fluen.ci App
End-to-end product design of a new Cultural Intelligence SaaS solution, turning manual report delivery of brand and consumer data into an always-on, self-service insights tool.
ROLE
Product Designer
COMPANY
Collage
DATE
2022–2023
SKILLS
UX, UI, Information Architecture, User Research, Usability Testing, Data Visualization, Design Systems, Prototyping, Branding, Web Design, Graphic Design
Background
When I joined Collage Group in late 2022, the company’s mission was to help brands unleash the power of culture to drive brand growth, delivering culture-focused consumer research via static reports and consulting. To scale impact and evolve beyond manual delivery, I led the end-to-end design of a new self-service SaaS platform: fluen.ci.
Built from the ground up, the platform aimed to transform Collage’s deep cultural data into an always-on insights engine allowing clients to explore brands, categories, and consumer audiences through a dynamic interface. I inherited early-stage work from external design and data science teams and built on that foundation; as the sole designer, I owned everything from research and information architecture to UX/UI, branding, and marketing support.
Original branding and experience of Collage Group touchpoints
Research
To guide product direction, the Chief Product Officer and I launched a three-phase Early Access Program with hand-selected clients.
Phase 1 tested cleaned-up versions of our static reports, validating visual clarity, assessing perceived value, and identifying key content gaps. Phase 2 introduced new data types—like our “Brand Love” metric and audience spotlights—helping us validate both data comprehension and emotional resonance. Audience spotlights emerged as a breakout success. Phase 3 involved usability testing a high-fidelity Figma prototype, revealing needs around trust, consistency, and deeper self-serve audience analysis.
After each round, I synthesized findings and shared the reports in a design-focused Slack channel I created to keep leadership, product, and marketing aligned.
Design
With a clear direction, I mapped out a simple sitemap grounded in Collage’s three key insight lenses: Brands, Categories, and Consumers. This model shaped navigation and helped unify internal strategy with user mental models.
Key design contributions included accessible data visualization, component & design system architecture, and interaction & flow prototyping:
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I refined our visualizations for clarity and equity, favoring simple but appropriate form factors for interpretability and advocating for accessible design choices—championing best practices and using the moment to educate stakeholders and prioritize clarity for all users.
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I worked with engineers to audit and extend existing charting and UI libraries, using those to lay the foundation for our evolving design system, Mosaic.
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I iterated on multiple high-fidelity prototypes, evolving from early MVP vision to future-state journeys as we gathered user feedback. I detailed interactions, transitions, and UI behaviors across finalized prototypes to ensure clarity in development requirements.
The first interactive prototype, built just one month in, became a turning point for the company by translating vision into a tangible reality for internal stakeholders. Final mocks and prototypes shaped expectations as well as product requirements and supported the engineering team through implementation.
Branding
The product team and I collaboratively ideated on a name for the tool. We landed on fluen.ci—a nod to “cultural fluency” and “cultural insights.” I created the logo and supporting visual assets with the intent to reset the bar for a sleek and refined visual identity.
To support launch, I partnered with product marketing to design a landing page to introduce the app and drive early leads, and create graphic collateral for social and sales enablement. Additionally, I improved our corporate and client content websites, conducting IA audits and implementing visual and code-level enhancements within WordPress constraints. Finally, I collaborated closely a Syndicated team leader to create and launch a new Report PowerPoint template and accompanying handbook with updated look & feel to carry the modernized brand identity through all client touchpoints.
Outcomes & Ongoing Impact
fluen.ci launched in November 2022. While platform adoption has faced friction, primarily due to enablement challenges within sales and client success, the app continues to drive meaningful impact:
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MAUs grew 50% from Nov 2023 to May 2024.
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New client champions emerged, including Disney Ad Sales and Publicis Group, both of whom partnered with Collage to co-produce our annual Summit.
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Users who have adopted fluen.ci frequently praise the tool’s ease of data analysis as well as its usability and polished aesthetic.
Internally, the app transformed Collage’s position from a static brand tracker to a dynamic cultural insights engine, informing roadmap priorities such as expanded audience discovery and LLM-driven insight generation.
Post-launch Iterations
“
The fluen.ci app has rapidly emerged as an indispensable tool… its facilitation of distinctive and pertinent cultural insights significantly distinguishes Collage Group from other consumer intelligence providers.
ARNETTA WHITESIDE
SVP OF MULTICULTURAL CONSULTING @ PUBLICIS MEDIA
“
The biggest innovation, indeed, has been the fluen.ci [app]… The people that do your data visualizations, kudos, because it really looks very polished. Very slick, super Silicon Valley-inspired.
MAURICIO LORIA
VP OF STRATEGIC INSIGHTS & RESEARCH @ WELLS FARGO
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I am a data nerd, so I love fluen.ci and all the things that aren't even necessarily applicable to KFC. Like, I'll go in and look at Arby's, or other vendors that you have in there, just because I'm super curious about them.
RENEE REEVES
CONSUMER INSIGHTS & MARKETING INTELLIGENCE MANAGER @ YUM