Designing an AI workflow automation product to streamline tasks for customers
Company
Upsales
Role
Product Designer
Platform
Web · Mobile
Team
1 tech lead · 3 devs
Customers were spending hours on meeting prep, prospect research, and other routine tasks. As the product designer, I worked with a tech lead and three developers to design an AI workflow automation product with three tiers of complexity, from ready-to-use agents to a full custom builder, that shipped across web and mobile.
Approach
This project came from a strategic push by stakeholders to bring AI-driven automation into Upsales CRM. One identified opportunity was using LLMs to run workflows in the background, handling tasks that would otherwise take up time better spent on selling. Inside the product, these were called AI agents.
Process
We didn't start from scratch. The underlying product was brought in externally, and the work was to make it feel native to Upsales, applying the design system and brand guidelines so the experience felt like it belonged in the platform.
My work spanned three areas: designing how prebuilt agents would be presented, working out the UI elements for activating agents within existing CRM pages like appointments and companies, and the builder workspace.
For the builder, I designed the full flow from the home page entry point through to creating a workflow. The workspace itself is built around nodes, some of which were already defined by the external product, so the design work had to fit within those existing structures.
Challenges
One early challenge was figuring out how users would discover and access prebuilt agents. I designed an initial concept around a dedicated agent gallery, with a preview and detail page for each agent, but it was scrapped fairly quickly. We later realized the prebuilt agents could live within an existing page where users already purchase add-on products, grouped under their own tab. This avoided building new infrastructure and put the agents somewhere users were already familiar with.
What we shipped
Prebuilt agents
Ready to go from day one
Prebuilt agents handle common tasks out of the box, like preparing for meetings and researching prospects.
Builder workspace
Build any workflow from scratch
The builder workspace lets technical teams design agents node by node, defining exactly when they run, what data they use, and what actions they take. It's the most flexible tier, built for workflows that don't fit a template.
Custom agents
Hands-off setup for unique business processes
Custom agents are built together with the professional services team, tailored to a customer's specific operations. It's the middle ground: more specialized than prebuilt agents, without requiring the customer to configure anything themselves.
Outcome
The product launched across web and mobile, giving customers a way to automate routine work without leaving the CRM. The tiered structure meant teams could start with a prebuilt agent and move into more advanced setups as their needs grew.
- Owned user flows, visual design, labeling, and microcopy end to end
- Integrated an external product into the Upsales design system and brand
- Designed the builder workspace from entry point through to workflow creation
- Worked closely with a tech lead and three developers throughout