Investment compliance application redesign
Project description
In Winter 2017, I redesigned a complex tool that specializes in the management of breaches in the realm of investment compliance. Our team investigated the existing software, did user research to discover core needs, and created a new design to allow users to be more efficient by simplifying workflow and providing contextual navigation.
(Images have been withheld to honor client confidentiality agreements.)
Process
Our team consisted of a Visual Designer, Creative Lead, Project Manager, and me, serving as an Information Architect. In 3 months, we interviewed stakeholders and users of the tool, defined user roles, journeys, and workflows, wireframed key screens, created visual designs, and delivered a prototype.
Challenges
The interface was exceptionally complicated. The data structures were complex, and because it had been developed piecemeal, over time it introduced redundancy and incoherent workflows. It took some time to understand the interface and subject matter well enough to define workflows.
Our team was tasked with redesigning only certain modules of the application, but because we wanted to streamline workflows, it was tricky to redesign some pieces, while leaving others in tact. In addition, we had to design the interface in a way that kept some of the existing data structures, while also giving users the robust functionality that they badly needed.
We were able to overcome a lot of these challenges and add value by improving efficiency, streamlining workflows, and reducing cognitive overload by providing contextual options and intuitive navigation.