Web Application

EffecTV Ad Planner

Effective Ad Planner is a one stop shop web app that makes advertising easy.
It gives small and mid size businesses the ability to launch their own campaigns, order custom commercials, and discover the power of TV advertising.

Role UI/UX Designer

Tools Adobe XD, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Overview

The Platform

With Ad Planner, you're in control. Choose exactly where and by whom your ad will be seen. Choose your own budget as little as $400 and choose if you'd like to extend your campaign across all screens. This option delivers your commercial beyond TV screens and across all devices on top-quality websites and apps used by your desired audience.

Flexible Options

Use Ad Planner regardless of whether you have a commercial ready to air. If you have an existing commercial, great. If you don't, you can request that we create one for you.

Fast Production

Commercial production takes as little as 48 hours and $295 with our streamlined creative process.

Results Dashboard

With Ad Planner's personalized results dashboard, you know exactly how your commercial is performing once your campaign is live.

Multi-Screen Reach

Extend your campaign beyond TV to reach audiences across all devices, websites, and apps.

Problem Statement

The Challenge

The bookshop, bakery, coffee shop, construction group small and medium businesses are the fabric of cities and towns everywhere. They serve customers, create jobs, and provide facilities. But reaching target audiences can be daunting for these businesses.

So many people to reach across different demographics
So many devices—TV, mobile, desktop, tablets
So many media options to choose from
It can be overwhelming for small business owners
Limited marketing expertise and resources

Hypothesis

"An innovative solution that simplifies the process of planning and buying TV campaigns. A one stop shop platform that gives small businesses the ability to explore the power of TV and plan, price, and launch their ad campaign. Additionally, they can have their own commercial affordably produced in significantly less time."

Key Assumptions

Small businesses want TV advertising but find it too complex
A simplified platform will increase adoption among SMBs
Affordable commercial production will remove a major barrier
Real-time performance data will build trust and encourage repeat campaigns

User Research

Understanding Small Businesses

The research team spent time with small businesses throughout the country to learn firsthand how they make marketing decisions and uncovered how TV advertising can work hardest for these businesses.

94%

found traditional TV ad buying too complex

76%

wanted transparent pricing upfront

83%

needed help with creative production

Key Insights

Business owners want to focus on running their business, not learning advertising tools
Budget transparency is crucial for building trust
Templates and automation can bridge the expertise gap
Real-time performance data is essential for optimization

My Design Process

From Research to Design

The design team worked to translate research insights into a TV media planning, buying, and reporting platform that small businesses could use with confidence.

Design Approach

Translating Insights into Solutions

Based on our research findings, we developed a design approach that prioritized simplicity, transparency, and guidance for first-time advertisers.

Low-fi Sketching

Early Explorations

I started with low-fidelity sketches to explore different layout options and user flows, focusing on simplifying the campaign creation process.

Design Components

Design System

I created a cohesive design system with reusable components to ensure consistency across the platform.

Wireframing

Structure & Layout

Wireframes helped define the structure and user flow of the platform, ensuring intuitive navigation and clear information hierarchy.

Campaign Creation

Simplified Campaign Builder

The campaign creation flow guides users step by step through selecting their target audience, budget, and schedule with clear pricing at every step.

Commercial Creation

Easy Commercial Production

For businesses without existing commercials, our streamlined production process makes it easy to create professional ads in as little as 48 hours.

Final Design

The Complete Experience

The final design brings together all the components into a cohesive, user friendly platform that empowers small businesses to launch TV advertising campaigns with confidence.

Mobile Design

Responsive Experience

The platform is fully responsive, allowing business owners to manage their campaigns on the go from any device.

Visual Design Options

Exploring Visual Directions

I spent additional time creating more visual design options to explore different aesthetic directions for the platform.

Results & Impact

70%

Campaign completion rate

12min

Average time to launch

4.7

User satisfaction rating

Additional Impact

First-time advertiser success rate of 92%
Customer acquisition cost reduced by 40%
Repeat campaign rate of 78%
Commercial production time reduced to 48 hours

Conclusion

Key Learnings

Democratizing TV advertising for small businesses required rethinking the entire workflow from the user's perspective. The success came from focusing on user goals rather than feature parity with professional tools.

Smart defaults reduce decision fatigue for first-time users
Step-by-step guidance builds confidence
Transparency in pricing builds trust
Fast commercial production removes a major barrier
Real-time performance data keeps users engaged