ROLE
TEAM
Platforms
TIMELINE
12% Faster
94% Fewer Windows
60% Fewer Clicks
The Process
Fast-paced collaboration between design, engineering, and product. I mapped existing flows, designed mid-fidelity solutions with existing components, and iterated based on technical constraints to ship quickly.
Design Solution
I consolidated 16+ fragmented windows into a unified platform built around three core principles: task-based navigation, progressive disclosure, and contextual actions. The solution restructured the interface around CSR workflows rather than technical systems, creating a single source of truth for customer data.
Some Key Design Decisions
Exploring specific scenarios that shaped the final solution
Design Decision #1: Card-Based Modular Layout
Problem
When CSRs receive a call, they need to quickly verify customer identity by asking for details like Customer ID, email address, or last payment date. In the legacy system, accessing this verification information required navigating multiple windows, with some data duplicated across different modules.
Solution
Solution:
Created card components organized around the most frequently accessed workflows:
Account Information (left sidebar) - Quick identity verification with customer details, contact info, and service address
Billing Summary - Current charges, balance, and payment due dates
Payment & Collection - Payment history, collection status, and pending payments
Disconnection & Utility Report - Shut-off notices and utility report generation
Payment Arrangement Eligibility - Eligibility check with denial reasons and available actions
Income Status - Financial verification data
Why this matters:
Cards reflect actual CSR workflows identified through SME workshops. For example, when handling payment arrangements, CSRs always check billing summary, payment history, and eligibility status together. This eliminated window-switching and reduced handling time by 12%.
Design Decision #2: Task-Based Navigation with Dismissible Tabs
Problem
The legacy system was organized by technical modules, but card sorting revealed CSRs think in workflows: "verify customer," "handle billing," "process payment arrangement." Additionally, opening detailed views or performing updates required launching entirely new windows, disrupting the call flow.
Solution
Restructured navigation around CSR workflows with a persistent tab system:
360 View - Complete customer snapshot with all cards visible
Account Information - Quick reference sidebar + full detail tab for updates
Incident History - Historical interactions and service issues
Dismissible tabs - Additional modules (Contacts, Payment History) open as tabs within the same interface, allowing CSRs to keep context while accessing detailed information or processing updates
Why this matters:
Aligns interface with CSR mental models from card sorting research while maintaining context during multi-step tasks. CSRs no longer lose track of which window contains what information, everything stays within one unified interface. This improved the 3-week training period for new hires.
Reflection: What Did I Learn?
Working on a decade-old legacy system transformation taught me that enterprise UX isn't about reinventing everything. It's about deeply understanding workflows and designing pragmatic solutions within real-world constraints.
Reflections on Enterprise Design Constraints
As a designer working on an Oracle-based enterprise system, technical limitations are the default state. The reality is: you rarely have unlimited budget, complete stakeholder alignment, or freedom to rebuild from scratch.
Success means collaborating early with engineers to understand constraints, validating designs quickly through CSR testing, learning if you're heading in the right direction, and iterating based on feedback to improve in the next phase.
This project reinforced that clarity emerges through making. The 20+ session recordings, stakeholder workshops, and card sorting weren't just deliverables. They were thinking tools that surfaced questions, exposed assumptions, and drove alignment when technical specs were evolving rapidly.
What Worked
Video analysis over surveys: Watching 20+ CSR sessions revealed pain points users couldn't articulate in interviews. Like the cognitive load from context-switching and the elaborate sticky-note systems they created
Design system first approach: Building the component library upfront felt slow initially, but enabled rapid iteration and consistent handoff. The 400+ components became a reusable asset for future projects
Cross-functional collaboration: Weekly workshops with SMEs and engineers kept design grounded in operational reality and technical feasibility, preventing late-stage rework
What I'd Do Differently
Earlier technical validation: I initially designed interactions assuming certain backend capabilities, only to learn later that Oracle constraints required adjustments. Now I involve engineers during wireframing, not after high-fidelity designs
More comprehensive edge case documentation: We focused heavily on primary workflows but under-documented edge cases (duplicate accounts, system outages), leading to developer questions during QA. A detailed exceptions guide alongside the design system would have helped
Post-launch feedback loop: Due to project handoff timing, I didn't get to observe the full rollout or gather sustained CSR feedback. Negotiating a 30-60 day post-launch support window would have allowed real-world validation and iteration
What I'm Still Thinking About
Balancing standardization with flexibility: While the fixed card layout enabled consistent training, some experienced CSRs wanted to customize their workspace. How might we allow personalization without sacrificing the benefits of standardization?
Progressive disclosure vs. show-all approach: Usability testing showed CSRs preferred seeing all cards at once, but I wonder if progressive disclosure (showing only relevant cards per call type) would reduce overwhelm for newer CSRs during simple transactions