Improving Branch Wayfinding in a No-Code Workflow
My Role
Sole product designer supporting the evolution of the branch & merge feature.
Context
The concept of “Branch & Merge” is a well known practice in software development. It’s the process of making a copy of code to safely experiment on, and merging it back into the original codebase once changes are ready, making it safe to collaborate with other developers on the same project.
The Problem
Branch & merge as a new feature had recently been deployed and needed some refinements.
As adoption grew, developers weren’t always sure:
Which branch they were operating in
How branch views connected to the broader application
If we kept layering features on top, the confusion would only grow.
Key Decisions
Fix the foundation first. Prioritize structural clarity over feature expansion.
Make branch context explicit. Users should always know where they are.
Separate navigation from metadata. Reduce noise and cognitive load.
Validate outside the bubble. Test with developers who reflect broader mental models.
Existing IA
Proposed IA
Outcome
Developers could orient themselves without explanation
Engineers aligned around a structure that would scale more cleanly
The team shifted from “add more features” to “stabilize the foundation”
