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Summary

Problem area

Design principles

Simplifying nav

Building trust

Guidance

Retrospective

Back

Summary

Problem area

Design principles

Simplifying nav

Building trust

Guidance

Retrospective

Healthcare company

Designing a Custom IT Management MVP

A multinational organization relied on a legacy project management tool that no longer supported modern integration needs or day-to-day decision making. As adoption declined and manual workaround increased, leadership sponsored a new MVP to restore reliability, visibility, and confidence across teams.

Role

Sole product designer

Team

Product Manager

Sr. Business Analyst

18x Engineers

Impact

Launched a new MVP tool that integrated with upstream and downstream platforms,

which 75% business units adopted and funded for enhancements in the next phase.

Role

Sole product designer

Team

Product Manager

Sr. Business Analyst

18x Engineers

Impact

Launched a new MVP tool that integrated with upstream and downstream platforms,

which 75% business units adopted and funded for enhancements in the next phase.

Role

Sole product designer

Team

Product Manager

Sr. Business Analyst

18x Engineers

Impact

Launched a new MVP tool that integrated with upstream and downstream platforms,

which 75% business units adopted and funded for enhancements in the next phase.

Problem space

Rebuilding trust & usability under delivery constraints

I conducted interviews and workshops with key stakeholders to diagnose why the previous tool failed. The compiled information helped align stakeholders on the direction.

Key Insights:

Data Distrust

IT leads couldn’t produce accurate reports due to missing or incorrect data.

Data Distrust

IT leads couldn’t produce accurate reports due to missing or incorrect data.

Data Distrust

IT leads couldn’t produce accurate reports due to missing or incorrect data.

Fragmented Workflows

Project leads tracked information on disconnected spreadsheets.

Fragmented Workflows

Project leads tracked information on disconnected spreadsheets.

Fragmented Workflows

Project leads tracked information on disconnected spreadsheets.

Manual Overload

Version control and syncing were manual, causing time loss and errors.

Manual Overload

Version control and syncing were manual, causing time loss and errors.

Manual Overload

Version control and syncing were manual, causing time loss and errors.

User Behavior Insight

Two out of three users navigated via post-it notes, fearing getting lost or clicking the wrong button would cause irreversible errors.

User Behavior Insight

Two out of three users navigated via post-it notes, fearing getting lost or clicking the wrong button would cause irreversible errors.

User Behavior Insight

Two out of three users navigated via post-it notes, fearing getting lost or clicking the wrong button would cause irreversible errors.

Legacy product issues

Opportunity 1: Efficiency

Reduce manual data entry by 40% through automated upstream integrations.

Opportunity 1: Efficiency

Reduce manual data entry by 40% through automated upstream integrations.

Opportunity 1: Efficiency

Reduce manual data entry by 40% through automated upstream integrations.

Opportunity 2: Consolidation

Replace fragmented SharePoint workflows with a single source of truth.

Opportunity 2: Consolidation

Replace fragmented SharePoint workflows with a single source of truth.

Opportunity 2: Consolidation

Replace fragmented SharePoint workflows with a single source of truth.

Opportunity 3: Accuracy

Address usability issues to ensure accurate data entry for year-end reports, increasing overall product adoption.

Opportunity 3: Accuracy

Address usability issues to ensure accurate data entry for year-end reports, increasing overall product adoption.

Opportunity 3: Accuracy

Address usability issues to ensure accurate data entry for year-end reports, increasing overall product adoption.

Design principles

Grounded in operational scale and user behavior

Simplify navigation

Reduce the learning curve and time-on-task.

Simplify navigation

Reduce the learning curve and time-on-task.

Simplify navigation

Reduce the learning curve and time-on-task.

Build trust

Implement real-time data syncing so users trust the screen they are looking at.

Build trust

Implement real-time data syncing so users trust the screen they are looking at.

Build trust

Implement real-time data syncing so users trust the screen they are looking at.

Contextual Guidance

Minimize cognitive load with "just-in-time" tooltips and inline validation.

Contextual Guidance

Minimize cognitive load with "just-in-time" tooltips and inline validation.

Contextual Guidance

Minimize cognitive load with "just-in-time" tooltips and inline validation.

Simplifying navigation

Designs to enhance usability

Users had trouble navigating their existing tool, even though it was around for years. Two out of three users relied on written notes to navigate tasks and avoided exploring the tool for fear of making errors.

1. Tabular Layouts

Replaced long, generalized categories with contextual tabs, resembling spreadsheet layouts

1. Tabular Layouts

Replaced long, generalized categories with contextual tabs, resembling spreadsheet layouts

1. Tabular Layouts

Replaced long, generalized categories with contextual tabs, resembling spreadsheet layouts

2. Global List View

List page allowed users to view all their recent project data and search for specific items instantly

2. Global List View

List page allowed users to view all their recent project data and search for specific items instantly

2. Global List View

List page allowed users to view all their recent project data and search for specific items instantly

3. Status Visibility

Exposed project status at a glance—data that didn’t exist in the past

3. Status Visibility

Exposed project status at a glance—data that didn’t exist in the past

3. Status Visibility

Exposed project status at a glance—data that didn’t exist in the past

Building trust

Seamless integration of data across the platforms

The previous tool required manual data transfer, leading to human error and "bad data."

1. Real-Time Sync

Incorporated a look-up tied to live data sources.

1. Real-Time Sync

Incorporated a look-up tied to live data sources.

1. Real-Time Sync

Incorporated a look-up tied to live data sources.

2. Automated Validation

Removed the need for double-entry. If it exists in the upstream tool, it exists here.

2. Automated Validation

Removed the need for double-entry. If it exists in the upstream tool, it exists here.

2. Automated Validation

Removed the need for double-entry. If it exists in the upstream tool, it exists here.

3. Approval Gates

Built in a check/approval process to ensure accountability.

3. Approval Gates

Built in a check/approval process to ensure accountability.

3. Approval Gates

Built in a check/approval process to ensure accountability.

Contextual guidance

Integrating narrative into the tool

Connecting data for the new tool wasn’t enough. Users needed to understand how the data arrived in the tool and the language used to learn how the tool operated in order to complete their task appropriately.

What I learned testing with users: don't rely on assumptions

1. Plain Language

Replaced system jargon with familiar terminology.

1. Plain Language

Replaced system jargon with familiar terminology.

1. Plain Language

Replaced system jargon with familiar terminology.

2. Inline Validation

Provided immediate feedback after input to prevent submission errors, rather than generic error messages at the end.

2. Inline Validation

Provided immediate feedback after input to prevent submission errors, rather than generic error messages at the end.

2. Inline Validation

Provided immediate feedback after input to prevent submission errors, rather than generic error messages at the end.

3. Pre-Submit Review

Created a "Review" state, allowing users to verify final inputs before committing to the database.

3. Pre-Submit Review

Created a "Review" state, allowing users to verify final inputs before committing to the database.

3. Pre-Submit Review

Created a "Review" state, allowing users to verify final inputs before committing to the database.

Retrospective

Designing for contextual literacy and awareness into a complex process

I prioritized lean concept testing by validating prototyped ideas with key users to understand how they read data, made decisions, and complete their tasks. This ‘testing in the margins’ allowed early course corrections without delaying development.

As the complexity of UI logic increased, I adjusted my approach–moving from lighter design artifacts to more explicit interaction logic, annotated wireframes, and flow maps. This gave engineering a shared source of truth, reduced QA churn, and allowed the team to move quickly without sacrificing correctness.

Impact

Empowered businesses

Business leads could track performance in minutes and make faster decisions.

Empowered businesses

Business leads could track performance in minutes and make faster decisions.

Empowered businesses

Business leads could track performance in minutes and make faster decisions.

Increased retention

Tool became central to workflows, increasing engagement and governance compliance.

Increased retention

Tool became central to workflows, increasing engagement and governance compliance.

Increased retention

Tool became central to workflows, increasing engagement and governance compliance.

Increased efficiency

Reduced delivery time from weeks to days, accelerating analysis and tracking.

Increased efficiency

Reduced delivery time from weeks to days, accelerating analysis and tracking.

Increased efficiency

Reduced delivery time from weeks to days, accelerating analysis and tracking.