rubyTan
Account Mapping
Role: Lead UX design and only designer
Timeline: 10 Months (June/2022 - March/2023)
Account Mapping constitutes an integral aspect of our cloud platform, entailing a sophisticated process of categorizing accounts into groups for financial purposes, akin to how we manage our day-to-day income and expenses.
Proposal
Account Mapping was initially introduced many years ago, exclusively as a desktop software. However, with the rise in user complaints and emerging demands, a necessary shift is imperative. In this current phase, three primary objectives have been outlined: transitioning Account Mapping from a desktop-based model to a cloud-based platform, empowering users to efficiently manage extensive datasets exceeding 10,000 entries, and enabling seamless collaborative work from any global location.
Key Objectives
Throughout the course of this initiative, three major challenges were encountered. Firstly, the design system was in its nascent stage, lacking readily available or existing essential components. Secondly, there was a lack of well-defined acceptance criteria, priority, and clear success metrics. Given that this function had a substantial impact on all other products, varying opinions from individuals within the development, product, and design teams further complicated matters.
Challenges
To facilitate this transformative shift, it is imperative to transition the interface from an outdated 1980s desktop software model to a streamlined cloud-based platform. The paramount objective is to present 10,000 data points in a coherent and easily navigable manner, ensuring users can interact with them efficiently and logically. Moreover, a key consideration lies in establishing an effective mechanism for collaborative work, enabling users sharing a common workspace to discern modifications made by each other. Resolving this matter is of utmost importance in optimizing collaboration and productivity.
Solution
The issue of an incomplete design system was addressed through a collaborative effort involving myself and design system experts within the team.
The root cause of numerous divergent opinions stemmed from unclear acceptance criteria and priority. To address these issues, dedicated meetings were organized involving relevant UX, Product Owner (PO), Project Manager (PM), and Development team members.
During these meetings, the PO and PM outlined the project objectives for the current sprint and established a timeline. The Development team shared insights into potential technical constraints and estimated time requirements. To provide a visual representation and garner feedback, a low-fidelity prototype was shared, accompanied by professional UX suggestions. Based on the outcomes of these meetings, a definitive priority list was established.Due to technical limitations, some functionalities had to be deferred to the subsequent sprint.
To handle the voluminous dataset (10,000 data points), filtering options, bulk action buttons, and a tree structure were selected to enhance data management efficiency.
Research
Previously, direct communication between UX and product teams and our users was nonexistent. Account Mapping was developed based on our assumptions.
To address this gap, I crafted a research proposal and formulated relevant inquiries. The overarching research objective was to gather authentic user perspectives on Account Mapping.
The research findings underscore the user challenges in handling substantial volumes of data and concerns regarding the learning curve associated with the upcoming version.
Outcome
Following design approval from the UX team, product team, and development team, a user testing phase was initiated. The participants in this testing cohort were actual Account Mapping users hailing from Africa, North America, Europe, and Australia, individuals who have prior experience using AM and intend to continue utilizing it for their work. An overwhelming 90% of the users expressed that the proposed enhancements were notably beneficial, and several newly added features exceeded their expectations, providing a pleasant surprise. Additionally, accessibility was rigorously tested and successfully met the AAA standard.
Account Mapping was launched on June,2023.
Prototype
User Flow
