AI Summarization Tool
Fluxx is a leading cloud-based grants management platform used by top foundations and nonprofits. Partnered with Engineering to design and integrate an AI Summary feature into Fluxx’s grants management platform, decreased time spent reviewing documents by 25% and boosted AI adoption by 15%.
ROLE + YEAR
Sr. Product Designer, 2025
PROBLEM SPACE
Users review a large volume of records daily to complete tasks
Grant submission review is time-consuming and inefficient
The workload hinders productivity and delays decision-making
Building for users new to AI
At Fluxx, we support grantmakers worldwide, but AI is still a new technology for much of our industry. The challenge was building an AI tool that is both useful and easy to adopt while ensuring organizations feel confident integrating it into their policies.
Users had varying opinions and no clear consensus
While some organizations hesitate, others move forward, integrating AI into their workflows. In the nonprofit world, it’s less about chasing trends and more about ensuring new technology aligns with their mission, while still boosting internal efficiency to increase their impact.
“Before AI can help us scale impact, we have to understand its risks and make sure it doesn’t create new barriers.”
“AI isn’t here to replace our mission, it’s here to help us live it out more effectively.”
Main objective: designing for AI adoption
Guide users through interaction, design the tool to teach users how to engage with the AI naturally as they use it.
Create a comfortable, approachable UI, develop a clean, simple interface to reduce intimidation and build confidence, encouraging adoption within daily workflows.
Ensure data transparency by creating tooltips and in-app notifications to provide clear context on data usage, addressing privacy concerns and building trust.
Provide Admin permissions and settings to allow customers to opt in to using the AI Feature
From prototype to production in two weeks
The initial proof-of-concept designs received such strong user feedback that the team fast-tracked development to launch the feature ahead of schedule. You can see the feature in action on Fluxx’s blog.
Delivery outcomes:
Achieved 15% increase in AI adoption
Reduced customer churn
Reduced manual document review time by 25%, as reported by customers
Moved from concept to in-app prototype in under two weeks, accelerating feature development by 90%
Feature outcomes:
Provided quick, AI-generated summaries to help users assess application alignment with fiscal goals
Reduced manual workload by streamlining a traditionally time-consuming process for reviewing grantee applications
Preserved human oversight in the review process, aligning with customers’ core ethos of keeping a human in the loop
Served as an entry point for AI-hesitant users, allowing them to feel in control while exploring emerging technologies
What’s next? Scaling AI for impact
Following the successful launch of our initial AI features, I was tasked with designing a unified component to house AI summaries across the Fluxx dashboard, bringing together user data from documents, applications, organizations, and more.
Designed for both novice and advanced users to learn how to interact with an LLM through:
Simplified prompts with guided inputs
Included advanced mode for direct prompt entry
Simple, intuitive interface that feels inviting
Forward-looking design prepared for expansion into future needs and use cases
Phase two of this feature was deprioritized due to shifting priorities, but it laid a strong foundation for future AI initiatives. The designs now inform a broader AI roadmap, guiding multiple upcoming features I’m shaping in close partnership with Product and Engineering leadership.
