Provn
Designing a product authentication app to fight the counterfeit culture in Africa, from concept to prototype.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Team
Industry
Retail
Duration
1 month
A Zero-to-One Accounting Tool for Small Businesses
Accounting software is either too complex, too expensive, or just not built for small businesses. Many small business owners default to Excel because existing tools feel overwhelming and filled with features they don’t actually need.
That’s where Countab comes in - a tool designed from the ground up to streamline accounting for small businesses.
I led the end-to-end product design, from user research and product strategy to UX/UI design, prototyping, and usability testing. The goal? Make financial management stupid simple - without the bloat.
The Problem: Why Small Business Owners Struggle with Accounting
While there are plenty of accounting tools on the market, they mostly cater to larger businesses with dedicated accountants.
50% of small businesses still rely on spreadsheets for accounting.
Manual data entry wastes an average of 5-10 hours per week per small business owner.
Most small businesses don’t have the budget for enterprise-grade accounting tools.
What’s wrong with existing solutions?
Too much clutter - Entry-level accountants and business owners get overwhelmed by excessive features.
Steep learning curve - Most tools assume users already know accounting.
Inefficient workflows - Manually entering transactions is time-consuming.
Lack of personalization - Business owners only need a handful of key features, but existing tools force them into unnecessary complexity.
Understanding What Small Business Owners Actually Need
I conducted two research rounds - 5 exploratory interviews with accountants and finance professionals, and 4 interviews with small business owners managing their own accounting—to uncover user frustrations and opportunities.
Takeaways:
There’s a massive gap in the market. Most accounting tools are either too complex for small businesses or too basic to be useful.
Manual entry is not favored. Accountants and business owners alike want automated workflows.
Smaller businesses don’t need enterprise grade tools. A leaner, widget-based system would work better.
The Solution: A Simple, Tailored Accounting Platform
Instead of building just another accounting tool, we focused on the core pain points that really mattered to small businesses:
Key Features:
Automated Entry - Eliminates manual transaction logging by auto-categorizing financial data.
Customizable Dashboard - Users tailor their view with balance tracking, invoices, cash flow projections, and more.
Smart Invoicing - One-click payment reconciliation for seamless invoice management.
Instead of a bloated, one-size-fits-all platform, Countab lets users customize their experience, making accounting feel effortless.
Designing Countab from the Ground Up
Since Countab was a zero-to-one product, the brand, UX, and feature set had to be built from scratch. I focused on three key design principles:
Clarity - Minimal clutter, only the insights that matter.
Efficiency - Reduce manual work, automate where possible.
Flexibility - A modular dashboard that adapts to different user needs.
A trustworthy yet lightweight branding concept with a modular UX/UI system for scalability, featuring a dashboard flow optimized for quick glance insights to streamline accounting.
Collaboration
I collaborated closely with four UX designers, product management consultants, and UX consultants to bring Countab to life.
We held regular design critiques and collaboration sessions to refine our approach, especially in the low fidelity stage.
Testing & Iteration: Refining the Experience
Usability Testing & Optimizations
5 participants (small business owners & accountants)
3 core financial flows tested (transaction management, invoicing, financial insights)
Measured task success rate, friction points, and overall usability
Key Fixes & Optimizations
Simplified Navigation – Moved key insights upfront so users don’t need to dig for them
Refined Widget Terminology – Changed “Library” to “Widgets” for better clarity
Optimized Form Flows – Reduced steps in invoicing and data entry, making it 40% faster
Improved Dashboard Structure – Made financial insights more glanceable to reduce cognitive load
