Foundational Treasury Research
Laying the groundwork through extensive product research to inform design decisions.
2023 | Deel
Time frame: 1 month
My roles: Researcher and UX designer
Contextualizing
When I joined the Treasury team, I found a unique situation where there had been no prior involvement of designers. The entire product had been exclusively developed by engineers, devoid of any prior assessments on user flows or use cases.
Problem Description
After interviews and user feedback, these were the problems we identified during a brief discussion with the PM:
User Experience Challenges:
Users face usability issues with TMS, including complex flows, confusing navigation, and a cluttered UI. This results in friction during interactions and negatively impacts the user experience that can delay task completion.
Lack of Clear Flows:
Users struggle to understand the various flows within the TMS product, hindering their ability to complete tasks efficiently. There are often unnecessary steps and excessive clicks, causing frustration and inefficiency.
Integration Gaps:
Users frequently need to switch between our TMS product and other tools or platforms, such as the Deel platform or Excel, without clear documentation or seamless integration. This lack of clarity disrupts their workflow and creates confusion.
Design System Misalignment:
The TMS product does not adhere to the company's Design System, leading to a visually cluttered and inconsistent user interface. This misalignment affects the perception of the product's quality and professionalism.
App Audit
The app audit served as a means for me to gain context and begin identifying certain pain points. Initially, I conducted the audit, and as I progressed through the interviews, I added notes based on what was mentioned by the users to ensure I didn't lose context.
Research Plan
Assumptions
Thoroughly mapping and understanding user flows will lead to the identification of gaps and opportunities to enhance the user experience. Addressing these insights will likely result in a more user-friendly and efficient product, potentially increasing user satisfaction and task completion rates.
Implementing substantial updates to the user interface and ensuring alignment with the company's Design System can significantly improve users' perception of the product. This alignment will likely contribute to a more integrated, cohesive, and polished user experience, fostering a sense of familiarity and professionalism among users.
Simplifying the information hierarchy and navigation structure by consolidating in-page actions, such as using pop-ups and grouping separate pages into tabs within a main page, enhances scalability and user-friendliness. This approach reduces cognitive load, creating an efficient TMS product with improved usability.
Interviews
30 minutes moderated interviews
Objective: extract insights from these interviews to address the assumptions we previously formulated and subsequently outline our action plan.
Overview & Painpoints
Automation: Improve order automation, especially integration with banks.
Integration: Enhance integration with banking platforms and resolve trust issues.
UX & UI: Focus on UI enhancements, including filters, navigation, aesthetics, and clear communication.
Data Completeness: Ensure complete data through automation and better integration.
Internal Communication: Improve contact identification and provide self-assistance resources.
Comparison with Other Tools: Address differences from competitors for user satisfaction.
Self-Sufficiency in TMS: Varying self-sufficiency levels; provide resources for new users.
Suggestions for Improvements
The final stage of the report involved structuring an action plan based on the collected data. I haven't included all the details here as there are many and some are too specific for this context.
I organized each proposal using "Let's do," "so the user," and "Benefit/Value" to make it clear what needs to be done for anyone reading it. This also streamlines the process of creating Epics and Features.
User Flows
While conducting interviews and analyses, I concurrently developed user flows to aid in visualizing user actions. This method was instrumental in validating my understanding with users directly. By mapping out each step of the user's journey, I could effectively confirm that my interpretations matched their experiences. This approach significantly reduced the likelihood of errors and misunderstandings.
Moreover, these user flows proved invaluable in facilitating clear communication with the rest of the team. By presenting a visual representation of the user's journey, everyone could see and understand the same process. This shared visualization helped ensure that all team members were aligned in their understanding, thereby streamlining collaboration and decision-making.
Conclusion
Conducting research to gain a deeper understanding of the Treasury TMS has proven to be highly valuable for several reasons:
Learnings
This project was a significant milestone in my development as a UX designer, particularly in strengthening my research skills. Working closely with internal users offered the advantage of easy access and swift feedback, facilitating rapid and consistent growth in my research capabilities.
The opportunity to engage deeply in the research process was immensely gratifying and enlightening. It allowed me to hone my ability to uncover user needs accurately and develop solutions that address them effectively. This experience has not only enhanced my proficiency in user research but has also deepened my appreciation for its critical role in creating impactful UX design.