Infor- Making easy for developers and business analysts to create complicated process flows.
Lead Infor process designer through a strategic pivot from a desktop application to a cloud based software. I guided our ensemble, which included two PMs, five engineers while keeping executives aligned with our strategy. Current Infor process designer users encountered difficulties accessing the application, creating and editing process flows, leading to decreasing sales and bad customer experience. I conducted user interviews to identify these problem which help me understand user pain points and prioritize them on the roadmap. I streamlined the process flow management, redefined feature set, bolster our user focused approach and gained buy-in from cross-functional team. As a result of reprioritize feature set we were able to give this project new direction and release plan that focused on user needs.
Role
Product designer
Timeline
7 months
Core Responsibilities
Design lead, visual design, user research, product strategy
Problem
Desktop only application limit users flexibility to work from different devices, sharing files became major task, risk of data loss and user had to download new updates periodically to keep application running.
In Q2 (Apr’- Jun’ 21), our Infor strategy team developed the roadmap to take desktop application to a cloud solution to meet customer demands and resolve user pain points. At the moment design process at Infor lacked involvement of UX designers, leaving product design primarily to developers, neglecting user-feedback and user centric design considerations. This culminated into a product strategy that involved minimum user feedback and prioritized sprint release goals rather than looking at bigger picture of how to use this opportunity and create an experience users wanted.
Desktop application
Only can be access at the same device while having no cloud integration to save or share files, overextended feature set, no clear indicators on how to get started.
In Q4 (Sep’ 21) I was made the lead designer for revamping Infor process designer. To get deeper understanding on project goals, I thoroughly examined PM research documentation and discovered that the concepts created by development team are not aligning with user request, goals and pain points. Despite prior user research on the desktop application, I suspected research bias. Highlighting this concern prompted further discussions, elevating the priority for observation research. Research revealed essential features, Information overload on landing page, no easy access and losing data/files.
Goals
Increase accessibility by eliminating overextended feature set to streamline most essential features while also decreasing dev scope.
Our goal was to take Infor process designer as cloud based software while simplifying the creating and managing process, ensuring peace of mind for users and effortless access to process flows. This would lead to increased usability, higher retention rate, decrease support tickets, and increase revenue from higher license sales.
Solution
A faster and flexible way to create and mange process flows
Our goal To enhance the user experience, I rearranged the process designer elements based on the research results: majority of users need node properties to configure nodes, design board to manage process flow, easy access to palette for search node types and secondary feature like debug mode, node activities and process issues to find errors. I emphasized on eliminating low usage features to focus user attention on managing and creating flows.
Simplifying the experience while conveying stronger value proposition
Infor Process designer feature set
Before
Overwhelmed with overextended features, friction when creating and debuging process flow.
Concepts create by development team
Research finding not translated in the concepts, missed essential feature required to make process designer usable.
After
Prioritized debugging, editing and add nodes in process flow
Result
Eliminated 54% of features/elements from landing page, new layout that kept user feedback in the center of design process
These outcomes were achieved after completing the initial milestones (prioritizing essential features and completion of ideation phase), with the next milestone (user testing, PM feedback, reiteration) still pending.
Research
Ideation
Process
Desktop application users often went through multiple steps to resolve process flow issues
During discussion with our sales engineering team, I discovered that in order to edit a process flow or either it’s changing nodes properties all users needed design panel, palette, node property panel. Since the desktop application had eight different location on landing page that consists of multiple features, the focus shifted towards features that were most essential to users.
Exploring how we might enhance users experience while also giving them same or higher level of capabilities to manage process flows.
I devised strategy to think outside of designing process designer feature by feature through out different sprints, instead I was able to influence stakeholders to let me conceptualize cloud process designer as whole. Since team knew what feature final product should include, it’s important keep them in consideration from beginning. This would allow us meet our goal of slow feature release through out the sprints, but not having possibility of making major design changes in later releases. Unfortunately I don’t have all the ideation to showcase :(
Vision of the future
Creating a customer-centric experience with Infor process designer.
The goal is to make managing process flows as frictionless as possible. Users should immediately feel the features that are in there disposal and customize according to their needs. In the first phase users should be able delete or add new nodes while also configring each node, next phase user gets features that will allow them to debug node and find process issues.