Employee Support Application
Overview
Company
Axxess is a leading technology provider for healthcare at home, offering software solutions to more than 9,000 organizations and improving care for over 3 million patients worldwide.
About Project
This project aimed to improve the operational efficiency of the companywide "Axxess Support Application" by re-designing its User Interface. I led a team of UX designers and developers to streamline the user flows and simplify the experience of Home Healthcare management systems used by over 70 healthcare agencies in the US, making home healthcare operations easier.
My Role
As a UX/UI Designer, I performed User Interviews, Contextual Inquiries, Prototyping, Design System creation, User Interface Design, and Usability Acceptance Testing
Team
Two UX Designers (Including me), Four Developers, One Project Manager
Duration
5 months
Tools
Figma, Miro, Jira
Impact
200 %
Boost in Operational
Efficiency
85 %
Increase in user satisfaction
30 %
Reduction in error rate
42 %
Increase in task completion rate
Project at a glance
Problem
The employee support application was facing user experience challenges and lacked a consistent look and feel with other Axxess products.
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Solution
The final design solution was to update the application with a new User Interface to create consistency in look and feel across all products, addressing user experience challenges and creating a more user-friendly environment for employees.
Old User Interface
What I created: New User Interface
Background
The root of the problem was that Axxess had developed various products aimed at different target audiences, each with its own design system and style guide.
The "Axxess Support Application" binds it all and is the starting point for all employees to log into and experience the different products.
For example, the Customer service department uses this application to view a solution/product in client’s version, to see data or replicate errors in real time. These employees had to first log into the "Axxess support application" first and then move on to other new products.
Who are the target users?
The target users for this project were employees from the sales, accounting, and customer experience departments and other internal users who use the "Axxess support application" as a starting point for their work.
Interviews
I conducted 5+ interviews with different users from the Accounting and Customer Experience departments I gathered the key issues:
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Confusion and disorientation when switching from one design system to another
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Visual inconsistency
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Inefficiency in working due to information overload and break in user flow
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Decreased satisfaction with the outdated design of the application
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Unfair treatment compared to employees who have access to newer and more modern design systems.
Project Constraints
I conducted a collaborative meeting with the Product and Engineering teams and identified that the following constraints that had to be adhered to in the redesign:
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User flow: To avoid the need for employee training, the original user flow had to be preserved
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Functionality and Interaction: The backend code could not be changed, meaning that the existing functionality and interactions had to be maintained
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Design elements: Certain design elements, such as the color palette and typography, had to be consistent with the existing design system
Once the project scope, constraints, and pain points were recognized, we came up with a how might we statement to address the issue at hand:
"How might we improve the operational efficiency of the Axxess support application by addressing its outdated and cluttered UI, while maintaining its existing functionality and user flow?"
Brainstorming: Final Design Direction
In order to address the challenges faced by employees while using the support application, a meeting was held with key stakeholders including the Product Vice President, the Marketing team, the Engineering team, and the Design team. The objective of the meeting was to present the research findings and to arrive at a consensus on the final design direction for the application.
The solution arrived at was to give the employee support application a complete User Interface refresh. To ensure consistency in the look and feel across all products, it was decided to make use of the design system and style guide of "Home Health", which is the most popular and widely used product of Axxess.
Design Highlights
Revamped and streamlined the user experience for Axxess's "support employee application" by executing UI mockups and implementing a new design system, resulting in a fresh identity that is easy, user-friendly, and efficient.
Introduced new design elements, such as category tabs, colored tags, and simplified action columns as well as made structural improvements for an intuitive flow of information
Prototypes
Here are some key prototypes that showcase the core improvements I made to enhance the UI. These are just a few examples of the many changes I made to improve the overall user experience.
1. Bringing Order to Chaos: How I Made the Main Hub for All Information Accessible
Before
After
Introduced a category tab bar for ease of use
Improved UX through color-coding Agency Names
Enhancing accessibility for color-blind users by Improving color contrast using an accessibility calculator as well as incorporating color tags for product categories for a more user-friendly experience
Introduced refresh and expand icons in the table to help users refresh the data and to view the whole table
Enhancing information organization by reordering action items based on the frequency of usage
2. Efficiently Organizing Information: How I Improved the Design of the Agency Physicians Page with Advanced Table Formatting
Before
After
Empower users to view information effortlessly by enhancing the visibility of page numbers
Streamlining the filtering process by adding a clearly labeled "Generate" button, making it intuitive for users to understand if their desired information has been generated or not.
Enhancing information organization by reordering action items based on the frequency of usage
Added a convenient "show number of table entries" feature, allowing for a personalized and efficient viewing experience
3. From Cluttered to Clear: How I Transformed the View Agent List Page for a Better User Experience
Before
After
Improved UX by enhancing color-coded category contrast to improve recognition and clarity in table contents
Improved the usability of colored buttons by redesigning them to be visually consistent and easy to recognize the color categories
Improved the interactivity of action items by making them more recognizable, allowing users to easily initiate actions
Improved the clarity and visibility of the "Total MRP" by incorporating it into the table design, making it easier for users to understand and locate the MRP information faster
4. Brand Identity Streamlined: How I Designed a Custom Logo for the Landing Page to Maintain Visual Consistency Across all the Axxess Application
Before
After
Enhanced navigation by adding a dedicated "Agency Center" tab in the main menu for easier access based on user research indicating frequent usage
Created a custom logo for the Axxess Support Application, drawing inspiration from other Axxess products to maintain consistency while ensuring a unique and recognizable symbol for the employee support application
This solution addressed all the pain points that were identified during the research phase and created a more user-friendly experience for employees. The design refresh was a crucial step in providing a better and more efficient support system for employees and ensuring that the application meets their needs and requirements.
Due to the confidential nature of the project, not all screens can be presented here. However, if you would like a detailed view of the prototypes, please don't hesitate to reach out to me (apnagesh@iu.edu) and I will be more than happy to assist.
My Impact
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Improved the design system by creating a clear and concise style guide in Figma that addressed the issue of unclear and improperly transferred elements from the previous Adobe XD design system.
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Eased communication between the design and engineering teams by creating a comprehensive guide for code extraction from Figma, as well as leaving clear and concise notes in the design file to support the engineering team's understanding of the design requirements.
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Conducted thorough usability acceptance testing to ensure that the final design met the desired functionality and user experience, while also working with the engineering team to identify and fix any bugs or deviations from the design, to maintain the consistency and quality of the support application.
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Revamped the Reports section of Axxess Home Health to align with the updated design style, ensuring consistency and enhancing user experience. As a note, it is important to mention that Axxess Home Health is a separate product from the support application, and this redesign was a key contribution
Lessons Learned
The importance of clear communication: Through this Internship, I learned that effective communication between designers and engineers is crucial in ensuring the design system is properly transferred to code and implemented accurately.
Balancing Constraints and Improvement: Maintaining the original functionality, user flow, and interactions of the design system while making improvements to the user experience was a challenge. To overcome this, small iterative improvements were made to the interactions while ensuring the backend code was not altered, thus improving the overall user experience without the need for additional training of employees
The value of iterative design and implementation: By embracing an agile approach to the redesign process, I was able to continuously test and refine the design until it was as close to perfect as possible
Testimonials
Grace Bae,
User Experience Designer at Axxess
“Apoorva is a brilliant listener and active learner. I had the pleasure of working with and mentoring Apoorva through her internship at Axxess. With ease, she was able to absorb information quickly and apply them directly to her work in building wireframes and refining her designs. If you’re looking for a sweet designer to work with, Apoorva’s the one!"
Ashrafi Amirudin,
User Experience Designer at Axxess
"Apoorva is a curious and research-oriented thinker. Her pleasant nature and fresh ideas make her a pleasure to work with. She always goes the extra mile to deeply understand projects or tasks to produce excellent results."
Pradnya Chacharkar,
UX/UI Design Intern at Axxess
Working with Apoorva during our UI/UX design internship was a pleasure. She is an excellent designer with a strong focus on creating user-centered experiences. What stood out most was her exceptional collaboration skills. Apoorva was always willing to lend a helping hand, offer creative solutions, and work with the team to achieve the best possible results. Her talent, passion, and attention to detail were evident in everything she did. I have no doubt that Apoorva will go on to achieve great success in the field of UI/UX design and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a skilled and dedicated designer with excellent teamwork and collaboration skills.