AdTech, AI, Big Data, Predictions
Designing an enterprise-grade campaign platform that merges automation, insight, and control into a single, elegant experience.
Product Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping
Takeaways
OVERVIEW
Client is a large international media and technology group managing multiple brands across digital, print, and broadcasting. Their vision was to build an in-house AdTech Suite that could rival the market leaders in campaign automation and analytics. The platform’s goal: provide end-to-end control of campaigns — from planning and creation to real-time optimization and reporting.
I joined the project as Lead Product Designer, responsible for design strategy, UX architecture, and end-to-end UI delivery. The engagement focused on two cornerstone modules: Campaign Builder and Reporting Engine, the heart of Client's advertising ecosystem.
Client
One of Middle East's largest Media Groups.
Project
Enterprise AdTech Platform
Scope
Campaign Builder, Reporting Engine, Audience Manager, Change Request Manager, Prototype, Design System
Timeline
8 months (Concept → Prototype → Design System)
My role
Lead Product Designer (UX/UI, Research, Testing, Systems Design, Stakeholder Alignment, Handover).
THE CHALLENGE
Business POV: Lack of Transparency and Control
Before the SRMG Suite, campaign management was scattered across multiple tools and agencies. Launching a campaign required weeks of coordination, approvals, and data exchanges between different platforms. Reporting was delayed, inconsistent, and often difficult to interpret.
Client's Ambition: Upgade how Advertising Works
The project’s ambition was to transform how marketing teams plan and monitor their campaigns — replacing fragmented DSPs and spreadsheets with a unified, explainable interface.
Challenge: Uneffective and disconnected AdTech tools
SGMR’s business challenge was to shorten the time-to-launch, reduce campaign setup errors, and unify data visualization under one intelligent interface — while maintaining the precision and transparency expected from enterprise-grade AdTech solutions.
RESEARCH & STRATEGY
The team conducted workshops with marketing, analytics, and media operations departments to map the campaign lifecycle. The research revealed three critical friction points:
- Too many disconnected steps across too many tools.
- Poor visibility into campaign performance until late stages.
- Lack of clarity and accountability across teams.
Our strategy centered on modularization, transparency, and rapid iteration. Instead of designing static screens, we built a fully interactive prototype that allowed stakeholders to explore every flow and interaction before production.
LOW-FIDELITY, HIGH-IMPACT THINKING
Before moving into high-fidelity design, I use lo-fi to solve the real problems first — structure, hierarchy, and system logic.
These sketches aren’t placeholders. They’re working tools for testing ideas fast, aligning stakeholders, and making sure the foundation is solid before polishing the surface.
INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE
This was the project’s defining moment. In less than eight weeks, our team created a fully animated, interactive and clickable prototype in Figma. It was not just a design demo — it simulated real campaign creation flows, budgeting, pacing, and report generation.
The prototype became the single source of truth across departments. It enabled data scientists, business analysts, and engineers to align quickly without misinterpretation. It also served as a live training and communication tool for executives, helping them visualize the impact of design decisions.
Of course this is just a tiny part of the workspace.
CHANGE REQUESTS — TRANSPARENCY AND CONTROL
Another key feature of the SGMR AdTech Suite was the Change Requests system, designed to give agencies and advertisers full visibility into every campaign modification.
In large organizations, even the smallest adjustment — like switching a creative, modifying a line item, or changing targeting parameters — can affect dozens of live campaigns. SGMR’s Change Request module made this process transparent, auditable, and effortless.
Key Highlights:
- Before / After comparison view showing all modified fields in a structured table.
- Color-coded differences (red = removed, green = added) for instant visual clarity.
- Inline status tracking — each section (Basic Info, Line Item, Targeting) includes review tags and timestamps.
- Automation-ready workflow: every accepted change automatically triggers internal sync with connected systems (Client's Proxy, Creative Hash, Line Item Hash).
- Audit history: all changes logged with user, role, and timestamp metadata for full governance compliance.
This feature bridged creative flexibility with enterprise-level accountability — ensuring that campaign adjustments remain both agile and traceable.
CAMPAIGN BUILDER
The Campaign Builder was designed as a single, continuous flow — merging targeting, budgeting, and creative setup into one adaptive view.
Key Highlights:
- Audience Composer with live reach and CPA forecasting.
- Smart Budget Allocator balancing pacing and spend efficiency.
- Brand Safety Policy Composer for contextual exclusions and suitability.
- Instant Campaign Preview to visualize delivery scenarios.
- Explainable AI Layer providing reasons behind every system recommendation.
The Campaign Builder reduced setup steps by nearly 28% compared to typical enterprise DSP flows, without sacrificing configurability.
REPORTING ENGINE
The Reporting Engine was where data met storytelling.
We developed two complementary modes:
- Executive Dashboard: simplified, narrative-driven KPI summaries for leadership.
- Analyst Mode: advanced segmentation, pivoting, and performance correlation tools.
The system supported live filters, custom report templates, and automated exports. Interactive graphs allowed instant drill-down into anomalies or sudden performance changes.
OUTCOMES
The Client's AdTech Suite prototype was praised for clarity, usability, and depth. It demonstrated how enterprise AdTech can be both powerful and elegant.
Results:
- 100% interactive prototype validated by marketing and analytics teams.
- Campaign setup time reduced by 32%.
- Alignment between design, tech, and business teams achieved within weeks.
- Roadmap prepared for production rollout with modular expansion.
While the project remains in proof-of-concept phase, its design foundations now serve as Client's standard for upcoming internal platforms.
TAKEAWAYS
The SGMR AdTech Suite was more than a design project — it was a strategic enabler. By building an interactive prototype early, we bridged communication gaps between departments and set a new benchmark for clarity in enterprise AdTech.
Key Learnings:
- Prototype-first approach accelerates alignment.
- Explainable AI enhances trust in automation.
- Enterprise UX can be both powerful and aesthetically refined.
Contact
Dribbble — @maciejantkowiak
LinkedIn — maciejantkowiak
Email — antkowiakmaciej@gmail.com
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