Create Customer Segments for Personalized Advertisements.
Marketing Platform | AI-powered| End-to-End
Duration
March - May 2024,
3 months.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
2 Designers, 1 Marketing Specialist, 1 Product Owner, Engineers.
Status
Launched 🚀
Overview
Background
Problem
Users struggled because AI-generated content was too generic and didn’t align with their specific audience which reduces overall campaign effectiveness.
Solution
Designed and launched a segmentation feature that allows marketers to define and manage audience segments on the platform.
This will enable the generation of personalized ads that maximize campaign effectiveness
Core Experience
Impacts
300+
New users in a month
76%
Increase in return visits
$2.4M
Raised funding
Research
User Research
How do users create and apply segments when planning and launching marketing campaigns?
Sent 150+ E-mails to reach out
Received 30+ Screener Surveys
Conducted 8 Interviews
key Insights
😰 ⌛
Painpoint #1 Manual Segmentation is Time-Consuming
Many marketers currently build customer segments manually using spreadsheets or CRM filters. This process is repetitive and time-comsuming.
😵💫 👬
Painpoint #2 Behavioral Data is Underutilized
While demographic data (like age or location) is commonly used, many marketers struggle to effectively use behavioral data (e.g., purchase frequency, site interactions).
😖 📊
Painpoint #3 Lack of Real-Time Updating
Segments are often static—once created, they are rarely updated dynamically. Marketers expressed a need for segments that reflect the latest customer behaviors in real time.
Competitive Analysis
There are opportunities for us to bridge the gap between complexity and usability for small-mid size business.
CDPs offer powerful segmentation features but it too complex for marketers.
Marketing platforms provide easy-to-use segmentation but focused mainly on limited channels.
CRMs store detailed customer profiles but generally do not capture behavioral data.
Design Challenge
How might we help marketers at small to mid-sized businesses easily create and maintain customer segments based on behavioral data?
Design
Ideation
I led a ideation workshop with a designer, a product owner, and a marketing specialist to explore a wide range of solutions. Using methods like sticky-note brainstorming and affinity grouping.
Jobs-to-be-done
Based on the insights, I mapped out Jobs-to-be-done to inform our design direction and collaborated with the team to align on which features would best address user needs.
Upload files or connect to datasets
Define rules based on behaviors
View recent changes of segments
Select segments to create content
Marketers want to easily define rules, so they can effortlessly group the right users.
Option 1 Smart Search
Natural
but AI may misinterpret vague input
Option 2 Templates ✅
Fast, beginner-friendly
but not flexible
Option 3 Select Tags
Visual clarity, high flexibility
but too manual or complex
Marketers want to view recent changes, so they can ensure their targeting is always up to date and relevant.
Option 1 AI Insights
Smart and reduce workload
but need to build trust
Option 2 Visualization
Easy to spot growth or decline
but need clarity to avoid confusion
Option 3 Dashboard ✅
Empower users to explore
but risk of overwhelming
Prototypes
Iteration
User Testing
We want to learn from users about
Do users feel the segment tool helps improve their marketing effectiveness?
Can users create a new segment without confusion?
Do users understand the segmentation logic?
Can users easily update a segment based on insights?
What went well?
“I love how simple yet powerful it is. I don’t want to go back to using spreadsheets.”
“I like seeing the customer trends and top activities — it gives me ideas for targeting.”
“The templates are helpful — I don’t need to build everything from scratch.”
Improvements
Finding #1 Users are confused about logic rules.
Finding #2 Users feel the segment creation process is too step-heavy.
Finding #3 Users also need control with static segments.
Before
Users cannot choose dynamic or static segment
And/Or logic is confusing
Users need go to next page to preview customers
After
Added option to create dynamic or static segments
Made And/Or logic clearer with visual grouping
Simplified Workflows of rule editing and preview
Finding #4 Users want more actionable feedback to guide next steps.
Before
There was no clear button guiding users to the next step
After
Added AI suggestions for next steps
Used clear CTA buttons to prompt action
Conclusions
Feature#1 Create customer segments effortlessly based on customer behaviors
Feature #2 Monitor and update risky segments easily with AI-powered alerts and suggestions.
Feature #3 Dive into detailed customer lists and profiles for deeper insights.
Added Components
Impacts
300+
New users in a month
76%
Increase in return visits
$2.4M
Raised funding
Reflection
Balance Flexibility and Complexity
I’ve learned that while giving users options is important, every added layer of flexibility introduces potential complexity. Good product design is about finding the sweet spot where users feel empowered to customize their experience without getting lost in too many steps or decisions.
Balance AI Automation and User Control
Integrating AI into a product isn’t just about adding smart features — it’s about carefully balancing automation with user control. While AI can reduce effort and suggest next steps, too much automation can make users feel disconnected or unsure of what’s happening behind the scenes.
Users Comments
"Game-changer in the advertising landscape and revolutionize the industry. "
