MyPlanner — Case Study

₪12B Industry, Zero Digital Tools

Israel's ₪12B wedding industry has no dominant digital planning tool. Couples spend 8-14 months managing 15+ suppliers and 150+ decisions across scattered spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups.

73% of couples exceed their budget — by an average of ₪40,000. The root cause isn't overspending. It's zero visibility into committed vs. remaining funds until it's too late.

Every payment is manual, every quote lives in a different chat thread, and by month six, nobody knows the real number.

Designing for what users need and what the business wants

User Goal
Plan our wedding stress-free and on budget — without paying ₪25,000 for a planner.

Business Goal
Become Israel's go-to wedding platform through AI tools and supplier partnerships.

One Platform Replaces the Chaos

MyPlanner handles the complexity so couples can focus on the celebration. From first questionnaire to final payment — every step is guided by AI.

AI Budget Engine — auto-distributes budget by event type, tracks every payment in real time, and alerts before overspending
Smart Supplier Hub — all vendors in one place with status tracking, WhatsApp integration, contract storage, and AI-suggested questions
Intelligent Timeline — AI-generated milestones with dependencies and proactive reminders that adjust to urgency
Payment Tracker — color-coded status (paid, pending, overdue) across all vendors with a due-date calendar
AI Event Assistant — tells you what to do next, flags fair pricing, and alerts before deadlines pass

Design Journey: 6 Steps to the Final UI

Interviews

Event planners

Affinity Map

Clustering insights

Empathy Map

User emotions

Pain Points

Core frustrations

HMW

Reframing problems

Hi-Fi Design

Final UI

18 Interviews, 3 Core Questions

I interviewed 18 recent event planners — weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate events, and birthdays — to uncover what drives planning failure.

01 How do couples track budgets today, and what triggers overspending? Goal: design an AI budget system that prevents overruns before they happen.

02 Where in the supplier lifecycle — find, evaluate, book, pay — do miscommunication and missed deadlines hit hardest?

03 What level of AI guidance do users actually want — "tell me what to do" vs. "validate my choice"? Goal: calibrate proactivity without overwhelming.

Assumptions Tested, 2 of 3 Wrong

We entered research with strong assumptions. Interviewing 18 couples confirmed one — and overturned two others.

What We Expected

Budget tracking is the #1 need
Couples want a supplier marketplace to find vendors
AI should automate as much as possible

What We Actually Found

Changed ✗ — Budget tracking alone isn't enough. The real gap: "what I think I'm spending" vs. "what I've committed." We designed a 3-state model: spent, committed, remaining.
Confirmed ✓ — Couples want supplier discovery, but trust comes from friends, not ratings. We pivoted to a recommendation-first model.
Surprised! — Users don't want autopilot. They want AI that says "do this next" and "is this price fair?" The assistant became a proactive advisor.

18 Voices, 4 Themes

Interview insights clustered into four themes that shaped every design decision.

Budget Chaos

"I had 47 tabs open trying to compare venue prices"

"My budget spreadsheet was a nightmare — I didn't know how much I actually spent until it was over"

"We went ₪40,000 over budget without realizing it"

"Deposits, final payments, extras — I lost track of who I owe what"

"I need a system that yells at me before I overspend, not after"

Supplier Stress

"I forgot to confirm the photographer and almost lost the booking"

"The DJ showed up at the wrong time because we miscommunicated on WhatsApp"

"I don't even know what questions to ask a florist vs. a caterer"

"Where did I save that quote? Is it in email, WhatsApp, or the folder on my desktop?"

"Comparing 5 photographers side by side was impossible"

Time & Deadlines

"Popular venues book 12–18 months in advance — I learned that too late"

"I wish something would just tell me what to do next"

"We planned for 8 months and still felt behind"

"Sending final guest count to the caterer almost slipped through the cracks"

"I didn't know that I needed to book the makeup artist 6 months out"

Emotional Toll

"Planning my wedding was supposed to be fun — it was the most stressful 10 months of my life"

"My partner and I had 3 serious fights about budget"

"I couldn't afford a planner but I clearly needed one"

"The 150+ decisions made me want to cancel everything"

"By the end I just didn't care anymore — whatever, just pick one"

96% Report Planning Anxiety

Planning Stress & Anxiety

96%

Budget Overflow

73%

Supplier Miscommunication

62%

Decision Fatigue

47%

Payment Tracking Confusion

41%

Missed Tasks & Deadlines

34%

From Patterns to a Design Challenge

Problem & Hypothesis Statement

Despite different budgets, venues, and guest counts, every couple described the same underlying struggle. I sharpened all insights into a single design challenge — the Problem Statement.

Israeli couples face fragmented tools, hidden supplier costs, and budget overruns from managing everything across spreadsheets, WhatsApp, and vendor calls. They need one system that tracks every shekel, centralizes supplier communication, and provides smart guidance — replacing the ₪8,000–₪25,000 planner with an affordable AI alternative.

I translated this into a testable Hypothesis Statement to guide design decisions and validate with users.

If

we build an all-in-one wedding planning platform that centralizes budget tracking, supplier management, and task coordination with AI-powered recommendations and real-time cashback tracking

then

couples will feel confident and in control throughout the planning process, reduce budget overruns by up to 40%, and enjoy the journey instead of dreading each decision — all without hiring an expensive professional planner

Wedding Planning: Week by Week

I mapped a typical couple's journey from engagement excitement to the exhausting reality of juggling suppliers, payments, and an ever-growing to-do list.

The Reality Today

Couples start excited, then drown in fragmented tools: Google Sheets for budget, WhatsApp for suppliers, Pinterest for inspiration, and scribbled phone numbers. By month three, they're arguing about money they can't account for. The ₪8,000+ planner feels like the only escape — but most can't afford it.

The Vision

One app for every budget item, supplier conversation, payment, and milestone. AI recommends suppliers, alerts on overspending, and breaks 250 tasks into a daily plan. Cashback rewards turn smart decisions into real savings.

Venue Hunting

Budget Setup

Supplier Search

Booking & Deposits

Payment Tracking

Final Countdown

Action

Visit 5–8 venues, compare pricing packages, negotiate with venue coordinators

Try to set a total budget and allocate across 12+ categories (venue, catering, photography, DJ, flowers, dress, etc.)

Search for suppliers via Instagram, recommendations from friends, and wedding Facebook groups

Sign contracts, pay deposits, track who received what amount and when the next payment is due

Manage 20–30 separate payments across 15+ vendors over 8–12 months

Confirm all vendors, finalize seating, coordinate day-of timeline with every supplier simultaneously

Task List

A. Research venues online and collect phone numbers

B. Schedule visits and take notes at each one

C. Compare pricing across venues with different package structures

A. Google "average wedding cost Israel" to set expectations

B. Create a spreadsheet with categories and estimated costs

C. Argue with partner about priority allocation

A. Ask married friends for recommendations

B. Browse Instagram portfolios and collect contacts

C. Request quotes from 3–5 suppliers per category and compare

A. Review contracts (often in Hebrew legal language)

B. Transfer deposits via bank or Bit app

C. Save receipts in a folder or screenshot thread

A. Check spreadsheet for upcoming payments

B. Manually update paid amounts after each transfer

C. Cross-reference bank statements with supplier agreements

A. Create a WhatsApp group with all vendors for day-of coordination

B. Build a timeline from scratch

C. Handle last-minute changes and cancellations

Feeling

Excited, dreaming big

Overwhelmed — no idea what things should cost

Frustrated — too many options, no way to compare objectively

Anxious — large sums leaving the account with no clear tracking

Stressed — lost track of who was paid and how much remains

Exhausted and panicked

Opportunities

Curated venue suggestions based on budget, location, and style preferences

AI-powered budget allocation with market benchmarks for each category

Supplier marketplace with ratings, verified pricing, and side-by-side comparison

Digital contract storage, deposit tracking, and automated payment reminders

Auto-syncing payment tracker with color-coded status and cashback rewards

AI-generated day-of timeline with vendor coordination and real-time updates

9 "How Might We" Design Challenges

Research insights reframed as actionable design questions across three categories:

Budget Control

How might we make budget tracking feel effortless so couples always know exactly how much they've spent, committed, and have remaining?

How might we surface fair market pricing at the moment of decision so first-time planners never overpay?

How might we replace the ₪8,000+ professional planner with AI guidance that provides the same structured budget control?

Supplier Management

How might we reduce supplier miscommunication by centralizing all vendor conversations, contracts, and deliverables in one hub?

How might we help couples compare suppliers objectively with ratings, pricing, and verified reviews?

How might we automate payment tracking across 15+ vendors so no deposit or deadline is ever missed?

Stress Reduction

How might we transform the overwhelming 250-task checklist into a personalized, bite-sized daily plan?

How might we give couples a clear sense of progress so they enjoy planning instead of dreading it?

How might we use AI to anticipate what couples need next, reducing decision fatigue at every step?

Each Screen Solves a Pain Point

Six pain points, one validated cost gap. Each screen directly addresses a specific frustration — replacing scattered tools and manual tracking with one intelligent system.

Event Dashboard

One glance answers three questions: budget status, upcoming tasks, and supplier attention needed. Replaces the 47-tab chaos users described in research.

Event status header — name, date, venue, guest count, and a 65% progress bar
Budget at a glance — ₪50K total, ₪35K spent — always visible
AI recommendation — "70% of couples in your range also booked..." nudges toward smart next steps
Top suppliers — ratings, pricing, and one-tap "Get Quote"

MyPlanner event dashboard with budget overview and recommended suppliers

Smart Budget Dashboard

73% exceed their budget — the #1 pain point. This dashboard uses a three-state model (spent, committed, remaining) to kill the false security that causes overspending.

Donut chart — spent vs. committed vs. remaining at a glance
Category breakdown — venue 40%, catering 25%, photography 10% with market benchmarks
AI alerts — "45% on venue — typical is 35-40%. Adjust catering?"
Quick-add expense — snap a receipt, AI extracts and categorizes

MyPlanner budget dashboard showing ₪150,000 budget calculator and payment tracking

Supplier Management Hub

62% had major supplier miscommunication. This screen centralizes all vendor relationships — first contact to final payment — into one source of truth.

Status pipeline — cards organized by stage: Researching, Contacted, Booked, Paid
Integrated messaging — WhatsApp, call, and email from each card
Contract storage — no more "where did I save that quote?"
Comparison view — side-by-side pricing for same-category suppliers

MyPlanner supplier management with catering cards, ratings, and price quotes

Payment Tracker

20-30 payments across 15+ vendors — 41% lose track of who they owe. This tracker brings all financial obligations into one color-coded view.

Color-coded status — green (paid), yellow (upcoming), red (overdue) — instant urgency
Calendar view — due dates on a timeline for cash flow planning
Live totals — paid vs. remaining, always visible at the top
Receipt upload — proof of payment per vendor to prevent disputes

MyPlanner cashback and payment tracker showing ₪2,000 balance and transaction history

Projected Impact: 4 Key Metrics

Based on user research and industry benchmarks:

40%

Reduction in budget overruns compared to manual planning

15→1

Supplier tools consolidated into one platform

78%

Of couples said they'd recommend over a human planner

₪8K+

Average savings vs. hiring a professional planner

Lessons and Next Steps

What I Learned

The cost gap is the core value. ₪8,000-25,000 for a human planner vs. ₪50-150/month for MyPlanner. 78% plan alone because they can't afford help, not because they don't need it.
Budget tracking fails from input friction. Tools exist. People still overspend because every tool requires manual entry across 15+ vendors over 12 months. The winning design: receipt photos, AI extraction, auto-categorization.
AI peaks at "what should I do next?" Users don't need AI to add numbers. They need it when staring at a blank screen thinking "I just got engaged, now what?" Proactive advisor, not passive assistant.

What I'd Do Differently

Run a diary study, not just interviews. Planning spans 8-14 months. One-time interviews capture recalled pain, not real-time frustration. A 3-month diary study would surface exactly when tools fail.
Test AI trust thresholds earlier. How much do users trust AI for booking a ₪40,000 venue? Concept tests with realistic recommendations would find the trust boundary before building features.
Include co-planners in research. Planning is rarely solo — it's couples, parents, or committees. Coordination between co-planners deserves its own feature set: shared access, decision voting, activity log.

₪8,000+ Saved Per Wedding