Hospitality
Ensuring Continuous Product Delivery During a Six-Month Maternity Leave
6M
of uninterrupted product design delivery
36%
cost savings vs hiring a temporary senior designer
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About
Founded in 2016, HiJiffy aims to improve guest communications in the hospitality industry through conversational AI. With its innovative Guest Communication Hub, HiJiffy bridges the gap between hotels and their guests, automating interactions and increasing revenue from direct bookings and upselling.
Industry
Hospitality
Company size
11-50 employees
Founded
2016
Share
The Company
Ikigai Labs brings order and speed to complex financial operations
HiJiffy operates in a fast-moving SaaS environment where product velocity is tied directly to engineering productivity and customer growth. Product design plays a core role in shaping features and maintaining experience consistency.
The Challenge
Maintaining Velocity During a Key Leave Period
An internal Product Designer was entering maternity leave, creating an immediate risk of slowed releases, blocked engineering work, and delayed roadmap items. HiJiffy needed coverage that could integrate instantly, preserve product coherence, and maintain shipping cadence with minimal onboarding.
The Solution
Design Continuity Through an Embedded Operator
Maestro deployed an experienced Product Designer who embedded directly into HiJiffy’s product rituals and workflows.
The operator:
Joined ongoing initiatives from day one
Collaborated daily with PMs, engineering, and leadership
Delivered UX flows, UI components, and product improvements
Maintained design system consistency across all releases
Worked fully inside HiJiffy’s communication and tooling environment
The integration was seamless, enabling the team to continue operating at full pace.
The Results
Consistent Output Without Adding Headcount
HiJiffy maintained full velocity throughout the six-month leave period, shipped product updates on schedule, and avoided any backlog or engineering blockers — all without expanding headcount.
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