Pre-meeting research · 2026-05-24

What veterans and new agents say when they walk this design

Before the SC team review, we stress-tested the 13-frame walkthrough against two simulated agent personas to surface UX assumptions that need real-user validation. The findings below are hypotheses to test in the room, not facts. Each section is one piece of input you can bring to the conversation.

2 personas walked

13 frames covered

10 assumptions ranked by risk

5 adoption red flags predicted

5 Tier-A changes recommended

01The two personas

Confirmed adoption-critical: veteran agents are the swing vote on whether the team standardizes on the tool. New agents are the highest-volume daily users.

Mike · Veteran agent

6 yr tenure · 80–110 daily actions

Pipeline: Heavy renewals + repeat referrals, light RR
Monthly goal: $60–70K · hits 95%+ consistently
Workflow: Self-directed. Knows his book.
Pain points: Comments tab copy-paste · generic coaching · system reordering his work mid-day
Respects: Better data, more agency
Resents: Tools that explain his job to him · public performance metrics · streak counters · surprise system behavior
Adoption risk: HIGH

Tasha · New agent

4 mo tenure · 25–40 daily actions

Pipeline: Mostly RR new leads, building first renewal book
Monthly goal: $35–45K · hits 60–80% with variance
Workflow: Coached-driven. Wants structure.
Pain points: "What do I do right now" · learning what good looks like · fear of dropping leads · calling reluctance
Respects: Tools that teach · tools that show progress · encouraging framing
Resents: Alarmist language · hidden rules · tools that surface her struggles to GMs without control
Adoption risk: MEDIUM

02Frame-by-frame walkthrough

What each persona said in their own voice as they encountered each frame, followed by the underlying assumption to validate.

01 Pipeline · On Pace See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"This is Action Today with stuff bolted on top. Will the pacing bar match Luke's pacing tool? If they show different numbers I'll ignore both. And 'Focus queue · 15' — what's the rule? I want to see what's in vs out."

Tasha, new

"I love the activity targets — 12 of 15 focus actions done is clear. But '$14,200 in pipeline value at risk' is scary. Will Dustin see that?"

AssumptionAgents trust auto-curated Focus queues. Reality may be that agents need to see the rule for inclusion or they treat the queue as suggestion-only.

Adoption riskIf the pacing bar shows different numbers from Luke's pacing tool even once, both tools die.

02 Pipeline · Behind Pace (sad path) See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Red banner across the top? Don't tell me I'm behind. I know. Just hand me the data. And 'Recovery queue' is the system reordering my work for me. I built my order."

Tasha, new

"'$8,200 behind' hits hard. The recovery queue button is helpful — I want to know what to do. But could the language be less harsh? 'Here's how to catch up' instead of 'Behind pace.'"

AssumptionAgents want the system to surface a recovery plan when behind. Reality: veterans experience it as paternalism, new agents need it.

Tier-A fixMake the behind-pace banner dismissable with a persistent "Show recovery queue" link in the page header. Reframe copy: "$8,200 below goal · 6 working days left" instead of "Behind pace by $8,200."

03 Lead Detail Drawer See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Why is this lead cooling — I don't need that explained to me. Auto-collapse it. The action timeline is useful though, that's just history."

Tasha, new

"The 'Why is this cooling' card is gold. It teaches me the rules without making me ask. Quick actions save so many clicks."

AssumptionShowing the cooling rule on every lead is helpful. Reality: helpful for new agents, noise for veterans.

Fix"Why is this lead cooling?" card collapses by default. Toggle to "Always expand" in agent settings.

04 Day Drilldown / Redistribute See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Auto-moving 12 of my actions to other days? Hell no. The 'Review each' button is the only path I'd touch. Even then I'd probably do it manually."

Tasha, new

"Mondays are scary, so anything that takes load off is great. But I'd want my SM to sanity-check the moves."

AssumptionAgents want a one-click "auto-balance" button. Reality: nobody wants the button, everyone wants "show me, then I approve."

Tier-A fix"Review proposed moves" becomes the primary CTA, "Apply all" becomes secondary. Auto-balance defaults to OFF in agent settings.

05 Cooling Triage See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Grouping by 'Recover / Push Hard / Close Out' — who decided? My James Whitfield might be 'close out' to the system but I had a real conversation last week. The bulk close is OK only if I can override the grouping."

Tasha, new

"Bulk mark lost feels scary. What if I'm wrong? Can I undo? And 'still likely to close' — who decides 'likely'?"

AssumptionAlgorithmic grouping of cooling leads is helpful. Reality: veterans see grouping as opinion, not fact.

FixEach group label gets a tooltip explaining the rule. Bulk close shows a 5-second undo toast. Add a "Move group" affordance.

06 Focus Queue Cleared See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Streak counter? Pass. I'm not playing a video game. I close the tab when I'm done."

Tasha, new

"I love the streak count. It gives me a reason to come back tomorrow. The 'Done for today' permission is reassuring."

AssumptionStreak counters reinforce desired behavior. Reality: gamification is polarizing.

FixSetting "Show streak counters" with three options: Always / Cleared-state-only / Off. Default to Cleared-state-only.

07 Morning Briefing See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"I open Action Today and start working. I don't need a 'good morning' modal blocking my screen."

Tasha, new

"This is my favorite frame. Five cards tell me everything. The 'Suggested first move' card takes the decision off me. I'd start every day with this."

AssumptionA daily briefing modal is welcome. Reality: only welcome to a subset of agents. Modal blocking is universally annoying.

Tier-A fixMake it a panel that lives at the top of the page, not a blocking modal. Veterans collapse it. New agents leave it open.

08 Week Planning · Drag Calendar See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"This is Luke's original calendar idea. If it's faster than the existing Week view I'll try it. The capacity dots are useful — that's what I'd want."

Tasha, new

"Drag and drop feels modern but I'm not sure when I'd use it. Sunday night planning, maybe? My week tends to just happen."

AssumptionAgents want a forward-planning surface. Reality: many work day-by-day. May be a behavior the tool needs to teach, not assume.

FixPrioritize the daily redistribute modal (F04) over the full week planner. Week view ships in Phase 2, not Phase 1.

09 GM Team Dashboard (Dustin) See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Is Dustin going to use this against me? If my row goes red, what happens? Who can see my cooling exposure number?"

Tasha, new

"I hope my SM has this. They can see when I'm struggling and reach out. But I'd want to see it too — am I locked out of my own GM view?"

AssumptionGMs will use this for coaching, not surveillance. Reality: depends on culture. Some agents will assume worst.

Tier-A fixAdd a "what GMs can see" disclosure in agent settings. Build trust through transparency. Consider giving agents read access to their own row.

10 Agent Detail / Coaching View See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Sticky-note coaching from Dustin showing up on my work surface? That's micromanagement. Slack me. Pull me aside in person."

Tasha, new

"YES. Async coaching tied to specific leads is so much better than vague 1:1s. I want my SM to leave context-rich notes."

AssumptionAgents want async coaching in-product. Reality: depends on coaching culture and individual relationship with GM.

FixCoaching notes opt-in per agent. Default ON for new agents, OFF for veterans (tenure-based auto-flip after 2 years).

11 Voice Memo · Auto-Transcribed Comments See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Wait — this saves to the comments tab automatically? I never use the comments tab because copy-paste is hell. If I just talk and it writes the comment, I'd actually do it. Skeptical the transcription will be accurate enough for sensitive notes though."

Tasha, new

"Game-changer. I never know what to put in comments. The action extraction chips look amazing — like the system already knows what to do next."

AssumptionVoice memo will see high adoption from both veterans and new agents. Reality: strongest positive signal of any frame.

FixAdd privacy/accuracy disclaimer in the modal. Default to "Edit before saving" on the first 5 memos per agent. After that, "Save directly" becomes available.

12 Bulk Text Campaign See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Sending the same text to 6 different cooling leads feels lazy. My leads know me individually. Templated text would burn relationships."

Tasha, new

"I'd use this more for first-touch outreach to new leads than for cooling. Templates would save me time when I don't know what to say."

AssumptionBulk text is a workflow agents want. Reality: bulk anything in relationship-driven sales is risky.

Tier-A fixReposition Frame 12 from "Bulk text" to "Outreach Assist". Cap at 8 recipients with mandatory per-recipient review.

13 Auto-Balance Week See frame ↗

Mike, veteran

"Same answer as Frame 4. Auto-balance my week? No. Show me the proposal, let me approve."

Tasha, new

"Yes please. The before/after view is helpful. The rules list builds my trust. I'd let the system do this on a Sunday night."

AssumptionAgents want a weekly auto-balance button. Reality: nobody wants the button, everyone wants the preview.

FixDefault to "Review each move" as the primary CTA. "Apply all" becomes secondary, requires opt-in checkbox on first use.

03What ties it all together

Seven themes that emerged across every frame, ranked by impact on the design.

Veterans want agency, new agents want structure

Every frame has this split. The design must serve both without one dictating to the other. Settings + sensible defaults are the answer.

The comments-tab pain is universal

Voice memo (F11) is the highest-leverage feature in the entire walkthrough. Both personas would adopt it.

Auto-anything is suspect

Default to "preview + approve" patterns, not "apply now." Veterans reject any flow where the system commits an action they didn't review.

GM-facing surfaces trigger anxiety

Surveillance fear is a feature, not a bug. Address it explicitly with transparency UX, don't hide that GMs can see the data.

Behind-pace messaging is the most polarizing copy in the system

Veterans dismiss alarmist framing. New agents internalize it as failure. Word choice matters here more than anywhere.

Streaks & gamification are polarizing

Don't kill, make optional. Veterans hide them. New agents lean on them.

Bulk text is dangerous in relationship sales

Reposition as "outreach assist" with mandatory personalization. The pain (sending 6 individual texts is slow) is real, but the cure isn't true bulk send.

04Critical UX assumptions to validate

Each row is a meeting discussion item. The team's answers turn assumptions into facts.

#	Assumption	Risk	How to test
1	Pacing bar will mirror Luke's pacing tool exactly	High	Side-by-side comparison test on the same agent + day
2	Cooling thresholds (1d new, 2d renewal, 5d follow-up) match real workflow	High	Show 10 cooling examples, ask veterans "would you call this cooling?"
3	Auto-grouping in triage feels accurate	High	Compare algorithm's "close out" pile vs agent's manual sort on same 20 leads
4	Voice memo transcription is accurate enough for sensitive notes	High	Pilot with 5 agents recording 10 calls each, measure edit rate
5	GM dashboard surveillance fear is manageable with transparency UX	Medium	Show the dashboard to 3 agents, measure anxiety signal
6	Streak counter motivates retention without annoying veterans	Medium	Setting toggle from day one with usage data
7	Morning briefing is welcome (vs annoying modal)	Medium	Switch from modal to top-of-page panel, A/B
8	Behind-pace banner motivates action vs demotivates	High	A/B test copy variants with two cohorts
9	Bulk text is a workflow agents will use	Medium	Reposition as outreach assist, validate cap-at-8 + per-recipient review
10	Async coaching notes feel helpful vs surveillance	High	Opt-in default with tenure-based auto-flip; pilot with 1 GM

05Adoption red flags

Predicted failure modes if we ship without resolving the assumptions above.

1 · Veteran agent abandonment on first system disagreement

If the pacing bar shows different numbers from Luke's pacing tool even once, Mike-types abandon both tools. Cost: 50%+ of experienced pipeline value uses other tools.

2 · GM dashboard creates anxiety-driven workarounds

Agents may start padding metrics (marking leads as "in progress" longer to avoid cooling tag) to game the dashboard. Cost: data quality degradation across the entire CRM.

3 · Bulk text → lead complaints

First time an agent sends a clumsy template to 6 leads, one of them complains to a higher-up. Phase 2 of bulk text gets pulled. Cost: lose the feature entirely.

4 · Voice memo accuracy issues in noisy environments

Agents on car rides or in restaurants get bad transcripts, stop using it. Cost: lose the killer feature.

5 · Coaching notes weaponized

GM uses sticky-note coaching to document poor performance pre-PIP. One agent finds out, story spreads, all agents disable. Cost: lose the GM-facing value.

06Recommended changes before the team meeting

Five changes that would meaningfully shift how the team reacts in the room.

Tier AWorth a small iteration before next week

1Behind-pace banner → dismissable + reframed copy

"$8,200 below goal · 6 working days left" instead of "Behind pace by $8,200." Critical because it's the most polarizing copy and the team will react to it.

2Morning briefing modal → top-of-page panel

Same content, no interrupt. Defends against the "we don't want to force a modal on veterans" objection.

3Auto-balance + Day redistribute CTAs reordered

"Review proposed moves" as primary, "Apply all" as secondary. Defends against the veteran-agent automation distrust.

4Bulk text reframed as "Outreach Assist"

Cap at 8 recipients with mandatory per-recipient review. Removes the "you're encouraging spam" objection.

5GM-facing surfaces add a transparency disclosure

"Here's what your GM sees" view in agent settings. Defends against surveillance anxiety questions Dustin will get from his team.

Tier BWorth flagging, but probably wait for real-user signal

6Streak counter setting

3 options: Always / Cleared-state-only / Off. Default to Cleared-state-only.

7Coaching notes opt-in with tenure-based default

Default ON for new agents, OFF for veterans (auto-flip at 2 years).

8"Why is this cooling?" card collapsible by default

Veterans collapse. New agents leave open. Toggle in settings.

9Cooling triage group labels need tooltips

Each group label gets a tooltip explaining the rule.

10Voice memo accuracy disclaimer + edit-before-save default

First 5 memos per agent default to "Edit before saving". After that, "Save directly" becomes available.

07Suggested 30-minute meeting plan

Don't bring solutions to the assumption questions — bring the questions themselves.

5 min

Speed walkthrough. All 13 frames at high speed via the live URL.

15 min

Work the assumption table. Open Section 04 above, go row by row, capture team's answers.

5 min

Tier-A changes review. Get sign-off or pushback on the 5 changes in Section 06.

5 min

Pick Phase 1. Decide the 2-3 frames to push to Figma dev-ready handoff.

The output of this meeting becomes the input to Phase 1 development. The goal is to walk out with 10 validated assumptions and 3 prioritized flows.