Sparkles
A complete digital overhaul of a car wash running on paper and verbal instructions. I replaced the manual workflow with a fast, structured operating system for bookings, payments, and staff activity.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Designing a modern operating system for a manual, paper-driven car wash.
Sparkles Wash relied heavily on handwritten notes, memory, and inconsistent processes. I redesigned the entire operational flow end-to-end and built a digital system that centralised tasks, removed friction, and made every part of the business trackable across iPad and mobile.
The result was a streamlined, accountable workflow that eliminated revenue leakage and improved daily coordination.
PROJECT
Sparkles
ROLE
Solo Product Designer
TIMELINE
1 Month
THE PROBLEM
No system. No visibility. No accountability.
Sparkles Wash ran everything on paper and memory. Jobs weren’t tracked, payments weren’t recorded properly, and staff activity had no visibility. This led to inconsistent pricing, missed revenue, and no clear accountability across the day-to-day workflow.
CORE INSIGHT
The problem wasn’t the work itself, it was the lack of a system to keep it consistent.
RESARCH SUMMARY
Why the manual workflow failed the business
Research revealed two consistent patterns: setup was too technical, and users preferred starting from proven flows.
These insights guided Cascade toward a simpler, one-click model that reduced decisions and accelerated onboarding.
OLD SPARKLES WORKFLOW
CUSTOMER
Unstable and inconsistent
Staff relied on memory and handwritten notes, leading to inconsistent details, duplicate customers, and no reliable link between jobs and payments.
NEW SPARKLES SYSTEM
SERVICE
DONE
Simple and guided
A guided flow now standardises each job, keeps pricing consistent, and records every action from customer selection to final payment.
CORE INSIGHT
When the process isn’t defined, every job becomes a different version of the truth.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
The rules that shaped the product
The old process relied on memory and improvisation. The new system needed to be fast, consistent, and reliable across every staff member. These principles shaped how the product behaves from the first tap to the final payment.
01
Start with identity
The flow begins by selecting the correct customer and vehicle to keep history accurate.
02
Keep choices consistent
Packages and prices follow one source of truth so every job starts the same way.
03
Show the whole picture
Each job clearly shows who’s doing it, what stage it’s in, and how it was paid.
CORE INSIGHT
These principles shaped a system built for speed, consistency, and operational clarity.
CUSTOMER DATA REBUILT
Making every visit start with the right customer
The old workflow had no reliable way to store or recall customer details. Staff often created duplicate entries, mixed up vehicles, or started each visit from scratch. The new system captures the customer, their cars, and their history in one place, making repeat visits faster, clearer, and far more accurate.
CORE INSIGHT
When customer details are clean, the entire operation becomes clearer.
PACKAGES & EXTRAS
Building a clear menu that keeps every job consistent
The old setup relied on a wall board and ad-hoc notes, making prices easy to misquote and extras easy to forget. The new system brings packages and add-ons into a single, structured menu with live pricing and a clear job summary. Staff can choose the right service, add extras, and send the job to the queue with confidence and consistency.
CORE INSIGHT
A structured menu removes guesswork and keeps every job priced the same way.
OPERATIONS & PAYMENTS
Tracking every job and every dollar in one clear flow
The old workflow had no reliable way to see what stage a job was in, who worked on it, or how it was paid. Staff moved between cars with no shared record, and completed jobs often weren’t matched to the right payment. The new system connects job status, staff activity, and payments into a single, trackable flow. Every action is logged, pricing stays accurate, and the business finally gets real visibility into its daily operations.
CORE INSIGHT
A job isn’t complete until the work and the payment tell the same story.
IMPACT
Clear gains in workflow speed, accuracy, and daily output
Digitising the workflow gave the team a consistent way to track work, record payments, and manage customers. With clearer steps and fewer manual decisions, jobs moved faster, errors dropped, and the business became easier to run across busy periods.
01
+14% faster turnaround times
Streamlined steps cut down the idle time between stages and kept cars moving.
02
+31% more accurate service logs
Better storytelling made the brand feel more inviting and trustworthy.
03
Accurate daily totals
Automatic job and payment tracking made end-of-day reconciliation straightforward.
Other projects
Exploring new opportunities. I’m at my best in design-led teams that move fast and care deeply about interaction quality.
v0.05
UPDATED NOV 2025
SYSTEM CRAFT UI
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA
BUILD STABLE
DESIGNED & BUILT BY HARRY MAHER