About

The Bridgeman Images CRM is a vital tool for managing client relationships, sales workflows, and analytics across global teams. Over two decades, it evolved into a complex system that required a complete overhaul to better serve its users.

Business challenges

The outdated CRM was cluttered, inefficient, and difficult to navigate, causing significant workflow bottlenecks. Key tasks like managing clients, tracking analytics, and generating reports were time-consuming and prone to errors.

Year:

2023-2024

Client:

Bridgeman Images

UX/UI

Product Design

The problem

The Bridgeman Images CRM was a product of its time—built over two decades with features layered on top of each other as needs arose. The result? An interface that looked and felt outdated, with cluttered views, inconsistent navigation, and unclear workflows.

Sales teams struggled to find critical client and contact information buried beneath unnecessary tabs and complex forms. Heatmaps showed users clicking aimlessly to locate data, while tasks like tracking downloads, generating reports, or simply managing clients felt unnecessarily manual and time-consuming.

It was clear: the system needed a modern overhaul to improve usability, reduce inefficiencies, and give sales teams the tools they needed to succeed.

Discovery

Learning from the people who use it

I joined the project with a solid foundation already in place—a detailed product spec provided by the Head of Product, housed in Basecamp. This gave me a comprehensive starting point to understand the existing system's scope, features, and known challenges.

To dig deeper into user pain points and workflows, I conducted in-person interviews with the London sales team and remote sessions with colleagues in France and Germany. These were supplemented by contextual inquiries, where I shadowed sales managers as they navigated the CRM.

💡 Here’s what I found:

The UI was cluttered and overwhelming. Users spent too much time searching for critical client and contact information.
Workflows were disjointed. Essential tasks like tracking downloads and generating reports required switching between tools and relying on spreadsheets.
Data quality was inconsistent. Duplicate client records and incomplete data were common, with no inline validation to prevent errors.

Define & Ideate

Designing and iterating

I focused on validating key ideas early to ensure the redesign addressed real user pain points. I ran prototype tests with account managers to evaluate clarity, real-time feedback, and feed management tools. Insights from these sessions guided every iteration.

In the early design phase, I explored multiple approaches to simplify feed creation. I tested layouts that reduced steps, added real-time asset previews, and streamlined rule-building. Each iteration brought me closer to a more intuitive and efficient workflow, validated directly by user feedback.

Design

Design Highlights

All the essentials at a glance: clear client status, digestible analytics, and quick access to projects, contacts, and key actions.

Powerful subscription management built for flexibility—handle trial packs, monthly plans, and more with ease.

Instantly pull up client information in a clean, focused modal without diving into the system’s complexity.

A simple, focused dashboard highlighting key metrics and recent activity to keep teams on track.

The details

Design system

The redesign is powered by a robust design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency. Built with flexible component slots, it allows for quick iterations and seamless customization to accommodate evolving needs. Designed with developers in mind, the system integrates clean, modular components, making implementation smooth and accelerating build time.

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Final thoughts

Redesigning Bridgeman Images' internal CRM was about more than just modernizing an outdated system—it was about empowering the sales team with tools that truly work for them. By streamlining workflows, improving data accessibility, and introducing a robust design system, the redesign lays the foundation for a more intuitive, efficient, and reliable experience.

With a clear focus on user needs and scalability, this project sets the stage for a CRM that not only solves today’s challenges but evolves to meet tomorrow’s demands.