Noelle Cheatam

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Case Study

Zara

A product and UX design engagement for a technology team turning research into a tool people would actually open.

Services :

Product, UX

Year :

2023

Timeline :

10 weeks

The Challenge

Orbit had the algorithms. What they didn't have was an interface anyone outside the lab could navigate. Early pilots stalled on confusion, not capability. Investors asked for demos that looked as advanced as the science — without making users feel stupid.

The Solution

The product was designed as a guided instrument, not a control panel. Dense data got visual hierarchy. Critical actions sat one decision deep. Empty states taught. Error states helped. The whole system was built so technical depth never had to mean visual chaos.

A UI language for the whole stack.

Orbit received a product design system — components, states, and documentation — so engineering and design ship from one source of truth.

Behind the Work

Research

01

Workshops with engineers and pilot users, plus teardown of every competing tool that claimed to be "simple."

Research

01

Workshops with engineers and pilot users, plus teardown of every competing tool that claimed to be "simple."

Architecture

02

Core jobs-to-be-done mapped into screens and states before a pixel of visual design.

Architecture

02

Core jobs-to-be-done mapped into screens and states before a pixel of visual design.

Design

03

Iterative prototyping with weekly pilot feedback — each round trimmed one more layer of friction.

Design

03

Iterative prototyping with weekly pilot feedback — each round trimmed one more layer of friction.

Handoff

H

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V

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C

L

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C

K

T

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V

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A

L

+130%

Pilot completion rate

-55%

Avg. onboarding time

+2.7x

Feature discovery

"For the first time, our demos end with questions about pricing — not 'how do I use this.'"

Priya Nand

Director, Orbit Labs

+130%

Pilot completion rate

-55%

Avg. onboarding time

+2.7x

Feature discovery

"For the first time, our demos end with questions about pricing — not 'how do I use this.'"

Priya Nand

Director, Orbit Labs

© 2026 Designed By Elle.

© 2026 Designed By Elle.

© 2026 Designed By Elle.