Crux Research Platform
In this project case study, I will be sharing my experience designing an AI-powered user research platform tailored for small design teams. During my internship, I observed how much time UX researchers spent on manual tagging and insight synthesis using tools like Dovetail.
I identified a clear opportunity to design a solution that could accelerate these workflows through intelligent automation. The goal was to create a streamlined alternative to complex enterprise tools, focusing on speed and simplicity while maintaining professional-grade research capabilities.
Client
Portfolio Project
Type
Product Design
Year
2025
Process
Streamlining Research for Small Teams During my internship, I witnessed firsthand how enterprise research tools created unnecessary friction for smaller teams. Researchers spent hours manually tagging interviews and synthesizing insights that could be automated. I designed Crux to solve this specific pain point, creating an intuitive tagging system and automated insight generation that could deliver actionable findings in minutes, not hours.
Building AI-Powered Insight Discovery Working with the concept of intelligent research assistance, I designed features that automatically identify patterns in user feedback and suggest key themes. The AI categorizes responses, highlights contradictions, and surfaces unexpected insights that researchers might miss in manual analysis.
Designing for Rapid Iteration I created a workflow that allows researchers to go from raw interview data to shareable insights in under 30 minutes. The interface prioritizes speed without sacrificing depth, using smart templates and one-click report generation to eliminate repetitive tasks that slow down research cycles.
Outcome
The final design includes an AI-powered insight engine, streamlined tagging workflow, and rapid report generation system specifically optimized for small design teams.
This concept demonstrates how enterprise research tools can be reimagined for speed and simplicity, while the AI integration showcases modern approaches to handling qualitative data at scale.
The project strengthened my understanding of research workflows and highlighted opportunities to use AI for enhancing human decision-making rather than replacing it.
