Pitchpad Pro

An app that puts your brand, products and services at your fingertips

Pitchpad Pro — Desert Sun Tanning

Role: Lead UX/UI Designer (Divvy Digital)
Team: Researchers, Engineers, Product Managers, and Designers

Overview

As part of my work with Divvy Digital, I contributed to the next phase of development for Pitchpad Pro, a sales application that had recently launched. Leadership identified an opportunity to extend the platform by enhancing its digital signage capabilities to better support sales associates and address common challenges in-store.

Goal

Integrate hardware and software to create a seamless in-store experience by:

  • Connecting the Divvy Digital System MiniPC to each store’s TV.

  • Integrating MiniPC services, subscription details, product data, and other key sales information directly into the Pitchpad Pro app.

My Role

I led the user experience and interface design for both the client (Desert Sun Tanning) and their retail customers. Working alongside another designer, I collaborated with a cross-functional in-house team that included researchers, engineers, and product managers.

Process & Focus

Because our team had already solved the core UX challenges related to IoT connectivity, the next phase focused on designing a feature that empowered store staff in real-time sales situations.
This involved:

  • Mapping user journeys to identify where digital signage could reduce friction in the sales process.

  • Creating interface flows for product and subscription visibility.

  • Ensuring a consistent experience across in-store hardware, mobile devices, and customer-facing screens.

Outcome

The new feature provided a scalable way for sales associates to manage promotions, display product information, and enhance the customer experience — all from within Pitchpad Pro.

More about Divvy Digital services here and Desert Sun Tanning here.

Pitchpad Pro app can be downloaded here.

Exploration

Competitor Analysis

At the time, there were very few sales assistant apps or comparable systems available on the market.

We analyzed four relevant applications — Vagaro, Epos Now, OctopusPro, and Sappsuma.

  • Three were available on both iOS and Android, while one was exclusive to Android.

  • The average store rating across these apps was 4.0+ stars.

  • Most offered third-party integrations (e.g., Google Apps, Mailchimp, PayPal, and booking platforms).

  • Data was typically visualized by day, week, or month to support performance tracking.

I looked at the following competitors and popular fitness apps to see how they focused on goals.

Staff and Customer Management

  • Booking system
  • Product inventory system
  • Payment gateway

Products Section

  • Filtering system
  • Dynamic products
  • Check-out cart

B2C Engagement

  • New customer specials
  • Package deals
  • Annual monthly sessions

Business Case & Key Takeaways

  • Membership signs up
  • Increased engagement
  • Brand awareness

Findings from competitor analysis, combined with desk research revealed topics that needed further exploration through user surveys.

Surveys

Diving Deeper

I asked a few managers and employees from different locations “How do you feel about having a sales tool tailored specifically for your business needs?”

The answers revolved around three things –

  • Goals
  • Knowledge
  • User experience

Key Takeaways

The survey suggests that people need a tool not only help them close sales, but to help train and educate their internal team and customers. The app addresses the user’s need of knowledge and user ease of use by the following features –

  • Memberships overview
  • Packages
  • Location specific specials
  • FAQ’s
  • Products

After the heuristic analysis and survey I knew I wanted to bring goals to the forefront of the app and incorporate it throughout the user’s experience so the client and their customers both reach their goals.

8

survey participants

30+

average user age

15

minute survey duration

Affinity Mapping Session

We analyzed the data gathered through our user surveys together in a 3h long session

Affinity mapping helped to determine various users for this tool:

  • Desert Sun Tanning employees
  • All level tanners
3 personas were created based on this results

Personas

Based on the interviews and affinity mapping we defined 3 personas.

  •  Tanning experts
    • Over 15+ years of tanning experience
    • Knows industry and audience very well
    • Preoccupied with training new employees
    • Competitive marketing edge
  • New to Tanning
    • Identifies with busy lifestyle
    • Struggles with seasonal depression
    • Tans during the summer, but isn’t sure about a salon
    • Thinks tanning will give him a skin condition

Ideation Sessions

Ideation Session Takeaways

We defined two types of features based on our personas to support their business needs and challenges they faced daily:

1) Features facilitating behavior

  • Personalized location specials and services
  • Advanced products finder

2) Features reinforcing behavior

  • Membership specials
  • Social media engagement

Wireframes & UI

Ideation Session Takeaways

We defined two types of features based on our personas to support their business needs and challenges they faced daily:

1) Features facilitating behavior

  • Personalized location specials and services
  • Advanced products finder

2) Features reinforcing behavior

  • Membership specials
  • Social media engagement

I designed 3 key screens to support tailored goal feature:

  1. Tailored products filtering systems
  2. Product details page
  3. Location (GPS enabled) equipment availability

Takeaways From This Project

  • Findings from the research phase can sometimes be difficult to share across the team no matter the team size (in this case it was a small team); this results in confusion and “wasted” time.
  • It is crucial to find an effective ways to deliver and present results to everyone involved in the project.
  • During the design phase it is important to include stakeholders & hardware engineers as early as possible to validate the feasibility of design.