncertainty before actions.
03
Simplified navigation patterns
Important actions became easier to locate through clearer layout structure and more predictable workflow organization.
Lessons
Designing for clarity, confidence, and everyday financial workflows
This project reinforced how strongly financial confidence is shaped by interface clarity rather than financial complexity itself. Throughout the redesign, I explored how hierarchy, spacing, and contextual feedback could reduce uncertainty during everyday financial tasks. One of the biggest learnings was recognizing how small interface decisions — such as grouping, transaction context, and action placement — significantly influenced how users interpreted information and navigated the product.
Key outcomes
Clearer hierarchy
Improved separation between balances, transactions, and supporting details.
Faster dashboard scanning
Reduced visual competition across key financial workflows and actions.
More contextual activity
Introduced transaction states, merchant context, and clearer activity flows.
Scalable design system
Created reusable dashboard patterns and modular workflow structures.
