Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Conception to launch
MY ROLE
UX Designer
COLLABORATORS
Project managers & data analysts
TIMELINE
Jun 2023 - Mar 2024
The Impact
15%
Increase in team productivity
Improved usability and project tracking across all teams
ZERO
Manual tracking needed
Eliminated manual tracking across the entire department
100%
Internal Adoption
Launched a tool that felt "already familiar" to users
REDUCED
Cognitive burden
Automated data-heavy workflows for better focus
Overview
The Problem
As the foundation expanded, the cognitive burden of managing data by hand slowed teams and increased the likelihood of mistakes in all their tasks.
The Solution
I built an internal PM tool around how the team already thinks and works, transforming known workflows into an intuitive UI that achieved immediate adoption without any learning friction.
Target Users
Internal project managers and data analysts.
1. User Interviews: Understanding the "Pain Points"
I conducted one-on-one interviews with 3 Data Analysts and 2 Project Managers to understand why the current manual system was failing for them.
Key Findings:
Pain Point #1: Visibility Gap
Users felt "blind" to the status of projects managed by other teams, leading to excessive check-in emails.
Pain Point #2: Data Anxiety
There was a constant fear of human error due to the manual nature of data entry.
Pain Point #3: Confusion
Without a central tool, users lacked confidence in which version of a document was the most up-to-date.
2. Shadowing the Target Users
I shadowed a Data Analyst and a Project Manager as they performed their actual daily tasks. The goal was to not only see the current workflow in place but to also note down any of the other streps they forgot to mention in interviews.
Key findings:
3. Narrowing Down Feedback
I synthesized all raw notes and observations to organize hundreds of data points to determine my design decisions.
Key findings:
The primary problem was the manual hand-off process between departments.
Urgency for a visible automated alert system for various steps to avoid manual confusion.
The design needed to mirror the "spreadsheet mental model" to ensure 100% adoption without extensive training.
Turning Insights into Design Principles
Intuitiveness through familiarity
Maintain structural elements from the existing workflow (like tables and status labels) so users wouldn’t need to relearn everything from scratch.
Efficiency through Automation
Introduce automated notifications and update systems to remove repetitive manual steps.
Visibility & Transparency
Build dashboards and views that clearly reflected real-time project statuses, owners, and required actions—no more guessing games.
Sustainable UX Design
Prioritize a clean, efficient interface that minimized cognitive load and was sustainable across devices (low energy use, high navigability).
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The integration of insights from the existing manual workflow and user research enabled me to design an automated process that streamlines operations effectively.
Some non-negotiables included:
1. Easy toggle between spreadsheets and emails
2. Automated alert system for various steps
3. Needed it to look similar to a spreadsheet
Data table is similar to the 3rd design iteration but less overwhelming less cluttered
The Homepage offers a high-level snapshot of all active projects, color-coded by status. Users can filter by priority or team, and see milestones at a glance.
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Bigger picture
The Project Request Page allows users to quickly submit new project requests by filling out a familiar, spreadsheet-style form.
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The Project Overview Status shows a Kanban board method to track & move projects through stages. Projects are visually segmented by operational milestone, enabling at-a-glance status assessment. reducing cognitive load and supporting operational transparency.
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Style Guide
Style guide to ensure design consistency and easier hand-off