CONTEXT
Research into the workflow patterns of an internal sales team revealed a surprising insight: many users relied on Excel over the CRM Platform for daily tasks.
This 0-to-1 design project began with a powerful insight and culminated in the design of a new tool that organizes and prioritizes our user's day; seamlessly integrating with their natural workflows and bridging the gap between their needs and the platform's capabilities.
THE FINAL SOLUTION
A series of role-specific dashboards tailored to key sales positions that provide users a streamlined way of working with:
An at-a-glance view of their progress toward goals
Highlighted priorities and a launch point for taking action
These dashboards reduce time spent on administrative tasks, boost client interactions, and focus users on the most impactful priorities.
Timeline
4 Month Project
2 Month Research Phase
2 Month Design Phase
My Role
Responsible for all UX activities, from discovery research to designing wireframes and high fidelity visual designs.
Team Makeup
UX Designer (Me)
Design Lead
Developers x2
Product Manager
Client
Financial Services
FINDING THE RIGHT PROBLEM THROUGH RESEARCH
I Started With a Project Goal To Guide the Team
As the embedded designer guiding the client team, I was tasked with addressing rumors that internal sales team members, the primary platform users, were favoring third-party tools over the CRM.
To turn these suspicions into actionable insight, I framed it as a goal the team could align around:
To drive adoption of the CRM platform by understanding the typical workflow of an internal sales team member, including their tool usage, approach to client relationships, and associated platform pain points.
To Uncover the “How” and “Why” I turned to a Contextual Inquiry
My objectives were to understand:
The processes and approaches users take to accomplish their goals.
The tools they use to accomplish their goals, both within and outside of the platform, and any workarounds they perform.
Why users turn to their preferred tools and workarounds.
I Found Two Primary Patterns of Working…
Spend most of their time creating and calling through sales lists
The lists are made up of clients who haven't been contacted recently
Sometimes a manager will give them a priority list to focus on
Create smaller more focused lists of clients to contact
Focus there time on where they can help a sales manager grow their business or close a sale
And One HUGE Insight
Users preferred to perform their daily tasks outside of the platform, relying on systems they built and customized themselves!
Rather than using the platform to manage their work, users exported data and built custom frameworks to manipulate it according to their needs.
The platform just didn’t support the users working model, lacking core features that users built within their workarounds.
Users felt the platform held immense value! Just as a repository of client information rather than a place for them to track their work.
User Journeys Highlighted the Business Impact
Using insights from research, I created user journeys that illustrated the challenges users faced.
These journeys connected user pain points to business outcomes, revealing inefficiencies where teams were spending extra time and effort sometimes duplicating or even tripling work.
Highlighting the extra time sales teams were spending manually wrangling with their data got the leadership buy in we needed to proceed with design.
DEFINING THE SOLUTION
Before starting - I Defined Clear Design Goals for the Solution
Increase Task Efficiency
Make daily tasks easier, faster to complete, and more consistent
Visible Goal Progress
Give users a clear window into how they are progressing towards their weekly targets
Launchpad for Action
Help users identify the key actions they need to take and provide a pathway to completion
We Used Design Thinking Workshops to Refine Requirements
Through design thinking workshops, that included empathy mapping
We refined design requirements
Ideated different solutions
Aligned with the wider product team on a clear path forward
These sessions helped the product team understand the unique needs of each user profile and define solution requirements collaboratively.
DESIGN
How I Rethought the List Builders Work
Breaking it Down: Where do I stand?
Highlighting Weekly Progress
Before: List Builders relied on custom Excel spreadsheets to track progress and share updates with managers.
Now
Users have real-time visibility into their weekly progress, eliminating the need for manual tracking.
Clear progress indicators help users prioritize tasks and focus their time and efforts
Incorporating leaderboard rankings, according to sales managers, motivates List Builders to maintain momentum throughout the workweek.
Breaking it Down: What do I need to do?
Making Priorities Clear and Actions Seamless
Before: Users had to self-govern prioritization, often spending time creating their own frameworks or working on tasks misaligned with team priorities.
Now: Users are empowered to act efficiently while ensuring they are aligned with the wider team objectives.
With direct links, users have direct access to prebuilt call lists, streamlining their workflow and reducing effort.
Users can easily identify high-priority tasks for the day.
Breaking it Down: What do I need to know about?
Fostering an interconnected Sales Team
Before: Users had to juggle multiple team members calendars, often in different programs and formats, leading to wasted time and fragmented preparation as they switch between platforms to locate details and documents.
Now: Streamlined access to critical information, fostering collaboration and improving productivity across the team.
Users have a clear view of upcoming calls and events in one central location.
All relevant artifacts and preparation documents are readily available, saving time and effort while enhancing readiness.
Engaging Stakeholders Through Design Options
To actively engage business and product stakeholders in the design process, I presented multiple options for each dashboard tile during reviews.
One design that visually transformed the information to enhance clarity and storytelling
One design focused on high-density data to prioritize detailed information.
This approach allowed the team to evaluate trade-offs effectively and align the final design with both user needs and business objectives.
Relationship Builder Dashboard
List Builder's Manager's Dashboard
Relationship Builder's Manager's Dashboard
Reflection
Impact of the New Designs
Initial user feedback and strong stakeholder buy-in suggest these designs will:
Increase client interaction time and number of client meetings booked
Reduce admin time spent creating, organizing, and updating call and task lists
Provide real-time feedback on weekly KPIs - helping users prioritize their daily tasks effectively
" Seeing everything (my managers upcoming meetings, tasks, and priority call lists) is going to help me so much when I plan what I need to do that day.” - List Builder
Final Thoughts
Speaking the Same Language is Key
Throughout this project, effective communication was the cornerstone of progress. Whether translating research findings into actionable goals for the product team or reframing insights to resonate with leadership, aligning UX principles with business priorities was critical to driving decisions and securing buy-in.
Did We Solve the Right Problem?
The dashboards are a significant step forward in addressing user pain points. By creating tools that streamline workflows, provide actionable insights, and reduce admin overhead, we tackled many of the challenges users face. However, I still question if we fully addressed the List-Builders’ core need: the ability to create, manage, and track their progress through a client call list in real-time.
The Need for Testing
While the dashboards were designed with user needs in mind, validating their effectiveness will be essential. A post-release usability study could uncover how well these tools integrate into users’ workflows and identify areas for refinement. By aligning success metrics, such as increased adoption rates or time saved on administrative tasks, we can measure the tangible impact of our work and ensure continuous improvement.
Looking Ahead
This project demonstrated the power of research-driven design to uncover hidden pain points and transform them into actionable opportunities. By addressing user frustrations and building tools that better fit their workflows, we made significant strides toward creating a platform that supports both day-to-day efficiency and long-term business goals. To ensure the dashboards deliver on their potential, the team must prioritize securing user buy-in during development by taking an iterative approach and actively incorporating user feedback into the dashboards.
