From the project prospective the product we have started was for B2B where we need to serve the internal team. This is often quite complex and need detailed understanding of each stakeholders requirement clear.
Research
We got to know from requirement that there will be different vertical which is going to manage their operations and hence it shouldn’t cater to just one cohort. So we kept approaching all stakeholders and gathered their inputs for their daily core needs.
Our goal was not to focus too much on the best finest product as per the urgency. Instead requirement was to get the product out fast then then keep iterations rolling on top. That’s what seems feasible at that time.
We collected all inputs and started making workflows for each vertical. Gradually we understood the problem team was facing with manual transitions happening with tech team. We kept noting those down on the side so that we can focus in detail in the solution discovery part.
Challenges
There we many expectations coming from growth team, finance team and product team which are not easy to fit in one line. Still we kept adding all of them on the board and let all input comes to a single glance.
After doing couple of card sorting exercises and brainstorming we got stuck at many places.
Out of different pain points and workflow breakdowns we came to the conclusion that there are few metrics we need to set as a foundation,
- Comprehension
- Consistency
- Simplicity
Which really helped us to move in the direction faster then expected.
Solution Discovery
First we focused to have as minimal as possible top leavel hierarchy when it comes to accesing information. Many projects try to have everything upfront but what they don’t realise is that is creates a constant cognitive load to users.
Here we were sure that we do not want any things less important taking front seat. Hence we limited the top navbar with most minimal version.
Iterating on the layout was the fun exercise as always.
Finally we went back to the team and got their inputs on,
- Comprehension
- Consistency
- Simplicity
Another reason the get the feedback is that this product is definitely going the be a huge as an internal tool and number of other things will also come to life. We want to make sure the foundation we get chance to work on should be the most flexible and adaptable. Else in the future it may become a bottleneck for team.
Since we were focusing on different verticals and their team to use the product the major module with needs in the system is User Access Control. And it caused significant amount of time in the overall project journey. But when the whole team got what they need in the last prototype it was worth solving it.
We we product that deliver the whole product in just 2 months and client was able to start the development as we were getting done with module one by one.
Conclusion
- It’s difficult to keep things simple unless you value everything you have to prioritise
- Understanding workflow of real person brings more understanding of a cohort too. Instead of creating personas also understand how their daily work life is, why they do what they do
- Industry practices shouldn’t underestimated in any ways. You can always build on top but never ignore the fact
- When you Strat iterations on layout you get more understanding of inclusive workflows
