Proposal Generator
Design and launch of a free platform for building tailored business proposals quickly, using templates, modular blocks and automations to cut down on manual work.
The problem
Putting proposals together has always been one of the most laborious parts of my freelance projects.
Over the years, I used all sorts of quote templates. I would find one that worked for a given project, adapt the whole structure and, shortly after, realize it no longer fit the next one. I often spent more time tweaking the document, trying to reach the level of presentation I wanted to convey, than working on the proposal itself.
Talking to other designers, freelancers and service providers, I realized this struggle was a common one. Some adapted old documents, others built proposals by hand, and some simply shared their prices over a message or on a call.
The problem was not a lack of templates. It was finding a structure that could adapt to different projects without rebuilding the proposal for every new quote.
The idea
That pain is what led me to turn a personal need into a product that could be useful to other professionals too.
From the start, the idea was to break the proposal into independent parts. Instead of yet another rigid template, each section would be a block that could be added, removed, reordered and customized to fit the project.
I started with a smaller MVP, bringing together only the essential blocks needed for a complete proposal. The main criterion was simple: the tool had to be easy enough that building the document was faster than adapting an old proposal.
The solution
The product opens straight into the editor. A new proposal starts with a ready-made basic structure, but users can also start from other templates, open previous proposals, start from scratch or save their own structure as a template.
The current version has 31 modular blocks, covering everything from the cover, goals and scope to the timeline, investment, case studies, terms, signature and acceptance.
The entire structure can be reordered and customized. When blocks are added or removed, the layout and the table of contents update automatically. Changes to the investment also recalculate installments, recurring fees and discounts.
The goal is to leave the operational work to the platform and give professionals control over what actually changes from one proposal to the next.
The process
The biggest challenge was balancing freedom and ease of use.
The more possibilities I added, the greater the risk of turning a tool built to save time into yet another complex editor. That is why the main interface went through several versions, especially in its information hierarchy, the organization of its controls and the way blocks are handled.
The same care went into mobile. The app was designed to work well on small screens too: the panels move to a bar at the bottom, the page fits the width of the screen and responsiveness is preserved across the whole flow, from editing to export.
Design and development evolved together. I structured reusable components and patterns directly in the product and used AI as support for planning, exploring features and implementation.
Before launch, I shared the product with other professionals. Those first uses brought in feedback on the interface and helped fix friction points before the public release.
The result
What started as a fix for a problem in my own routine grew into a functional product, ready to be used by other professionals.
The launched version brings together different ways to start a proposal, 31 modular blocks, content and pricing automations, reusable structures, customization and PDF export, all in the same flow, on desktop or mobile.
More important than the number of features, the result was an experience in which users can quickly start from a ready-made structure and still keep control over how each proposal is built.
The product remains free and evolving. Based on real usage, new blocks, adjustments and features can be prioritized according to the needs that come up.
Success metrics
With the product live, I defined a few indicators to track whether the solution really reduces the effort of creating proposals and becomes a recurring part of users' process:
Completion rate
How many started proposals make it all the way to export.
Retention
How many users come back to create a new proposal.
Reuse
How often previous proposals and custom templates are used.
Block usage
Which structures are used the most and which new needs emerge.
This data, together with feedback from the people using the platform, should guide the product's next iterations.
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