Formbay Job Page
The Challenge
The Job Details Page at Formbay had become a maze of information with zero design intervention over years of development. This made it near impossible for users to figure out what they needed to do and where they stood in their application for the STC claim. It was also evident that the platform had no room to integrate additional functionalities that were becoming necessary. To top it all, users would invariably call support for things as simple as logging in.
Role
Lead Product Designer (and sometimes PM)
(2 Frontend Devs, 1 Backend Dev)
Timeline
2021 - 4 months
Company
Formbay
A leading provider of digital workflow solutions and one of Australia's largest REC Agents for the solar industry.
Tools
Adobe creative suite, Storybook, Hotjar, Google suite, Jira, Confluence
Before
After
Objective
The main goal was to redesign the Job Details Page to make it more user-friendly and intuitive, thereby enabling users to take on more responsibility for their jobs instead of relying on support.
My Role & Process
I joined Formbay as a product designer, but as the project progressed, my responsibilities grew. I was soon the primary designer for the product, managing the design efforts and even mentoring junior designers. My tasks involved conducting user research, customer need identification, analysis, design, prototyping, occasional codebase styling, roadmap creation, and collaborating with developers.
To understand the pain points of installers and office administrators, we conducted user interviews and support calls. This helped us pinpoint the main issues: users couldn’t relate issues back to the form, were unclear about the evidence needed for submissions, and found it difficult to focus on individual jobs.
We visited installers and office admins at their worksites and administrative offices to observe how Formbay integrated into their daily tasks. It was crucial that we created a solution that was not just user-friendly, but also sensitive to their work environments.
Given my technical prowess, I spearheaded the integration of government services for SPV certification of panels and land, working closely with the developers to implement necessary APIs. This strategic move was aimed at reducing the load on users and support staff alike.
Solution
Based on our findings, we decided to create a dynamic page focused solely on individual jobs. Users could now see all the issues and required evidence at a glance and resolve them within the form itself, thus minimising the need for support interaction. This solution required close collaboration with the front-end and back-end developers, and as someone with a strong technical background, I played a key role in this phase.
Outcome & Reflection
Post-launch, the redesigned Job Details Page has received positive feedback from users who appreciate the new self-service issue resolution features and the focused, job-specific layout. They've reported a noticeable decrease in support interactions, and the rebate claims process has become faster.
While the project was a success, we did face challenges in terms of the ever-changing industry regulations which led to multiple pivots and extended the design and development phases. These changes required us to be flexible and adapt quickly to ensure the project stayed on track.
Final designs
Key Takeaways:
The Need for Strong Collaboration Between Different Teams:
Collaboration was a significant aspect of this project, bringing together different teams, each with its own set of expertise. As a product designer, I had the opportunity to work closely with both front-end and back-end developers. This collaboration was crucial in translating the design vision into a functional product. It also facilitated a smoother development process, as any discrepancies could be resolved promptly through open communication. The collaboration extended to junior designers as well, whom I mentored, thereby fostering a nurturing and cooperative team environment.
The Importance of a User-Centric Approach:
A user-centric approach was fundamental to this project. Our goal was to solve the real problems faced by the users, and to achieve this, we had to thoroughly understand their needs and pain points. By conducting user interviews and observing them in their work environments, we were able to empathise with the users and design a solution that truly catered to their needs. This approach not only resulted in a more intuitive and efficient interface but also significantly improved user satisfaction.
Being Adaptable and Flexible in the Face of Changing Industry Requirements:
The solar rebate industry is ever-evolving, and during the course of this project, we faced multiple changes in regulations and requirements. This necessitated a flexible and adaptable approach, as we had to pivot our strategy and redesign aspects of the product to comply with the new regulations. These changes could have easily derailed the project, but by being agile and open to change, we were able to navigate these challenges successfully and deliver a product that not only met the current industry standards but also stood out from the competition.