TYPINGMIND
Rebuilt cloud management experience that improved 56% time on task, enhanced user confidence and satisfaction.
AI Productivity
SaaS
B2B
Year
2025
Duration
2 weeks
Team
3 developers
1 product expert
UX/UI designer (me)
Design system designer
Deliverables
Research
UX and UI design
Design system update
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Background
First, let me give you a little context and summary before we jump into the details.
@TypingMind is a modern AI workspace launched in 2023, built for seamless conversations with multiple advanced models through a single interface. Trusted by over 141,000 monthly active users—including teams at Fortune 500 companies—it’s highly customizable to support both individual use and team workflows.
The product was initially built without a design system. When I joined, the team had just started developing one, and it was still in its early stages. The CEO’s vision was to gradually enhance product quality by leveraging the new design system, with a strong focus on improving user experience.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The goals and the problems
One of its key features, Cloud Sync, enables users to securely store, back up, and effortlessly sync their data across devices.
“This cloud sync screen looks bad, doesn’t communicate well. The current design doesn’t reflect well the importance of how it should be” - CEO of TypingMind.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Results and impact
At the end, I redesigned the Cloud Sync interface and user flow, replacing the dense layout and unintuitive user flow with a structured, simple experience across web and mobile platform. These led to:
Improving workflow efficiency by 56%.
Enhanced user confidence with more intuitive guidance
Improved visibility of system status and actions
Cleaner interface with more consistent interaction
More precise and intuitive language for better communication.
HEY YOU MAKE IT ALL THE WAY HERE!
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CONTEXT
Users and constraints
Target audience
Individual users (mostly developers): actively manage data to avoid hitting storage limits.
Team users (org members): sync changes to back up work and manage shared data.
Constraints
Short timeline: 2 weeks for end-to-end redesign.
Tech limits: No support for multiple modals.
Research resources: Relied on lightweight methods due to limited resources.
PRIORITIZATION 1
Cloud Data Management
PROBLEMS - SOLUTION
Managing cloud data
A centralized space for users to manage cloud-related data and take action, now with a clearer, more consistent interface.
Users can now manage cloud data, like deleting items to resume syncing, without switching contexts or navigating back and forth.
With the updated free storage baseline, the upgrade action is now more subtle and purposeful - next to the storage bar and only highlighted when needed.
Storage details and warnings appear inline during deletion, using clear, concise messaging to help users make confident decisions and stay informed.
PROBLEMS - SOLUTION
Re-sync your data
Other than normal sync, sync options allow users perform custom sync actions such as selecting items to sync, or force a total re-sync.
Sync status is displayed to provide context.
Copywriting has been refined to clearly differentiate between the two actions.
Since re-syncing can take time, users are prompted with a confirmation before it begins.
Once confirmed, real-time progress is shown to keep users informed throughout the process.
Even if users close the modal, sync progress remains visible - offering reassurance and clarity, while they continue perform other actions.
PRIORITIZATION 2
Storage plans.
PROBLEMS - SOLUTION
Storage plans
And here is the new experience.
A subtle inline nudge offering an alternative when users are about to delete data, leveraging loss aversion and provides a clear exit path.
Storage plan introduction and options are revised with clearer and benefit lead content for better communication
A quick, clear view of the user’s subscription, showing plan status, renewal date, and payment details, paired with a follow-up “Resume Sync” action to support a seamless flow from upgrade to task completion.
MORE FLEXIBILITY
Mobile
For the mobile version, I focused on keeping the design clear for users while reducing extra work for engineers. Because of the limited width on mobile, I changed the tab bar items into a dropdown and turned table content into cards to improve readability and make navigation easier. The rest of the design stayed consistent to ensure a familiar experience for users and faster development for the team.
RESULTS
The feedback
With the new design and experience, time to delete synced items and resume the sync process reduced from 32 seconds to 14 seconds, showing a 56% improvement in workflow efficiency.
It also received positive feedback from users and the team:
“I like that I can keep chatting and still know my data is syncing in the background.”
“It looks better and the information is clearer!”
“I feel more confident before clearing my storage.”
“I think it’s easier to choose which plan fits me.”
RESULTS
Design system
The old version wasn’t built with a design system, but a new one had recently been created by a previous designer. I leveraged this system throughout the redesign to improve interface consistency and also expanded the library with new components to align with the updated direction.
LOOKING BACK
Thoughts
This redesign was handed off at this stage and was pending implementation by the engineering team as I transitioned to another project. If I had more time, here are the areas I would have explored further:
Deeper user insights
Conduct more rounds of user testing and set up a continuous feedback loop by monitoring community channels → This would help surface both usability issues and unmet needs, supporting more informed iterations.
Tracking conversion
Collaborate with the team to monitor free-to-paid conversions and analyze how interface changes influence user perception, decision-making, and upgrade behavior.
LOOKING BACK
Takeaways
To me, this experience is an exciting wild ride that I could learn so much from.
Collaboration through text and flows: I started using a habit of sharing ideas early through text and annotated user flows, which helped the team align faster. This approach made it easier to spot potential issues early on, reduced UI-level revisions, and sped up the workflow.
Knowing when to push, and when to let go: In this phase, the team leaned toward a direction I felt wasn’t the most optimal. However, given our resources and the impact on user experience, I chose not to push further. Instead, I aligned with the team to keep momentum, while noting this as an area to revisit based on future user feedback.
Constraints can spark creativity: Technical constraints are not roadblocks that stop progress, they pushed us to explore alternative paths. I learned that the best design isn’t always the most ideal, but the one that fits the team’s capabilities and timing.
Value of mentorship: Being a sole designer at a startup for the first time was a ball of excitement, ideas, and a bit of nervousness. I’m glad I made the decision to seek feedback and guidance from others in the field. I’m especially grateful to have Yvon Huang as my mentor. She supported me not just with her design expertise, which helped me grow faster, but also with empathy and steady encouragement throughout the journey. She showed me that mentorship isn’t just about answers, it’s about perspective, belief, and knowing someone has your back.
HEY YOU MAKE IT ALL THE WAY HERE!
