Promptlys

Promptlys

Promptlys

Re-designed a prompt-sharing social platform transform their website into a responsive, user-friendly experience.

+80%

Usability Satisfaction

+80%

Usability Satisfaction

+3,423

Beta Sign-Ups after Research

+3,423

Beta Sign-Ups after Research

+58.6%

Month over Month Users

+58.6%

Month over Month Users

Background

Background

Promptlys is a prompt-sharing social platform that helps people ask better questions and exchange their insights through the power of community.

Role

I was the sole designer of this product, from user research and product strategy to UX/UI design, prototyping, and usability testing. I collaborated closely with the lead developer/ PM to take this product from 0 -> 1.

The primary challenge was determining whether prompt framing—a skill crucial for generative AI interactions—could be effectively solved through community, via a prompt sharing platform.

Our goal was to validate this hypothesis before committing to a full-scale MVP.

Before

After

The Problem

Users struggle to create effective AI prompts, leading to:

  • Users find it challenging to create prompts that get the desired results.

  • Poorly constructed prompts lead to wasted time and money.

  • Improper prompt etiquette limits AI tool interactions.

Through research, we sought to answer:

  1. Does a social platform help users improve prompt writing?

  2. If so, what core features are necessary for engagement and knowledge-sharing?

  3. How should we design an intuitive and scalable solution?

What New Ideas are In This Space?

Understanding Businesses Need

Different platforms tackle prompt-sharing in their own way:

  • Some have huge prompt libraries, but the retention is a hit or a miss.

  • Others pack in tons of features, but users often find them overwhelming or unnecessary.

  • Platforms with user profiles focus more on sharing content than actually building trust or collaboration between users.

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.

After Speaking to Generative AI Users

Understanding Businesses Need

I conducted two rounds of research—6 exploratory interviews, split between 3 free ChatGPT users and 3 paid ChatGPT users—to uncover user frustrations and opportunities in prompt writing.

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.

❗️ Core Challenges

After speaking to interviewers and conducting market and competitive analysis, I have found that:

  • There is a pattern of people wanting to become better at using generative AI.

  • Experienced users displayed some dissatisfaction with the limitations of ChatGPT’s outputs.

  • There is a strong sense that credibility is an important value for people in this space.

  • The main target market for Promptlys would be people who like to lean on the community

The Solution

The Solution

Brainstorming

With the trinity of goals in mind, I started brainstorming on the product side, far and wide and across different industries, using mind maps, successes from platforms in other industries, to expose different questions that could be asked by a product designer and product manager. Before the brainstorm, our problem space led to some important questions to ask:

  • How might we educate people about the possibility of improving prompts?

  • How might we build trust in this space?

  • How might we foster community for those who need it?

  • How might we create space for users to monetize?

  • How might we define user vs. development problems?

Prioritization

Through brainstorming, feature ranking, and card sorting, we identified four key flows:

The message of Promptlys is to become more efficient together. To communicate this, the brand values needed to be knowledge, playfulness, simplicity, and friendliness. I explored several branding sketches to represent this journey. After that, I came up with a rounded logo that represents a pen written into a lowercase P, using a playful way to convey the message.We held regular design critiques and collaboration sessions to refine our approach, especially in the low fidelity stage.

The Re-Design

After the prioritization of features, Promptly's needed a whole design overhaul.

Why an Overhaul?

The original platform had major usability issues that made it hard for users to understand what it was supposed to do. The navigation was confusing, key features weren’t clear, and the overall experience felt disconnected. I had to take a step back to really figure out its purpose before diving into the redesign. This overhaul was about stripping things down, refining the core experience, and making sure the platform actually worked for the people it was built for.

Current Usability Challenges

Branding and Visual Identity

Testing & Iteration

Testing & Iteration

To understand how users navigated Promptlys and where they got stuck, I ran a usability test with five participants across three core tasks. The goal was to catch friction points, measure success rates, and see how intuitive the platform felt.

What We Found

  • People liked the UI - it felt clean and modern.

  • Navigation was smooth for the most part.

  • Users needed better onboarding—some weren’t sure where to start.

  • Text-heavy sections felt overwhelming—collapsing certain areas would help.

  • The experience differed for logged-in vs. anonymous users—this needed clearer paths.

What We Fixed

  • Made the sidebar sticky for quick access

  • Added tags to different between GPT-3.5 vs. GPT-4 prompts.

  • Renamed “Collections” to “Saved Prompts” for clarity.

  • Made key sections collapsible to reduce visual overload.

  • Cleaned up redundant buttons for a sleeker experience.

These changes made finding, saving, and contributing prompts easier, reducing user friction and ensuring a more intuitive, engaging experience.

🚀 Results

🚀 Results

After the usability tests, we have seen these results as compared to users' current accounting software:

  • Reduced usability issues by 80% with improved design and functionality, as measured by user testing and feedback surveys

  • Increased beta sign-ups by 58.6% MOM with effective testing and marketing strategies, as shown by analytics and conversion rates

  • Secured a pitch deck interview with an accelerator with a compelling portfolio and presentation, as evidenced by positive feedback and follow-up emails

The Impact:
  • Increased task efficiency—users completed accounting tasks

  • 35% faster Higher engagement with automated workflows—reduced manual entry frustration

  • Positive feedback from small business users who appreciated the streamlined, no-nonsense approach


Countab wasn’t just another accounting tool - it was built for real small business owners who don’t have time for complexity.


By focusing on usability, automation, and personalization, we created a finance tool that works the way small business owners actually think - not the other way around.


Key Takeaways:

  • Data-driven design decisions are crucial; research prevents missteps.

  • As a new platform, testing early and often is vital to refine the product.

  • User preferences vary, so it’s important to let user feedback and data guide the design.

  • This project wasn't just about a redesign—it was about creating a product that aligns with user needs and business goals.

Alena You

Alena You

Alena You

Alena You