Case Study · Product Design · 2026

Freelance Work Tracker

A full-stack web app built for owners and admins to manage freelancer work logs and monthly payments — with role-based access, real-time sync, and a clean approval workflow.

Product Design Web App Admin Tools
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Role
Product Designer
Year
2026
Type
Web App (0 → 1)
Tools
Figma · Notion · Miro

Managing freelancers is messier than it should be

Tracking who worked what hours, approving daily logs, and calculating monthly payments across multiple freelancers is a nightmare in spreadsheets. Freelance Work Tracker replaces that chaos with a structured, role-aware system.

The product needed to serve two distinct users: admins who approve and pay, and freelancers who log and track — with completely different views, permissions, and workflows.

"Spreadsheets weren't built for multi-role workflows."
Core Features

Built around clarity

[01]

Role-Based Access

Admins see the full picture: all freelancers, all logs, pending approvals, and payment summaries. Freelancers only see their own logs and status.

[02]

Daily Work Log Approval

Freelancers submit daily entries. Admins review and approve or reject with a reason — creating an auditable trail of every work session.

[03]

Monthly Payment Dashboard

Automatically calculates each freelancer's monthly earnings based on approved logs and hourly rate. One-click Excel export for payroll.

[04]

Real-time Sync

Built on Supabase, all changes reflect instantly across sessions — no refresh needed, no data conflicts.

Design Process

How it came to life

Pre-Game

Alignment & Research

Mapped two distinct user journeys — admin and freelancer — before touching the UI. Competitive analysis of tools like Deel and Toptal revealed they were over-engineered for small teams. The brief was clear: build something simpler and faster.

Game

Design & Iteration

Designed parallel flows for both roles from the same component library. Key decision: a shared dashboard shell with role-aware content injection, so the codebase stays clean and the UX stays intuitive regardless of who's logged in.

Post Game

Handoff & QA

Delivered full Figma specs, component annotations, and Supabase schema documentation. Conducted build QA — caught 8 spacing inconsistencies and 2 broken responsive states before sign-off.

Outcomes

What it achieved

Faster monthly payroll calculation vs. manual spreadsheets
2 roles
2 distinct user roles, 1 unified design system
0→1
Full product shipped in a single sprint
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