Helping Xero simplify admin tasks for sole traders, using design sprints, user insights, and prototyping to drive results.
Role
Design team lead
(5-person squad)
Timing
3 weeks
Impact
Green light on next round funding
Mission
Create an undeniable narrative that secures board sign-off for extra funding
Constraints
- Unmovable board presentation deadline
- Nuanced AU / UK / US market considerations
- Limited access to technical feasibility assessment
Key calls
- The process to undertake
- The structure of the narrative
- The key concepts to put forward
The situation
Xero’s clear goal was to eliminate admin headaches for sole traders. The vision was strong, but the product team needed a fresh perspective to elevate the user experience and secure board approval.
The stakes
Xero has a strong market position for small/medium/large enterprises. But as its product and service offerings matured to serve this market, they had moved away from the sole trader space.
This leaves open a 42.2m Global TAM opportunity and an entry point for challengers to enter and grow the same path they did.
Our role
Refocus that vision, align stakeholders, and drive the product toward something truly user-centric.
Framing the challenge
How do we build tools that free sole traders from admin overload, letting them focus on what matters — their business?
The approach
We placed desirability at the heart of the process, with feasibility and viability as close secondary considerations. Our adapted design sprint injected creative thinking into the project, while ensuring we delivered actionable insights to Xero’s leadership.
Our solutions
Status scores
We developed a status score and points system that provided actionable value, guiding users to the areas of the platform that required their attention and enhancing their overall experience.
Fast purchase classification
To speed up tedious but necessary tasks, we introduced a fast classification method leveraging the ‘Tinder-swipe’ interaction pattern. This allowed users to sort through purchases quickly, turning a typically time-consuming process into something fast and intuitive.
"I really like the main benefits of the accounting tool mentioned here. They really resonate with freelancers/traders, who are mainly looking use something intuitive, save time and concentrate on their business."sole trader, AU - lab participant
The wildcard idea
We introduced a bold wildcard — a financial services marketplace integrated directly into the app. This created a seamless bridge between the platform’s functionality and external financial help, providing users instant access to needed services.
Process breakdowns
Lightning-fast discovery
In the process of defining the problem it was clear that the solution couldn’t just be another admin tool — it needed to be a platform that empowered users to focus on their real goals. The product had to be reframed as a tool to help them achieve broader ambitions — this notion set the stage for targeted ideation.
What we learned in testing
Core insight
Admin tools won’t win over people who hate admin
Instead, the tools need to be positioned as enablers of broader ambitions.
Market differentiators
UK — Compliance anxiety was the primary pain point, far outweighing the desire for “freedom”
Australia / US — Users valued freedom above all else; admin was simply a hurdle to clear
Key takeaways
Position the product as a catalyst for achieving personal and professional goals. Build a system of tools and content that mobilise users toward self-actualisation.
The cutting room floor
We sketched several ways to visualise status scores, including a Tamagotchi-style cast of “finance guardians,” each responsible for a slice of the business. It was an attempt to replicate a team you could utilise. Usability tests killed the idea in one round—owners don’t want their cash flow turned into cartoon pets. Clear takeaway: Business is never a game, regardless of size.
Building the narrative
We wrapped it all up with a 12-month user journey, showing how Xero’s tools could free sole traders from the grind of admin. In the end, we delivered prototypes and a strategy that armed Xero’s leadership to move forward. This wasn’t just another admin tool — it was a platform for success.
What I’d change next time
I would have initiated this with a two-day value-proposition sprint: surface the core job, craft the one-line promise, then let the revealed gaps steer ideation. We had this the other way around, seeking to demonstrate a hypothetical future, prove this was real and then tell that story.
- Lead with a “why‑buy” story sprint, not a feature sprint.
Nail the value proposition in 48 hours. This becomes the north‑star filter for the ideas that follow. - Translate proposition gaps straight into an opportunity backlog.
Score where Xero falls short, and prototype only what closes the gaps. So we have sharper concepts instead of as hopeful wildcards. - Lock a board‑ready narrative and metric from day one.
Draft the slide deck and set the north star while prototypes are still rough. By the time insights land, we have a grounded, evidence‑backed pitch.
Team composition
Our team
- Experience design lead
- Visual designer
- UX designer
- Strategist / researcher
Xero’s team
- Product marketing lead
- Product lead
- User researcher
My contributions
- Developed the project plan and led its execution
- Facilitated workshops and cross-functional collaboration
- Coordinated activities between teams
- Contributed concepts and provided design critique
- Crafted the narrative that linked user needs with product vision