Bakery Management System
ProBake App
6 months
2023
TL;DR
- Project Type: Bakery Management Web App
- My Role: Product Designer (research, UX, UI, end-to-end)
- Problem: Small bakery owners relied on manual tracking and fragmented tools to manage orders, inventory, and daily operations, leading to errors, time loss, and limited visibility into business performance.
- Solution: Designed a streamlined, role-based web app that centralizes order management, production planning, and inventory tracking into a single, easy-to-use platform.
- Key Impact: Simplified day-to-day bakery operations, reduced manual work, and enabled owners to make faster, more confident operational decisions.
- Tools & Methods: User interviews, workflow analysis, personas, user flows, wireframes, UI design, design system, Figma.
Overview
ProBake App is a web-based platform designed to help small bakery business owners streamline their daily operations from order tracking and inventory management to production scheduling and customer interactions, all in one intuitive workspace.
Design Process
1
Discovery & Research
I began by conducting user interviews with small bakery owners and mapping their end-to-end order management journey to identify pain points, inefficiencies, and unmet needs. Baseline workflows and competitor analysis helped clarify where existing tools fell short.
2
Define & Synthesize
Research insights were synthesized into key problem statements, personas, and user journeys, highlighting opportunities to reduce manual work, improve visibility, and simplify daily operations.
3
Ideation & User Flows
I explored multiple solution concepts and designed task-focused user flows for core scenarios such as order creation, client management, and production planning, prioritizing clarity and speed over feature complexity.
4
Wireframing & Prototyping
Low- to mid-fidelity wireframes were created to validate layout, hierarchy, and navigation, followed by high-fidelity prototypes that reflected real bakery workflows and constraints.
5
Usability Testing & Iteration
Several rounds of usability testing informed iterative improvements to hierarchy, spacing, labeling, and status indicators, ensuring the interface was intuitive and efficient for everyday use.
6
Final UI & Handoff
The final design was refined into a production-ready prototype, supported by a complete component library and specifications to ensure consistency and a smooth handoff to development.
The Problem
“I don’t need complex software — I need something simple that tells me what to bake today, what’s coming next, and what ingredients I need.”
-Small business bakery owner, user interview participant
Small bakery owners rely on manual processes or fragmented tools to manage daily operations, which creates inefficiencies and unnecessary stress during busy production periods.
Key challenges included:
- Unclear order tracking: Orders are managed across notes, messages, and spreadsheets, leading to confusion, missed updates, and duplicated work.
- Limited inventory visibility: Ingredient levels are not tracked in real time, increasing the risk of shortages or overproduction.
- High administrative overhead: Significant time is spent on repetitive manual tasks instead of focusing on baking and customer service.
Discovery & Research
To understand how small bakery owners manage daily operations, I analyzed their end-to-end order workflow and reviewed existing bakery management tools.User journey mapping revealed key pain points: recurring friction around order clarity, repeated data entry, and limited visibility into payments and delivery leading to targeted UX solutions like client profiles, smarter order forms, and automated alerts.
In parallel, a competitive audit of Cybake, BakeSmart, and CakeBoss highlighted complex interfaces and feature overload, reinforcing the need for a simpler, task-focused solution tailored to small bakeries.
Research Insights
6
participants highlighted heavy reliance on manual tracking across orders, clients, and inventory
67%
of participants faced order and payment confusion at peak times
83%
of participants preferred a single dashboard over using multiple disconnected tools
These insights confirmed the need for a unified, task-focused dashboard that reduces errors and simplifies daily bakery operations.
Solution: Key Features
1. Clear, Task-Focused Dashboard
Improved layout hierarchy, spacing, and colour-coded status indicators make orders, payments, and deadlines easy to scan and manage at a glance.
2. Efficiency Validated Through Usability Testing
Multiple rounds of usability testing informed iterative refinements, resulting in faster navigation and a more intuitive daily workflow for bakery owners.
3. Production-Ready Design System
The final prototype was delivered with a complete component library and specifications, ensuring consistency and a smooth handoff to development.
Results & Impact
50%
faster order placement
+40%
increase in user satisfaction
100%
core workflows unified
1
production-ready prototype
The redesign transformed fragmented, manual bakery workflows into a single, efficient system reducing effort, improving confidence, and delivering a production-ready solution validated by users and stakeholders.
What I Learned
Designing for small businesses means designing for speed and clarity
Bakery owners need interfaces that reduce thinking and manual work, especially during peak hours.
Usability testing drives real efficiency gains
Iterative testing revealed how small changes in hierarchy, spacing, and feedback can significantly reduce task time and errors.
Strong handoff is part of the design
Delivering a production-ready prototype with a clear component system ensured alignment with stakeholders and a smoother transition to development.
Get in Touch
olga.simonovapro@gmail.com
Social
LinkedIn →
© 2026 Olga Simonova
Bakery Management System
ProBake App
6 months
2023
TL;DR
- Project Type: Bakery Management Web App
- My Role: Product Designer (research, UX, UI, end-to-end)
- Problem: Small bakery owners relied on manual tracking and fragmented tools to manage orders, inventory, and daily operations, leading to errors, time loss, and limited visibility into business performance.
- Solution: Designed a streamlined, role-based web app that centralizes order management, production planning, and inventory tracking into a single, easy-to-use platform.
- Key Impact: Simplified day-to-day bakery operations, reduced manual work, and enabled owners to make faster, more confident operational decisions.
- Tools & Methods: User interviews, workflow analysis, personas, user flows, wireframes, UI design, design system, Figma.
Overview
ProBake App is a web-based platform designed to help small bakery business owners streamline their daily operations from order tracking and inventory management to production scheduling and customer interactions, all in one intuitive workspace.
Design Process
1
Discovery & Research
I began by conducting user interviews with small bakery owners and mapping their end-to-end order management journey to identify pain points, inefficiencies, and unmet needs. Baseline workflows and competitor analysis helped clarify where existing tools fell short.
2
Define & Synthesize
Research insights were synthesized into key problem statements, personas, and user journeys, highlighting opportunities to reduce manual work, improve visibility, and simplify daily operations.
3
Ideation & User Flows
I explored multiple solution concepts and designed task-focused user flows for core scenarios such as order creation, client management, and production planning, prioritizing clarity and speed over feature complexity.
4
Wireframing & Prototyping
Low- to mid-fidelity wireframes were created to validate layout, hierarchy, and navigation, followed by high-fidelity prototypes that reflected real bakery workflows and constraints.
5
Usability Testing & Iteration
Several rounds of usability testing informed iterative improvements to hierarchy, spacing, labeling, and status indicators, ensuring the interface was intuitive and efficient for everyday use.
6
Final UI & Handoff
The final design was refined into a production-ready prototype, supported by a complete component library and specifications to ensure consistency and a smooth handoff to development.
The Problem
“I don’t need complex software — I need something simple that tells me what to bake today, what’s coming next, and what ingredients I need.”
-Small business bakery owner, user interview participant
Small bakery owners rely on manual processes or fragmented tools to manage daily operations, which creates inefficiencies and unnecessary stress during busy production periods.
Key challenges included:
- Unclear order tracking: orders are managed across notes, messages, and spreadsheets, leading to confusion, missed updates, and duplicated work.
- Limited inventory visibility: ingredient levels are not tracked in real time, increasing the risk of shortages or overproduction.
- High administrative overhead: significant time is spent on repetitive manual tasks instead of focusing on baking and customer service.
Discovery & Research
To understand how small bakery owners manage daily operations, I analyzed their end-to-end order workflow and reviewed existing bakery management tools.User journey mapping revealed key pain points: recurring friction around order clarity, repeated data entry, and limited visibility into payments and delivery leading to targeted UX solutions like client profiles, smarter order forms, and automated alerts.
In parallel, a competitive audit of Cybake, BakeSmart, and CakeBoss highlighted complex interfaces and feature overload, reinforcing the need for a simpler, task-focused solution tailored to small bakeries.
Research Insights
6
participants highlighted heavy reliance on manual tracking across orders, clients, and inventory
67%
of participants faced order and payment confusion at peak times
83%
of participants preferred a single dashboard over using multiple disconnected tools
These insights confirmed the need for a unified, task-focused dashboard that reduces errors and simplifies daily bakery operations.
Solution: Key Features
1. Clear, Task-Focused Dashboard
Improved layout hierarchy, spacing, and colour-coded status indicators make orders, payments, and deadlines easy to scan and manage at a glance.
2. Efficiency Validated Through Usability Testing
Multiple rounds of usability testing informed iterative refinements, resulting in faster navigation and a more intuitive daily workflow for bakery owners.
3. Production-Ready Design System
The final prototype was delivered with a complete component library and specifications, ensuring consistency and a smooth handoff to development.
Results & Impact
50%
faster order placement
100%
core workflows unified
+40%
increase in user satisfaction
1
production-ready prototype
The redesign transformed fragmented, manual bakery workflows into a single, efficient system reducing effort, improving confidence, and delivering a production-ready solution validated by users and stakeholders.
What I Learned
Designing for small businesses means designing for speed and clarity
Bakery owners need interfaces that reduce thinking and manual work, especially during peak hours.
Usability testing drives real efficiency gains
Iterative testing revealed how small changes in hierarchy, spacing, and feedback can significantly reduce task time and errors.
Strong handoff is part of the design
Delivering a production-ready prototype with a clear component system ensured alignment with stakeholders and a smoother transition to development.
Get in Touch
olga.simonovapro@gmail.com
Social
LinkedIn →
© 2026 Olga Simonova. All rights reserved.
