01
Small business owners needed a faster way to bill clients
Keap is an all-in-one CRM with payments, marketing, and sales automation for small businesses. Invoices are how users get paid, but they were spending too much time creating them manually, recreating similar invoices from scratch every single time.
The Problem
Every time users sent a recurring invoice, they rebuilt it from scratch, re-entering the same line items, descriptions, and branding by hand.
The Opportunity
Users repeatedly requested templates to save time on recurring billing. The challenge: streamline creation while keeping the flexibility to handle diverse billing scenarios.
As the sole product designer, I owned the end-to-end UX: research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and final handoff. The goal was to reduce invoice creation time by at least 75% while improving brand consistency.
The constraints I worked within
- 3-month timeline to ship an MVP
- Sole designer, with no existing template system to build on
- Must integrate with the existing invoice creation flow
- Support diverse billing scenarios: one-time, recurring, and retainer
- Maintain Keap's design-system consistency
- Non-technical SMB users who need simplicity above all
The pain was measurable
10–15 min
Wasted per invoice
Average time recreating similar invoices manually, every time
Top 5
Most requested
Invoice templates ranked among the top feature requests in user feedback
47%
Of feedback
Mentioned templates or duplication directly as a top priority
What users were saying
"I can't duplicate an invoice... I have to create an invoice from scratch and send it to another customer."
— Catherine R.
"There is no setting to change the invoice styling, and I want to customize the color on the invoice to match my brand."
— Julie W.
"I'm looking for an invoice template that can conveniently store all my products along with their respective prices."
— Michael D.
FintechInvoice TemplatesSMBCustomizationWorkflow
02
Understanding what users actually need
"How might we streamline invoice creation to enhance the user experience, aligning seamlessly with the company's strategic goals for efficiency and innovation?"
— Research question
6
User interviews
30-minute sessions with users and 3 partner interviews on invoicing workflows and customization needs
4
Competitors analyzed
QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave, and Zoho Invoice benchmarked on templates and customization
3
Core themes
Template reusability, brand customization, and automation emerged as the primary needs
Competitive analysis — QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave, and Zoho benchmarked on template, duplication, and automation support
Competitive analysis — key findings
- All major competitors support invoice duplication and template saving
- Multiple pre-built template themes are an industry standard
- Very few competitors offer automation capabilities with templates
Templates alone aren't enough — users need automation to truly save time.
— Key insight
User interviews — 6 users and 3 partner sessions synthesized into brand customization, swift duplication, product storage, and time savings
User interviews — key insights
- Customization priority: color, font, and layout to match brand identity
- Swift duplication: the ability to quickly duplicate existing invoices
- Product storage: store products along with their respective prices in templates
- Time savings: 47% of feedback named templates or duplication as the top priority
Defining success
User Goals
- Streamline invoice creation to minimize friction
- Save templates for fast creation of new invoices
- Customize styling to reflect brand identity
Business Goals
- Increase attach rate by reducing invoicing friction
- Grow Net TPV by at least 5% via better payment flows
- Drive adoption of invoice templates
- Improve net revenue retention through UX
75%
Faster creation
Target reduction in invoice creation time
5%+
Net TPV
Targeted increase in total payment volume
60%
Fewer errors
Targeted reduction in billing errors
03
Gallery vs list — explored two approaches
I explored multiple approaches to template management, focused on usability and tight integration with the existing invoice creation flow. Two concepts were developed and tested.
Design principles
01
Minimize friction
Every step should feel effortless — template creation shouldn't require learning new patterns.
02
Preserve flexibility
Templates should adapt to diverse billing scenarios without forcing rigid structures.
03
Build confidence
Previews, clear labels, and feedback should give users certainty at each step.
Version A
Gallery layout
A gallery-style interface showcasing diverse invoice templates with clear organization and visual previews.
Strengths
- Clear, organized interface
- Rich gallery of diverse templates
Limitations
- Inconsistent design patterns
- Unclear which templates are user-created vs default
- Missing crucial details such as price
Version B
Simplified list
A cleaner, list-based approach focused on essential information and quick actions with clear ownership.
Strengths
- Simpler design, easier to scan
- Clear template ownership indicators
- Streamlined information hierarchy
Limitations
- Less visual appeal than the gallery
- Reduced template preview visibility
Two concepts tested — the shipped design merges Version A's visual gallery with Version B's clear ownership and pricing
Iterations in motion
Iterated design solutions
Through iterative design and testing, I refined the solution to balance power and simplicity across three key workflows.
01
Duplicate an invoice or save it as a template
Users can quickly duplicate an existing invoice or save one as a reusable template, streamlining their workflow and cutting repetitive tasks.
- Duplication: quick access from the invoice actions menu, preserves all details and line items, and allows immediate editing before sending
- Template saving: save any invoice as a template with a custom name and description, then reuse it and build a library over time
02
Select, review, and edit a template
A streamlined interface lets users browse their library, preview templates before use, and make quick edits for a specific client.
- Browse: a visual gallery with clear names, descriptions, and quick search and filtering
- Preview & review: a full preview before use, showing all line items, pricing, and structure
- Edit: update template details, modify line items and pricing, or delete unused templates
03
Use a template to create a new invoice
With a template selected, users generate a new invoice by adding client information — line items, pricing, and settings are pre-filled.
- Quick creation: select a template to auto-populate fields with smart data inheritance and contextual suggestions
- Workflow benefits: 75% faster invoice creation, fewer data-entry errors, and consistent, professional output
04
Validated with 6 users — 5 key findings
I ran 1-hour interviews with 6 users to validate the design and uncover insights about their invoicing workflows.
01
Clear template selection and intuitive workflow
Users found the template selection interface clear and intuitive. The step-by-step process with visual previews made it easy to choose and use templates.
02
Effortless template creation and customization
The "Save as invoice template" modal was praised for its simplicity. Users easily provided template names and descriptions.
03
Template preview builds user confidence
Previewing the template increased confidence among users, helping them understand exactly what they would be creating before committing.
04
Streamlined invoice creation workflow
Users appreciated the logical flow from template selection to invoice creation. The interface maintained context and made the transition seamless.
05
Streamlining the post-template experience
The one gap to close: some testers expected to create an invoice right after saving a template, rather than being returned to the homepage — a refinement for the next iteration.
"I can finally build my template library over time. This is going to save me so much time every week."
— User testing session
Prototype — the validated flow
The final design integrates seamlessly into Keap's invoice flow, giving users powerful template capabilities while keeping the experience simple.
05
Impact & outcomes
The invoice template system launched successfully and delivered measurable improvements in both user efficiency and business outcomes.
Invoice creation
75%
Faster than building from scratch — the core user pain solved
Support tickets
42%
Reduction in billing-related support requests
Net TPV growth
8%
Growth driven by faster, more consistent invoicing
Template adoption
20%
Usage rate within the first three months of launch
Adoption
20% template usage rate within the first three months of launch.
User confidence
Eliminated repetitive data entry and reduced workflow friction.
Brand consistency
Enabled businesses to maintain professional standards across all invoices.
Efficiency
Recurring billing that once took 10–15 minutes now takes a fraction of the time.
What I'd explore next
01
Advanced brand customization
Global styling settings that let businesses define brand standards once — color palettes, typography systems, and logo placement — and apply them consistently across every template.
02
Intelligent automation & integration
Workflow integrations that automatically apply the right template based on client type, project category, or service offering, extending the system to connect quote-to-invoice flows.
03
Performance insights & validation
Tracking and analytics to measure adoption patterns, validate design decisions through longitudinal studies, and surface emerging market needs.
What I learned
Start with user problems, not solutions
A deep understanding of invoicing pain points led to better design decisions than jumping to features would have.
Iteration reveals clarity
Multiple design versions helped identify the optimal balance of power and simplicity.
FintechSMBWorkflow DesignTemplate SystemsCRM