Scope
CHASE -Enterprise Image Viewer
Background
Enterprise Image Viewer (EIV) is a web-based tool that allows Home Lending and other business users to view documents stored in the archives. Based on permissions, users can search, view, print, and download files within folders they have permission to access in EIV.
Understand
The primary purpose of this project was to complete an entire rewrite of the tool. Since the last design of EIV was in 2010, the tool was extremely outdated and needed to be overhauled in order to be compliant with the Manhattan Design System (MDS) standards. The outdated design of EIV also contributed to users having difficulty completing their work in a time efficient manner. Complexity and inconsistencies within the information architecture caused unnecessary difficulties in users being able to quickly access the information they needed. The UX efforts were intended to drive innovation for a new version of both the user facing and Admin-facing UIs. My role was to create design deliverables and coach the team on user-centered design best practices.
Discover
Initially, I conducted a complete design audit of EIV in order to compare current design features to the MDS library. I also wanted to uncover problems and identify opportunities to improve the experience in the next iteration of EIV. This helped to inform how long it would take to rebuild the tool.
EIV // Stakeholder Map
After completing my independent audit, I wanted to establish a design process to identify the roles responsibilities of each player. With everyone at the table, I also used this time to build relationships and establish a rapport with leadership to gain their confidence, which was essential when it came time for them to buy in to my design work.
EIV // Defining Goals
CHASE is a big corporation, and everyone has their own goals and objectives. It was my objective to identify clearly outlined goals of both the business as a whole and the internal users. I was then able to synthesize this information to establish the common goal for the EIV rewrite.
Problem Statment
We have observed that EIV is not compliant with the design standards that CHASE has implemented. Additionally, the tool has not been updated in the last 10 years. These issues have contributed to Home Lending agents having difficulty completing their work in a time efficient manner.
EIV// Assumption Mapping
Next, I wanted to validate and/or mitigate any potential risks that could occur and impede reaching the previously mentioned goals that were identified.
EIV // Customer Journey Map
With a clearly defined problem identified, I realized I needed to know more about how exactly users interact with EIV. I conducted user interviews with Home Lending Agents and gathered information about the their pros and cons of the current EIV system. This qualitative data allowed me to understand the pain points, which included:
the tool is slow
it appears outdated
hard to decipher the actions of some of the buttons
too many places to click to get to their destination
some of the folders lacked information that they felt should be present
some EIV menu options were hidden or hard to find.
Using this information, I was able to identify opportunities to improve upon EIV.
EIV // User Persona
I created a persona to get an understanding of the users I would be designing for. It was important to keep in mind that EIV has multiple users who interact with the tool differently. I was able to use this persona as a reference point throughout my design process to ensure I was working toward solving the real issues of the Home Lending Agents so that they could better navigate within the tool.
Frame
EIV// Affinity Cluster
In order to prioritize the problems that existed for Home Lending Agents, I did an Affinity Cluster. Not only did this allow me to identify the problems, but I was also able to see major patterns and themes across all users. 3 major areas of concern prevailed including: layout, system, and functionality. I knew that system issues would require much more risk and effort, and there were not as many functionality issues as there were layout issues. Therefore, I knew starting with redesigning the layout was the way to go.
EIV// Prioritization Matrix
As a team, we came to the table to prioritize the problems that were identified through research. Mapping out the problems allowed us to clearly see and agree upon what was most important. We were able to determine that adding required indicator fields within EIV was a quick win for the team since it was high impact but low effort.
EIV // Hypothesis
OBSERVATION
We have observed that home lending agents have difficulty and spend too much valuable time searching, uploading, and sending documents within EIV.
HYPOTHESIS
We believe that categorizing folders in a more succinct manner will save efforts of lending agents from doing extensive searches to locate a single document
TEST
We will make a prototype with updated UI and information architecture, then conduct additional user interviews to compare new feelings and attitudes to previous feelings and attitudes.
EVIDENCE
We will know our hypothesis is valid if we measure a 35% increase in the number of documents that are successfully searched for.
Deliver
EIV // Previous Site
This is the previous EIV tool which was outdated and had limited consideration of UX and UI. It’s clear that the previous tool had more interest in having something just for the purpose of functioning without any innovation or true implementation of specific design processes.
EIV // Components
I created a design system to make sure that all designs were consistent across the board and met MDS standards.
EIV // Page Layouts
Based on all of my research findings, I was able to synthesize data to help inform my design decisions for the EIV page layouts. I was able to revitalize the tool while maintaining a feeling of familiarity, which was important to users.
EIV // Outcomes + What I have learned
Outcomes:
The EIV rewrite is an ongoing project. To date, I have redesigned multiple sections of the EIV tool by implementing design best practices that are compliant with the MDS library. I have modernized designs to include updated buttons and data fields, bolder lettering and colors, and overall improved representation of the CHASE brand. My updated designs have made EIV more efficient, saving designers hundreds of hours of time.
What I have Learned:
I wish I could have talked to more users who have different interactions with the EIV tool, which could have given me a more in depth understanding of the big picture needs, rather than just identifying needs of some users.
I learned to compromise with the stakeholders regarding some of my design decisions in order to stay within the sprint.
In my opinion, EIV is a tool that needed to be completely broken in order to be rebuilt to its fullest potential. However, this was not able to be done because there are other tools that interact with it. This pushed me to think outside the box with giving my best effort knowing that there were always going to be limitations.