Grizzly Prime
Grizzly Prime
A full-service property management platform connecting homeowners with snow removal, lawn care, HVAC maintenance, and seasonal services. I designed and developed the complete digital ecosystem: a customer-facing portal, administrative dashboard, and mobile-first driver application.
Visit Live SiteThe Challenge
A Rochester, NY property services company faced operational friction at every touchpoint. Homeowners had no visibility into when their driveway would be plowed during snowstorms, scheduling required phone calls, and payment meant waiting for mailed invoices. Admins dealt with customer data scattered across spreadsheets, manual route assignments, and no automated alerts. Drivers worked from paper route lists that couldn't adapt to conditions, had no way to document completed work, and followed inefficient routes.
The Solution
Three distinct experiences unified under one platform: a Customer Portal for self-service scheduling, real-time snow removal status, payments, and loyalty rewards; an Admin Dashboard for complete business management with CRM, appointments, payments, documents, and notifications; and a Driver App with mobile-first route management, GPS navigation, photo proof of service, offline capability, and optimized routing.
Responsibilities
From concept to production deployment.
User research and competitive analysis
Information architecture and user flows
UI/UX design with custom design system
Full-stack development (React, Express, PostgreSQL)
Third-party integrations (Stripe, DocuSign, Google Calendar)
iOS PWA optimization
Iterative design based on real user feedback
Tools & Technologies
Frontend
Backend
Integrations
Mobile
The Outcome
Designed and developed a complete digital ecosystem from concept to production deployment, with 1,347 commits documenting deliberate design iteration through distinct phases based on real-world feedback.
The Challenge
A Rochester, NY property services company faced operational friction at every touchpoint:
For Homeowners
- No visibility into when their driveway would be plowed during snowstorms
- Scheduling required phone calls and back-and-forth coordination
- Payment meant waiting for mailed invoices
For Admins
- Customer data scattered across spreadsheets
- Manual route assignments for drivers
- No automated alerts for failed payments or service issues
For Drivers
- Paper route lists that couldn't adapt to conditions
- No way to document completed work
- Inefficient routes causing wasted time
The Solution
Three distinct experiences unified under one platform:
Customer Portal
Self-service dashboard where homeowners can schedule services, track real-time snow removal status, make payments, and earn loyalty rewards.
Admin Dashboard
Complete business management with customer CRM, appointment scheduling, payment tracking, document management, and real-time notifications.
Driver App
Mobile-first route management with GPS navigation, photo proof of service, offline capability, and optimized routing.
Design Evolution
1,347 commits tell a story of deliberate iteration.
The commit history reveals a design system that evolved through distinct phases based on real-world feedback.
Phase 1: Foundation
"Add essential UI components and structure for the customer portal"
Initial scaffolding focused on core functionality: authentication, basic dashboard layout, and service listings.
Phase 2: Robinhood-Inspired Design
"Implement Robinhood-style Admin Dashboard with user avatar dropdown"
The first major design direction drew from fintech patterns:
- Clean, minimal interfaces
- Card-based layouts
- Monochromatic quick actions
- Collapsible sidebar navigation
This approach worked functionally but felt too sterile for a property services brand that prides itself on reliability and strength.
Phase 3: Neo-Brutalism Transformation
The pivotal design shift happened systematically across 18+ numbered phases: Customers List View, Customer Dialogs, Customer Profile Drawer, Profile Content, AddressMapWidget, CustomerOverview, SignatureViewer, UnifiedDocumentDialog, AIDataViewerDialog, ServicesSection, AppointmentsSection, AccountSettings, Admin Overview, Admin Header, Global Search, NotificationCenter, Calendar, and Messages.
Why Neo-Brutalism?
- Bold & Confident — Matches Grizzly's brand identity as reliable, no-nonsense service
- High Contrast — Readable for drivers in bright snow glare or dark early mornings
- Chunky Touch Targets — 48px+ buttons work with winter gloves
- Distinctive — Stands out from generic SaaS interfaces
Phase 4: Real User Feedback
"Fix driver app issues from Jon Riley feedback" — Critical commits show direct user feedback shaping the product:
- "Photos not saving to my phone" → Added auto-save to camera roll
- "Can't see why I skipped a stop" → Added inline skip reason display
- "Picture viewer gives error" → Improved error handling
- "Want to take photo when I skip" → Added optional photo capture for skipped services
Field testing revealed more improvements: buttons too small for gloves, route confusion on busy days, slow uploads on cellular. Each was addressed with larger touch targets, cluster-aware optimization, and compression with timeout handling.
Phase 5: Continuous Refinement
"Tone down thick borders on Messages desktop view" — Later commits show nuanced adjustments:
- Softening borders for desktop (where brutalism felt heavy)
- Balancing dark mode contrast
- Optimizing text sizes for readability across devices
- Reorganizing elements based on usage patterns
Key Features
Customer Portal: Personalized Dashboard
The home page greets customers by name with a bold hero section featuring the Grizzly mascot in a halftone effect. Information hierarchy prioritizes: Next Service (what's happening soon), Service Status (real-time snow removal tracking), and Quick Actions (Book, Chat, Pay).
- Hero uses fixed colors (green/black) that work in both light and dark modes
- Mascot creates brand personality without competing for attention
- Outstanding balance shown with amber highlighting for urgency
Customer Portal: Grizzly Rewards
Gamified loyalty program that evolved through multiple iterations. Initial design had 5 separate view modes, complex level/streak/multiplier system, and 28+ icon mappings. Final design achieved 35% code reduction with single-page layout, prominent points balance, inline badges, simple progress bars, and recent activity feed.
The simplification came from observing what users actually wanted: "How many points do I have?" → Large number at top. "What can I redeem?" → Catalog with clear affordability states. "How did I earn points?" → Activity feed with timestamps.
Admin Dashboard: Unified Customer Management
Originally separate views for different customer types. Unified into single searchable list with global search across name, email, phone, address; advanced filters (service type, status, town); column sorting with saved preferences; and 6-digit account numbers for phone support.
Admin Dashboard: Customer Profile Sheet
Comprehensive customer view accessible via slide-out drawer: contact information and account status, service subscriptions with activation toggles, appointment history and scheduling, documents (contracts, invoices, estimates), payment history and outstanding balance, and admin notes synced from Google Sheets.
Admin Dashboard: Real-Time Notifications
System-wide alerts for failed payments, service completion errors, unsigned contracts, and new customer signups. Notifications deep-link to relevant customer profiles for immediate action.
Driver App: Mobile-First Route Management
Designed specifically for field conditions with 48px+ touch targets, brutalist borders for visual clarity, and glove-friendly interactions. Route display shows customer cards with address, distance, and service requirements; color-coded status (amber pending, green complete, red skipped); special instructions expanded inline; and search/filter capability.
Driver App: Interactive Map View
- Numbered circular markers by route order
- Color-coded by service status
- Driver location shown with directional arrow
- "Navigate to Nearest" auto-optimization
- Google Maps deep link for native navigation
Driver App: Cluster-Aware Route Optimization
Initial nearest-neighbor algorithm created inefficient routes where drivers crossed town repeatedly. The new algorithm groups nearby stops into clusters, completes each neighborhood before moving on, balances distance with cluster density, and reduces backtracking significantly.
Driver App: Photo Proof System
Offline-first architecture ensuring drivers never lose work: Photo captured and compressed locally, saved to device storage as backup, uploaded when connection available, and customer receives notification with photo link.
Design Principles
- Mobile-First, Always — Every feature designed for phones first, enhanced for desktop. The driver app works with gloves in a snowstorm.
- Bold & Confident — Neo-brutalism reflects the Grizzly brand—reliable, strong, no-nonsense.
- Real-World Tested — Features refined based on actual driver feedback in the field, not just usability labs.
- Progressive Disclosure — Surface essential info first. Details available on demand.
- Offline-Capable — Critical driver functions work without connectivity. Photos sync when reconnected.
Research & Discovery
Homeowners
- Want visibility into when service will happen
- Prefer self-service over phone calls
- Value proof of completed work
Business Admins
- Need unified view of all customers
- Want automated notifications for issues
- Require flexible scheduling tools
Service Drivers
- Use phones in harsh weather
- Need simple, tap-based workflows
- Require offline capability for rural areas
Competitive Analysis
Reviewed property service apps and found common patterns: generic SaaS aesthetics, desktop-first designs, no real-time tracking, complex interfaces. Grizzly Prime differentiates through brand-forward design and field-tested UX.
Results & Reflections
What Shipped
- Three distinct user experiences unified under one platform
- Production deployment serving real customers
- Mobile-first PWA installable on iOS and Android
- Photo proof system providing accountability and reducing disputes
- Optimized routing improving driver efficiency
Key Learnings
Building Grizzly Prime reinforced that great product design happens through iteration. The 18-phase neo-brutalism transformation wasn't planned from day one—it emerged from recognizing that the initial Robinhood-inspired design, while functional, didn't serve the brand or its users in the field.
Real feedback from drivers like Jon Riley was invaluable. Features that seemed complete in development revealed gaps in practice: buttons too small for gloves, photos not saving reliably, route optimization creating inefficient patterns.
The best design decisions came from watching real people use the product in real conditions.
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