Beam AI: Turning Complexity into Clarity
Beam AI: Turning Complexity into Clarity
Beam AI: Turning Complexity into Clarity
A collaborative UX strategy project to simplify user flows, align product thinking, and empower cross-functional teams.
Context
Beam AI helps teams build AI-driven automations through visual workflows. As the platform grew, the user journey became increasingly complex — especially for less technical users.
I was brought in to lead a focused UX Improvements Strategy project to reduce friction, align priorities, and simplify the experience without compromising product power.
Beam AI helps teams build AI-driven automations through visual workflows. As the platform grew, the user journey became increasingly complex — especially for less technical users.
I was brought in to lead a focused UX Improvements Strategy project to reduce friction, align priorities, and simplify the experience without compromising product power.
Challenge
The Beam AI team faced three interconnected challenges:
Onboarding friction: New users struggled to conceptualize how flows should work before even interacting with the platform.
Complex builder experience: Creating new nodes, mapping data, and understanding system logic required high technical literacy.
Design team maturity: The design team was actively scaling their processes and looking to move beyond UI polish into deeper UX strategy, user journeys, and decision-making frameworks.
The Beam AI team faced three interconnected challenges:
Onboarding friction: New users struggled to conceptualize how flows should work before even interacting with the platform.
Complex builder experience: Creating new nodes, mapping data, and understanding system logic required high technical literacy.
Design team maturity: The design team was actively scaling their processes and looking to move beyond UI polish into deeper UX strategy, user journeys, and decision-making frameworks.
Approach
Over two focused sessions, we brought together product, design, and solutions to align around the user journey and prioritize the highest-impact improvements.
I facilitated:
→ A strategy workshop with Beam’s solution, design, and product teams.
→ A UX maturity reflection, helping them assess current processes and blind spots.
→ A prioritization session using an impact/effort matrix, turning dozens of ideas into an actionable roadmap.
Together, we focused on four user types (from highly technical to business users), and mapped how each one navigates the platform — from first touch to complex flow creation.
Over two focused sessions, we brought together product, design, and solutions to align around the user journey and prioritize the highest-impact improvements.
I facilitated:
→ A strategy workshop with Beam’s solution, design, and product teams.
→ A UX maturity reflection, helping them assess current processes and blind spots.
→ A prioritization session using an impact/effort matrix, turning dozens of ideas into an actionable roadmap.
Together, we focused on four user types (from highly technical to business users), and mapped how each one navigates the platform — from first touch to complex flow creation.
Key Insights
“It’s not just the UI — the real issue starts before the platform even begins.”
Zooming out revealed that many challenges began before users even entered the builder — in how they approached and planned their workflows.
This helped the team shift focus from surface-level tweaks to foundational improvements in how the product guides user thinking and action.
“It’s not just the UI — the real issue starts before the platform even begins.”
Zooming out revealed that many challenges began before users even entered the builder — in how they approached and planned their workflows.
This helped the team shift focus from surface-level tweaks to foundational improvements in how the product guides user thinking and action.
Action Plan
Through our structured workshop and prioritization process, the team aligned on four opportunities to reduce friction and empower users earlier in the journey. These ranged from improving user understanding of system logic, to simplifying key interactions in the flow builder.
Each idea was mapped by impact and effort, and added directly into Beam AI’s product roadmap.
Key themes included:
→ Increasing user confidence in building flows from scratch
→ Simplifying system feedback and control mechanisms
→ Clarifying core concepts and categories within the builder
→ Reducing early drop-off by addressing onboarding friction
By shifting focus to what users need before and during their first successful interaction, the team was able to confidently define near-term actions and longer-term strategic bets.
Through our structured workshop and prioritization process, the team aligned on four opportunities to reduce friction and empower users earlier in the journey. These ranged from improving user understanding of system logic, to simplifying key interactions in the flow builder.
Each idea was mapped by impact and effort, and added directly into Beam AI’s product roadmap.
Key themes included:
→ Increasing user confidence in building flows from scratch
→ Simplifying system feedback and control mechanisms
→ Clarifying core concepts and categories within the builder
→ Reducing early drop-off by addressing onboarding friction
By shifting focus to what users need before and during their first successful interaction, the team was able to confidently define near-term actions and longer-term strategic bets.
Outcomes
The Beam AI team walked away with:
→ A prioritized UX roadmap now tracked in Notion and integrated into sprint planning.
→ A renewed focus on customer journey design (led by the Solutions Team with my support).
→ Clear next steps for the design team, including mentorship, better handoff processes, and deeper UX engagement.
→ Alignment around “big bets” that need dedicated validation — such as flow conceptualization and post-launch optimization.
The Beam AI team walked away with:
→ A prioritized UX roadmap now tracked in Notion and integrated into sprint planning.
→ A renewed focus on customer journey design (led by the Solutions Team with my support).
→ Clear next steps for the design team, including mentorship, better handoff processes, and deeper UX engagement.
→ Alignment around “big bets” that need dedicated validation — such as flow conceptualization and post-launch optimization.
Client Feedback
“This was the first time we all aligned around the user journey from start to end.”
“This was the first time we all aligned around the user journey from start to end.”
Dorian Schlede, Lead Solutions Engineer at Beam AI
Reflections for Founders & Leaders
UX strategy is about shifting how teams think, collaborate, and grow. By aligning early, zooming out, and involving the right people, Beam AI set the stage for faster decisions and stronger outcomes.
Here are a few lessons teams can take from this work:
Map the full journey — Don’t wait for friction to become obvious. Proactively visualize your user’s experience.
Zoom out before you zoom in — Big UX wins often come from fixing foundational thinking, not just individual screens.
Clarity is a team sport — Alignment across product, design, and leadership creates momentum and reduces thrash.
UX strategy is about shifting how teams think, collaborate, and grow. By aligning early, zooming out, and involving the right people, Beam AI set the stage for faster decisions and stronger outcomes.
Here are a few lessons teams can take from this work:
Map the full journey — Don’t wait for friction to become obvious. Proactively visualize your user’s experience.
Zoom out before you zoom in — Big UX wins often come from fixing foundational thinking, not just individual screens.
Clarity is a team sport — Alignment across product, design, and leadership creates momentum and reduces thrash.
Services
Strategic UX Workshop
User Journey Mapping
Design Team Mentoring
Product Prioritization & Roadmapping