DE FIORI
From 'I hate this system' to 'Can we show other salons?
Agency
Studio
Role
Framer Pro Expert
Timeline
8 weeks
team
2 Enginners, 1 PM, me
platform
Web
The Real Problem
Therapists at Meridian Health were documenting 3-5 client sessions daily. Each one meant clicking through 12 different screens, re-entering the same information multiple times, and hoping nothing crashed before they finished. People were losing work, getting disoriented, and spending 15-20 minutes per note when they had clients waiting.
But here's what made it worse: the interface gave no indication of progress. Therapists would finish what felt like the last screen, only to discover three more hidden steps. The 'back' button sometimes saved your work and sometimes didn't. There was no auto-save, so one accidental click could erase 15 minutes of careful documentation.
The feedback we got was pointed:
'I genuinely don't know if I'm done or if there are more screens hiding somewhere.'
'I've lost the same note three times this week.'
'Why am I entering the session date in four different places?'
The underlying issue wasn't just bad UI—it was that nobody had ever looked at the complete journey. Each screen had been built separately over time, and they'd never been stitched into a coherent experience.
What Actually Happened
I wireframed the new flow and tested it with our internal clinical expert and customer success team (who talked to therapists daily). That's where I caught my mistakes.
For example: I'd grouped 'treatment goals' and 'session interventions' together because they seemed related. But therapists think about them at totally different points—goals get reviewed before the session, interventions get documented after. Keeping them separate made more sense.
The auto-save design also evolved. My first version showed a brief 'Saved' notification that disappeared quickly. Beta testers said they didn't notice it and still felt anxious. I changed it to a persistent 'Last saved [time]' indicator that updated live. Small tweak, massive difference in confidence.
We shipped to a small beta group first. The response was immediate—therapists noticed the progress bar and auto-save within minutes. We adjusted some section labels based on feedback, then rolled it out to everyone.