Situation
The Time Entry module within the Workforce Management product had garnered significant customer feedback, predominantly in the form of complaints. Consequently, it was identified as the primary candidate for a redesign initiative leveraging the Redwood design system. This strategic decision underscored our commitment to addressing user concerns promptly and enhancing the overall user experience across our product suite.
Task
As the designated leader, my responsibility entailed spearheading a team of designers through a comprehensive process encompassing evaluation, design conceptualization, and the seamless launch of an enhanced customer experience. Our objective was to deliver a refined aesthetic and functional overhaul, in alignment with the Redwood design system, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive user journey for our clientele. Through meticulous planning, collaboration, and diligent execution, our team achieved the successful realization of this endeavor, setting a new standard for excellence in customer-centric design within our organization.
Action
In response to the challenges posed by a lack of user data and research resources, my team and I pioneered the utilization of the Oracle Self-Service Research program to gather critical insights. Through a series of user interviews and usability studies involving workers and managers, we gained a deep understanding of their goals, tasks, and pain points.
Maintaining regular meetings with our Design, Product, and Engineering teams, I provided updates on our findings and facilitated discussions on the way forward. Our collaborative efforts led to the identification of numerous small yet impactful changes that could significantly enhance the user experience.
However, a significant research finding emerged: across all interviews and studies, the primary pain point identified was page load time, with some users experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes. To address this, we conducted follow-up interviews involving key stakeholders and delved into the system configuration. It became evident that outdated API calls were the root cause of the issue.
Presenting our findings to the head of the HCM organization, initial skepticism surrounded the severity of the page load time problem. Through a detailed examination led by the engineering team, we pinpointed specific areas of the code contributing to the delays. By the end of the meeting, the head of the HCM organization was convinced to prioritize reconfiguring the API calls over launching the redesign.
As a result, we proceeded with the redesign initiative, dedicating extra time to validate the user experience with customers and iterate accordingly. Working closely with the Redwood Design System team, we influenced the development of the new data grid component to ensure it met the needs of both time-entry personnel and reviewing managers, thus ensuring an optimal end-user experience.
Result
During the usability studies conducted on the new experience, users expressed immense satisfaction with the presented changes. Consistently, each customer had posed two crucial questions:
- When could we expect to access the new experience?
- Would this new experience improve the page load time?
We were able to address these inquiries by assuring customers that while we were actively working to enhance the page load time significantly, the implementation of these improvements would slightly delay the launch of the new experience. Encouragingly, every customer had responded positively to this information, expressing a willingness to wait for the new experience in anticipation of the promised enhancements.