Forex brokerage
Banking
FinTech

Finding the right account before the customer says hello.

I redesigned CWG Markets’ internal CRM so global sales reps spend their time talking to clients, not hunting through menus.

The story behind the project

What happens when the answer is in the CRM… but you can’t find it?

Picture a sales rep on a live call with a client. The client is waiting. The rep is clicking through menus looking for the account, the last interaction and the open deal.

01
Where is Contacts?

Core areas like Deals, Contacts, Activities and Reports were hard to find.
02
Why so many clicks?

Creating a deal or adding a contact took more steps than it should, with little guidance.
03
I’ll use my spreadsheet

Frustrated teams dropped the tool from month to month, which hurt adoption.

“Before the redesign, our reps were spending the first 10 minutes of every call just hunting for the right account. The new CRM gets them to the information they need before the customer even says hello.”

Michael R., Head of Revenue Operations, CWG

Overview

One workspace for leads, clients and pipeline.

The CWG CRM is the internal sales platform used by thousands of reps across multiple regions to manage leads, track client interactions and monitor deals. At that scale it had to be fast, intuitive and ready to grow.

My goal: help reps find what they need, faster, and make the tool something they choose to use.

The problem

Why reps struggled with the CRM.

01
Confusing navigation

35% of users struggled to find core features, which slowed every workflow.
02
Buried information

Key customer data and sales insights sat several screens deep.
03
Too many steps

Common tasks needed extra clicks and offered little guidance.
04
Low retention

Many teams stopped using the platform, put off by a frustrating experience.

Process

How I approached the redesign.

I started with how sales teams actually work and where they get stuck, then moved from structure to interface to testing.

01
Research and discovery

User interviews, workflow analysis, competitor research and feature usage analytics to trace the causes of low adoption.
02
Define the problems

Grouped findings into four themes: navigation, buried data, extra steps and retention.
03
Information architecture

Simplified navigation, a clear hierarchy, optimised user flows and organised customer data.
04
Wireframes and prototypes

Low-fidelity wireframes first, then high-fidelity UI and interactive prototypes refined through feedback.
05
Design system

A reusable component library, grid and spacing system so every screen behaves the same way.
06
Testing and handoff

Usability testing, design iterations, developer handoff and post-launch monitoring.

The solution

Four changes that removed the friction.

01
Clear navigation

Reorganised the architecture so Dashboard, Deals, Contacts, Activities and Reports are always one click away.
02
Simplified workflows

Cut unnecessary steps from creating deals, adding contacts and updating records.
03
Guided onboarding

A guided setup that helps new users configure their workspace and be productive from session one.
04
Better visibility

Frequently used tools and customer insights now sit on the dashboard, not behind menus.

Visual design

Clarity, efficiency and trust.

Red marks key actions against white backgrounds, light grey surfaces and charcoal text, with subtle blue for interactive elements. It looks professional while keeping a distinct CWG identity.

A clean sans-serif stays readable across dashboards, reports and mobile. One grid, one component library and consistent interaction patterns mean users learn the system once and trust it everywhere, and developers can build it without ambiguity.

Results & outcomes

A streamlined daily tool.

Clearer navigation, simpler tasks and better visibility lifted adoption, satisfaction and retention.

+40%

Team adoption

Guided onboarding and better usability drew more teams onto the platform.

48%

Faster navigation

Reps reached Deals, Contacts, Activities and Reports much faster.

+55%

User satisfaction

Post-launch testing rated the CRM 4.8/5, up from 3.1/5.

72%

Monthly retention

More teams kept using the CRM month after month.

Conclusion

Right information, right moment.

By putting the right information in front of reps at the right moment, the redesign turned a complex platform into one people actually want to open every morning.