The Challenge: A Manual, Error-Prone Workflow

The core business challenge was an inefficient and error-prone process for creating and managing tracking links for advertising campaigns. The existing internal tool, Launchpad, was not scalable and led to significant operational overhead and data integrity issues.

  • High Error Rate: The manual process was a major source of errors. An internal stakeholder stated that link errors occurred with "Every Brand on a regular basis (at least weekly)."
  • Lack of Scalability: The process couldn't handle the volume required by major clients. A user from a partner agency reported managing up to "140 links at a time" for a single campaign, making the one-by-one creation process a significant bottleneck.
  • Operational Drag: The manual back-and-forth wasted time for both internal teams and clients. A social campaign manager from a partner agency highlighted how easy it was to "paste the wrong link without realizing it's the wrong audience," creating rework and jeopardizing campaign data.

The Solution: An Integrated Campaign Manager

The solution was to deprecate the manual link-sharing model and replace it with a direct integration, starting with Facebook Ad Manager. The process was driven by a multi-phase research plan involving six rounds of interviews with internal teams and external agency/brand users to understand the problem space deeply and validate design directions.

Key insights from research drove the design:

  • Integrate, Don't Just Build: Research showed that users think in terms of campaigns, ad sets, and creatives—not standalone links. A simple link generator wouldn't solve the core workflow problem of managing hundreds of campaign variations.
  • Empower the User: Agencies and brands wanted more control and less manual work. A brand-side paid social manager mentioned the need for a "Dynamic landing page," aligning with the vision for an integrated, self-serve solution.
  • Streamline the UI: The design focused on a streamlined, wizard-like flow to guide users through connecting accounts and populating campaign fields, minimizing cognitive load and the potential for errors.