Summary
This case study revolves around enhancing workforce management software for an enterprise customer that faced a specific challenge with their contract requirements that was not supported in the software. This case study highlights the process of identifying the problem and devising a cost-effective solution through cross-functional team collaboration.
PROCESS
- Customer interviews
- Collaborative ideation
- Design validation
- Design handoff
DELIVERABLES
- Figma mockups with UI improvements for contract transparency
- New OpenAPI endpoints for external data access
OUTCOMES
- Cost-effective solution
- Transparency and flexibility for the customer
- Cross-functional collaboration
Process
1. Customer interviews
To reduce the risk of working with internal assumption, customer interviews were conducted with the help of a researcher. These interviews provided insights into the workflow, highlighting where and why the contract management issue occurred. Interviews helped to pinpoint the root causes of the issue and document specific user pain points. This ensured that the solution was addressing real user needs.
2. Collaborative ideation
A cross-functional team was assembled for a design sprint. Brainstorming sessions were held to generate solutions that would seamlessly and cost-effectively integrate with the existing system while catering to the customer’s specific needs. The outcome was a solution proposal for the client that included UI improvements for contract transparency and new Open API endpoints for the customer to access the data they needed.
3. Design validation
The design sprint was finished with a usability test of the prototype with the customer. The design validation proved successful, only minor changes to the copy needed to be done afterwards.
4. Design handoff
A document with prioritised list of all design changes and implementation details were handed over to the product manager.
Outcomes
Cost-effective solution
Design sprint with a cross-functional team helped the team to deliver a solution that effectively addressed the customer’s needs without the need of an extensive redesign of the software. This approach ensured minimal disruption to the customer’s existing workflow and reduced implementation costs.
Transparency and flexibility
The UI improvements provided the administrators with a better visibility into contract statuses across departments. The new Open API endpoints empowered the enterprise customer to extract and manipulate contract data according to their specific needs, offering them flexibility,
Conclusion
In conclusion, this project demonstrated the effectiveness of validating the problem with the user and bringing a cross-functional team together to find the most cost-effective solution. All-in-all the discovery and design process for this project took 3 weeks, which included the customer interviews and design validation.