Swipe to read

FreshBooks

Designing the first iteration of Bank Reconciliation to make double-entry accounting accessible to small business owners

FreshBooks had begun expanding beyond invoicing into full double-entry accounting, helping small businesses run their business without needing to learn accounting.

I led the design of the first iteration of the Bank Reconciliation feature and continued shaping the product through beta, working closely with engineering, product, support, and accounting specialists.

FreshBooks problem

Bank reconciliation is slow, error-prone, and intimidating for non-accountants

For many small businesses, reconciling accounts means manually reviewing every bank transaction and ensuring it is allocated correctly. The process is time-consuming and often technically confusing.
As a result, owners either outsource it, rush it and risked errors, or avoid it altogether, risking inaccuracies and adding stress to tax.
Bank reconciliation
Smart match
Match page

We designed a guided, tactile workflow that helps owners reconcile transactions gradually rather once a month

FreshBooks automatically imports bank transactions and suggests likely matches to existing entries, turning a long monthly task into small, frequent actions.
When a match can't be made automatically, users can search, allocate manually, or create a missing entry without leaving the workflow. The interface is made to feel clear and controlled, reducing cognitive load while maintaining accounting accuracy.
Bank reconciliation
Match page

Post-beta, we stabilised and evolved the feature based on engagement data and qualitative testing

Following the December 2018 beta launch, we prioritised improvements across bugs, edge cases, unsupported workflows, and usability friction.
I worked with product and engineering to sequence enhancements that improved clarity and reliability, ensuring the feature could support a growing cohort of small businesses with varying levels of accounting confidence.
Design process

I facilitated cross-functional collaboration to translate accounting complexity into usable product decisions

Each initiative began with a full-team kickoff, bringing support representatives and accounting experts into the room alongside product and engineering.
I facilitated problem framing and early solution sketching before breaking concepts into discrete, buildable pieces. This approach created shared ownership, incorporated domain expertise early, and ensured we balanced technical solutions with outcomes for the user.