Will Peterson Design

Testing Edge Cases in a Multi-user Workflow

Product Designer for Flightpath, B2B SaaS Web App

Background

Behind every podcast ad is a complex production process involving multiple teams—scriptwriters, producers, ad ops, and brand stakeholders—all working across different tools and timelines. Coordinating this work efficiently is a major challenge, especially when delays or errors can affect campaign delivery.

To solve this, we designed a multistage creative workflow tailored to the unique needs of each user group. By mapping the process end to end and building adaptable tools for every stage, we transformed a chaotic, multi-team effort into a streamlined, intuitive system that saved time, reduced friction, and reinforced Flightpath’s value as a precision partner in podcast ad delivery.

Responsibilities: User Research, Experience and Interface Design, Quality Assurance Testing

Worked With: CEO, Chief Data Officer, CTO, Contract Developer

Primary Goal: Podcast networks have an all-in-one workflow to manage advertisement approval and upload.

Our clients praised the ad management feature for increasing their productivity and improving both internal and external relationships.

“Gone are the days of sending a file back and forth from person to person. Having one place where everyone works has been a game changer, and both our producers and our clients are much happier.”

-Client Feedback

A Note About This Case Study:

The case study follows the unique needs of three different user personas. The research and designs for these personas have been color coded.

The network ad ops persona is orange. The ad ops is our company's client and our primary stakeholder.

The podcast producer persona is purple. The podcast producer is an associate of our client, but has their own Flightpath account. They are a secondary stakeholder.

The ad buyer persona is blue. The ad buyer is our client's client, and thus a tertiary stakeholder.

Most of the artifacts in this case study are presented in a slideshow format, with each persona's artifact on each slide.

Initial Research and Defining the Scope

The research began with interviews to understand the needs of three key user groups: podcasters, network teams, and buyers. Affinity mapping yielded clear pain points for each group.

Early in the product’s lifecycle, the interviews uncovered a wide range of problems in the space. Refinement sessions with our CEO and CTO helped narrow the focus to a tight scope addressing the core issue.

Our solution centered on one key element: the ad audio. The goal was to streamline its journey from the producer’s hand-off to the podcast platform.

User Personas and Journeys

Because this was going to be a core feature of our platform, I took the time to interview operations specialists from as many of our clients as I could. We wanted to make sure that our final product would be flexible enough to address any team structure, while still making sure to prevent scope creep. The only way to strike this balance was by collecting as many data points and stories as possible.

In creating my user personas, I focused on three key areas: the user’s goals, the questions they need answered, and the tech limitations that could impact access and support. Being able to reference these details would be essential to successful product architecture.

User Experience Edge Case Testing

Given the unique nature of each client’s creative management workflow, we knew the system had to be airtight. I worked closely with our CTO to map out edge cases, aligning the user’s front-end journey with the backend ad audio workflow. Our priority was ensuring the audio was properly tagged and users received clear, timely instructions on next steps.

I’ve presented one such edge case below: Akshay, the buyer, has rejected the creative, meaning Lena needs to get Jessica to re-record and re-upload the audio.

Step #1: Akshay Notices a Problem
When listening to the creative, Akshay notices that the promo code for the preroll audio is for the wrong show. Akshay knows that this is probably just mixed-up audio, so he lets Lena know that there is no need for him to take a second listen after it’s fixed and that the order is otherwise ready to go.
Step #2: Lena Asks Jessica for the Correct Audio
Lena receives the feedback from Akshay but does not have the audio with the correct promo code that she can upload herself. Instead, she rejects the current creative and lets Jessica know that the promo code was wrong and that they needs to upload the correct audio.
Step #3: Jessica Uploads New Creative
Fortunately, this was just a case of the wrong file in the wrong spot, so Jessica didn’t have to get the talent back in the booth to record another ad. She finds the right file and uploads it to the ad wall.
Step #4: Lena Flights the Order
Once the new creative has come in, Lena gives everything one more listen before hitting the flight button and sending the creative off to the hosting platform to be attached to the order.
Step #1: Akshay Notices a Problem
When listening to the creative, Akshay notices that the promo code for the preroll audio is for the wrong show. Akshay knows that this is probably just mixed-up audio, so he lets Lena know that there is no need for him to take a second listen after it’s fixed and that the order is otherwise ready to go.
Step #2: Lena Asks Jessica for the Correct Audio
Lena receives the feedback from Akshay but does not have the audio with the correct promo code that she can upload herself. Instead, she rejects the current creative and lets Jessica know that the promo code was wrong and that they needs to upload the correct audio.
Step #3: Jessica Uploads New Creative
Fortunately, this was just a case of the wrong file in the wrong spot, so Jessica didn’t have to get the talent back in the booth to record another ad. She finds the right file and uploads it to the ad wall.
Step #4: Lena Flights the Order
Once the new creative has come in, Lena gives everything one more listen before hitting the flight button and sending the creative off to the hosting platform to be attached to the order.
Step #1: Akshay Notices a Problem
When listening to the creative, Akshay notices that the promo code for the preroll audio is for the wrong show. Akshay knows that this is probably just mixed-up audio, so he lets Lena know that there is no need for him to take a second listen after it’s fixed and that the order is otherwise ready to go.
Step #2: Lena Asks Jessica for the Correct Audio
Lena receives the feedback from Akshay but does not have the audio with the correct promo code that she can upload herself. Instead, she rejects the current creative and lets Jessica know that the promo code was wrong and that they needs to upload the correct audio.
Step #3: Jessica Uploads New Creative
Fortunately, this was just a case of the wrong file in the wrong spot, so Jessica didn’t have to get the talent back in the booth to record another ad. She finds the right file and uploads it to the ad wall.
Step #4: Lena Flights the Order
Once the new creative has come in, Lena gives everything one more listen before hitting the flight button and sending the creative off to the hosting platform to be attached to the order.
Step #1: Akshay Notices a Problem
When listening to the creative, Akshay notices that the promo code for the preroll audio is for the wrong show. Akshay knows that this is probably just mixed-up audio, so he lets Lena know that there is no need for him to take a second listen after it’s fixed and that the order is otherwise ready to go.
Step #2: Lena Asks Jessica for the Correct Audio
Lena receives the feedback from Akshay but does not have the audio with the correct promo code that she can upload herself. Instead, she rejects the current creative and lets Jessica know that the promo code was wrong and that they needs to upload the correct audio.
Step #3: Jessica Uploads New Creative
Fortunately, this was just a case of the wrong file in the wrong spot, so Jessica didn’t have to get the talent back in the booth to record another ad. She finds the right file and uploads it to the ad wall.
Step #4: Lena Flights the Order
Once the new creative has come in, Lena gives everything one more listen before hitting the flight button and sending the creative off to the hosting platform to be attached to the order.

Final Designs - Ad Ops

Ad Ops Dashboard

Ad Ops Ad Modal

Final Designs - Producer

Producer Dashboard

Producer Ad Modal

Final Designs - Client

Client Email Notification

Client Approval Page (No Login Required)

Client Approval Page

(No Login Required)

Results

The creative multistage workflow has been fully adopted by three clients, with two more using it across select teams. While the core system delivered meaningful improvements to production efficiency and coordination, adoption was limited by two missing features: a built-in brand approval step and support for order-level talking points. These gaps created friction for teams that rely on brand-side feedback, forcing them to revert to manual workarounds like downloading and emailing audio.

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of launching with all mission-critical workflows in place. While the system itself was well received and clearly met a core need, the absence of a few key features hindered full integration for many users. Still, the adoption we’ve seen demonstrates the value of designing for flexibility and modularity—and gives us a clear path forward for future iterations.

Portfolio

About

Portfolio

About

Portfolio

About