Improving Communication and Work Organization at Exact Systems

Improving Communication and Work Organization
at Exact Systems


Exact Systems faced challenges in communication between employees and managers, leading to task delays, inefficient management, and frustration among teams.

To address this, I designed a mobile application that streamlined communication, enabled effective task management, and provided transparent problem reporting.

The result? Faster issue resolution, improved management efficiency, and more satisfied employees.
‍

40% reduced communication delays
‍25% higher manager efficiency
30% more satisfied employees

Exact Systems faced challenges in communication between employees and managers, leading to task delays, inefficient management, and frustration among teams.

To address this, I designed a mobile application that streamlined communication, enabled effective task management, and provided transparent problem reporting.

The result? Faster issue resolution, improved management efficiency, and more satisfied employees.
‍

30% faster problem resolution
25% higher manager efficiency
30% more satisfied employees


Improving Communication and Work Organization at Exact Systems

Improving Communication and Work Organization at Exact Systems

Exact Systems faced challenges in communication between employees and managers, leading to task delays, inefficient management, and frustration among teams.

To address this, I designed a mobile application that streamlined communication, enabled effective task management, and provided transparent problem reporting.

The result? Faster issue resolution, improved management efficiency, and more satisfied employees.
‍

30% faster problem resolution
25% higher manager efficiency
30% more satisfied employees

THE PROCESS

I utilized an iterative, user-centered design approach to deliver a solution that meets the needs of Exact Systems employees. The primary goal was to create a product that enhances work efficiency and user satisfaction while contributing to the organization's business success.
1. learn
I conducted in-depth user interviews to identify their biggest challenges, such as communication delays and the lack of a clear problem-reporting process.
2. ideate
Using the 'How Might We' methodology, I generated ideas for key features, focusing on priorities like simplified problem reporting.
3. design
I developed interactive prototypes and tested them with users to ensure an optimal workflow. Additionally, I created a scalable design system to support future iterations.
4. launch
I delivered an MVP that reduced delays and improved task management. I regularly gathered user feedback to prepare the product for subsequent iterations.

MY ROLE

As the sole designer and Lead UX Designer on this project, I managed the end-to-end design process, which included:
1. Conducting user research and analyzing key challenges.
2. Creating prototypes, mockups, and a design system.
3. Collaborating with stakeholders and developers to ensure alignment with user needs.
4. Iteratively testing and refining the product based on user feedback.

PROJECT CHALLENGE

?
Enhancing Communication and Work Organization
Exact Systems faced challenges with delayed communication, inefficient task handling, and unclear reporting processes, these problems led to reduced productivity, poor team management, and frustration among employees.

My goal was to create a solution that streamlined operations, enhanced clarity, and promoted seamless collaboration across teams.

PROJECT GOALS

All iterations were guided by measurable primary and secondary goals, ensuring alignment with business objectives and user needs.
Communication Delays
Reduce communication delays by implementing real-time updates and notifications, ensuring employees and managers stay aligned and informed.
Issue Resolution Time
Streamline issue reporting and enable real-time notifications to cut resolution time, improving efficiency across the organization.

THE PROCESS

I utilized an iterative, user-centered design approach to deliver a solution that meets the needs of Exact Systems employees. The primary goal was to create a product that enhances work efficiency and user satisfaction while contributing to the organization's business success.
1. learn
I conducted in-depth user interviews to identify their biggest challenges, such as communication delays and the lack of a clear problem-reporting process.
2. ideate
Using the 'How Might We' methodology, I generated ideas for key features, focusing on priorities like simplified problem reporting.
3. design
I developed interactive prototypes and tested them with users to ensure an optimal workflow. Additionally, I created a scalable design system to support future iterations.
4. launch
I delivered an MVP that reduced delays and improved task management. I regularly gathered user feedback to prepare the product for subsequent iterations.

MY ROLE

As the sole designer and Lead UX Designer on this project, I managed the end-to-end design process, which included:
1. Conducting user research and analyzing key challenges.
2. Creating prototypes, mockups, and a design system.
3. Collaborating with stakeholders and developers to ensure alignment with user needs.
4. Iteratively testing and refining the product based on user feedback.

PROJECT CHALLENGE

?
Enhancing Communication and Work Organization
Exact Systems faced challenges with delayed communication, inefficient task handling, and unclear reporting processes, these problems led to reduced productivity, poor team management, and frustration among employees.

My goal was to create a solution that streamlined operations, enhanced clarity, and promoted seamless collaboration across teams.

PROJECT GOALS

All iterations were guided by measurable primary and secondary goals, ensuring alignment with business objectives and user needs.
Communication Delays
Reduce communication delays by implementing real-time updates and notifications, ensuring employees and managers stay aligned and informed.
Issue Resolution Time
Streamline issue reporting and enable real-time notifications to cut resolution time, improving efficiency across the organization.
chapter one: learn

Qualitative research

To understand organizational challenges, I conducted interviews with two key groups: 5 stakeholders
(e.g., managers and team leaders) and 5 line-workers
(e.g., inspectors and technicians), using Zoom for the sessions. I analyzed the responses with Aurelius, which helped me organize the data and identify patterns in their answers.

The information I collected through this research served as a great basis for the further steps in this chapter.
Through the research, I addressed users' key pain points that negatively impacted the business:
‍
- Lack of Real-Time Updates: The task management system relies on emails and calls for updates, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and delays in task execution.

- Ineffective Reporting Processes: Technical issues are reported through a complex process, causing delays, frustration, and wasted time. Employees often receive no updates, reducing productivity.‍‍

Empathy Map

I divided the empathy map into four quadrants:
‍Say: Direct quotes highlighting tool inefficiencies and frustrations.
‍Think: Underlying concerns like the need for real-time updates or frustration with manual processes.
‍Feel: Emotions such as stress from delays or feeling undervalued.
‍Do: Actions like relying on workarounds or chasing updates.
I used the empathy map to highlight users' frustrations and needs, such as confusion in reporting "Reporting technical problems takes too long, and we don't get updates" and delayed feedback, guiding design decisions to reduce friction and improve satisfaction while aligning with business goals.

Personas

The personas represent the needs of two key user groups: line employees, frustrated by unclear reporting processes and delays, and managers, struggling to track progress and prioritize tasks effectively. They highlight goals and pain points that directly impact business objectives.
I used personas to align the design with user needs and business goals, ensuring features addressed key frustrations like communication gaps and workflow inefficiencies. Employees frequently highlighted this issue, with one saying,
‍"I never know who to contact when there's an issue - it slows everything down."

Customer Journey Map

The next step was to create a customer journey map for the most common processes performed by employees. Each process was divided into stages, with actions, thoughts, and emotions mapped out for each step.

In areas where satisfaction significantly dropped, I developed How Might We questions to identify solutions aimed at improving these processes.
Customer Journey Mapping provided me with a clear understanding of employees' pain points, which negatively impacted overall business performance. Employees faced challenges such as:

- Overly complex and time-consuming problem reporting forms, which hindered their productivity and led to delays in resolving critical tasks.
‍
- Lack of feedback on problem resolution progress, leaving employees confused and unsure of the status. This resulted in decreased efficiency, as unresolved issues disrupted workflows.
IN THE LEARN PHASE:
- Conducted research to uncover employees' tasks and challenges in managing and reporting issues.
- Identified key pain points, like communication delays and unclear reporting processes.
- Mapped pain points to business goals to align user needs with organizational objectives.
- Identified workflow bottlenecks and proposed targeted solutions from a user perspective.
- Used insights to shape core app features, addressing needs and improving efficiency.
chapter one: learn

Qualitative research

To understand organizational challenges, I conducted interviews with two key groups: 5 stakeholders
(e.g., managers and team leaders) and 5 line-workers (e.g., inspectors and technicians), using Zoom for the sessions. I analyzed the responses with Aurelius, which helped me organize the data and identify patterns in their answers.

The information I collected through this research served as a great basis for the further steps in this chapter.
Through the research, I addressed users' key pain points that negatively impacted the business:
‍
- Lack of Real-Time Updates: The task management system relies on emails and calls for updates, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and delays in task execution.

- Ineffective Reporting Processes: Technical issues are reported through a complex process, causing delays, frustration, and wasted time. Employees often receive no updates, reducing productivity.‍‍

Empathy Map

I divided the empathy map into four quadrants:
‍Say: Direct quotes highlighting tool inefficiencies and frustrations.
‍Think: Underlying concerns like the need for real-time updates or frustration with manual processes.
‍Feel: Emotions such as stress from delays or feeling undervalued.
‍Do: Actions like relying on workarounds or chasing updates.
I used the empathy map to highlight users' frustrations and needs, such as confusion in reporting "Reporting technical problems takes too long, and we don't get updates" and delayed feedback, guiding design decisions to reduce friction and improve satisfaction while aligning with business goals.

Personas

The personas represent the needs of two key user groups: line employees, frustrated by unclear reporting processes and delays, and managers, struggling to track progress and prioritize tasks effectively. They highlight goals and pain points that directly impact business objectives.
I used personas to align the design with user needs and business goals, ensuring features addressed key frustrations like communication gaps and workflow inefficiencies. Employees frequently highlighted this issue, with one saying,
‍"I never know who to contact when there's an issue - it slows everything down."

Customer Journey Map

The next step was to create a customer journey map for the most common processes performed by employees. Each process was divided into stages, with actions, thoughts, and emotions mapped out for each step.

In areas where satisfaction significantly dropped, I developed How Might We questions to identify solutions aimed at improving these processes.
Customer Journey Mapping provided me with a clear understanding of employees' pain points, which negatively impacted overall business performance. Employees faced challenges such as:

- Overly complex and time-consuming problem reporting forms, which hindered their productivity and led to delays in resolving critical tasks.
‍
- Lack of feedback on problem resolution progress, leaving employees confused and unsure of the status. This resulted in decreased efficiency, as unresolved issues disrupted workflows.
IN THE LEARN PHASE:
- Conducted research to uncover
employees' tasks and challenges in managing and reporting issues.
‍
- Identified key pain points, like communication delays and unclear reporting processes.
‍
- Mapped pain points to business goals to align user needs with organizational objectives.
‍
- Identified workflow bottlenecks and proposed targeted solutions from a user perspective.
‍
- Used insights to shape core app features, addressing needs and improving efficiency.
chapter two: ideate

Stakeholder Brainstorming and Feature Prioritization

The brainstorming session was organized with the involvement of stakeholders (managers and team leaders), which allowed me to better understand their business perspective, including key organizational processes and existing technical constraints that I could align with user goals.

During the session, I utilized silent brainstorming and Crazy 8s techniques to ensure that all six participants could actively present their ideas for the HMW questions I had prepared, regardless of hierarchy or their level of involvement in the project.

To effectively prioritize the generated ideas, I applied the MoSCoW framework, which enabled the identification of the most critical MVP features, ensuring their alignment with both user needs and business goals.

User Flow + Wireframes

I then created wireframes and a user flow to discuss my solutions with stakeholders. During these discussions, the functionality for managers to generate productivity reports was deemed highly valuable but was ultimately excluded, as its implementation would delay the launch of the initial app version.

Together, we decided to prioritize other features for the MVP, with report generation planned for the next release.

‍

Usability testing

To ensure the app's usability, I conducted usability testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the flows I designed. I created preliminary prototypes and tested their functionality with managers and employees, assigning tasks such as reporting an issue to observe interactions and gather feedback.
‍
Iterating at this stage was crucial because it allowed me to identify and address usability pain points early. While the reporting flow was effective,  the tests revealed that the team-messaging flow wasn't intuitive and required some improvements.

Constrains

One of the key challenges I faced was ensuring the protection of sensitive data used within the application. To restrict access to this data exclusively to authorized personnel, I implemented a solution based on the concept of differentiated access to functionalities. Access to features involving sensitive data is granted only after the employee has been verified by a coordinator. This approach ensures that only authorized individuals can use specific functionalities, significantly enhancing data security within the organization.
IN THE IDEATE PHASE:
- Used the MoSCoW framework to prioritize MVP features, focusing on critical needs like real-time notifications and task reporting.
- Deferred less urgent functionalities to streamline the development process.
- Designed user flows and wireframes to refine proposed solutions.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to finalize and prioritize core features for a timely launch.
- Balanced user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility in the process.
chapter two: ideate

Stakeholder Brainstorming and Feature Prioritization

The brainstorming session was organized with the involvement of stakeholders (managers and team leaders), which allowed me to better understand their business perspective, including key organizational processes and existing technical constraints that I could align with user goals.

During the session, I utilized silent brainstorming and Crazy 8s techniques to ensure that all six participants could actively present their ideas for the HMW questions I had prepared, regardless of hierarchy or their level of involvement in the project.

To effectively prioritize the generated ideas, I applied the MoSCoW framework, which enabled the identification of the most critical MVP features, ensuring their alignment with both user needs and business goals.

User Flow + Wireframes

I then created wireframes and a user flow to discuss my solutions with stakeholders. During these discussions, the functionality for managers to generate productivity reports was deemed highly valuable but was ultimately excluded, as its implementation would delay the launch of the initial app version.

Together, we decided to prioritize other features for the MVP, with report generation planned for the next release.

Usability testing

To ensure the app's usability, I conducted usability testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the flows I designed. I created preliminary prototypes and tested their functionality with managers and employees, assigning tasks such as reporting an issue to observe interactions and gather feedback.
Iterating at this stage was crucial because it allowed me to identify and address usability pain points early. While the reporting flow was effective,  the tests revealed that the team-messaging flow wasn't intuitive and required some improvements.
IN THE IDEATE PHASE:
- Used the MoSCoW framework to prioritize MVP features, focusing on critical needs like real-time notifications and task reporting.
- Deferred less urgent functionalities to streamline the development process.
- Designed user flows and wireframes to refine proposed solutions.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to finalize and prioritize core features for a timely launch.
- Balanced user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility in the process.
chapter three: design

Design System

I developed a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency in the app's development process. This system included reusable components such as buttons, icons, and typography styles, which streamlined collaboration between design and development.
‍
By maintaining a unified visual language, I ensured the app was both visually cohesive and easy to expand for future features.

Prototyping + Iterative Improvements

Using interactive prototypes I created in Figma, I tested the app's functionality with managers and employees, gathering feedback on usability and flow. These iterations revealed key areas for improvement, such as:
- simplifying navigation  
- enhancing the team messaging feature.

By addressing these issues early, I ensured the final design was intuitive, user-focused, and aligned with the project’s goals.
IN THE DESIGN PHASE:
- Developed a Design System to ensure consistency and scalability with reusable components.
- Simplified navigation and enhanced team messaging based on feedback.
- Delivered an intuitive, user-focused design that met project objectives.
chapter three: design

Design System

I developed a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency in the app's development process. This system included reusable components such as buttons, icons, and typography styles, which streamlined collaboration between design and development.
‍
By maintaining a unified visual language, I ensured the app was both visually cohesive and easy to expand for future features.

Prototyping + Iterative Improvements

Using interactive prototypes I created in Figma, I tested the app's functionality with managers and employees, gathering feedback on usability and flow. These iterations revealed key areas for improvement, such as:
- simplifying navigation  
- enhancing the team messaging feature.

By addressing these issues early, I ensured the final design was intuitive, user-focused, and aligned with the project’s goals.
IN THE DESIGN PHASE:
- Developed a Design System to ensure consistency and scalability with reusable components.
- Simplified navigation and enhanced team messaging based on feedback.
- Delivered an intuitive, user-focused design that met project objectives.
chapter four: launch

Measuring KPIs

Future Development

This roadmap highlights the app’s evolution, starting with solving critical user pain points in the MVP and gradually adding features to enhance employee engagement and empowerment. Each phase balanced user feedback with business goals, culminating in innovative features like Exact Pay to boost employee satisfaction and organizational efficiency.
final project

Sign In & Sign Up

I designed login and registration screens in different versions to account for various interface states:
‍
‍Login: The default version includes fields for email and password, along with options for password recovery and login via Facebook. If incorrect data is entered (e.g., an invalid email), the user sees a red error highlight on the respective field.
‍
‍Registration: The screen includes fields for email and password, as well as required consent checkboxes. Correctly entered data is highlighted with a green border, while errors (e.g., a password not meeting requirements) are marked with a red border and an explanatory message.

Each state was designed to ensure clarity and provide intuitive feedback to the user.

Reporting an Issue

The problem reporting process was divided into several intuitive steps to make it easier for users to provide detailed information without feeling overwhelmed.

In the first step, the user enters basic information such as the problem name and priority. The next screen allows them to add additional details, such as comments and photos. Finally, the user sees a summary of their report, enabling them to verify all the details before submission.

This step-by-step approach was informed by user testing, which revealed that breaking the process into smaller stages improves user comfort and reduces the likelihood of errors. Each screen was designed with a specific focus to guide users seamlessly through the process, ensuring a clear and structured workflow.
my conclusions

What I Learned from This Project


This project was not only an opportunity to create a useful tool but also a challenging process that taught me key lessons about teamwork, iterative design, and understanding users.


Key Takeaways:
- Understanding the user is essential: Without deep research into user needs and empathy, it’s challenging to create a product that is truly valuable to them.
‍
- Prioritization and compromises are inevitable: Not everything can be delivered at once. The focus should be on providing the most impactful features that deliver the highest value.
‍
- Iteration is the foundation of success: Design is a process, not a one-time effort. Testing and quick iterations lead to a product that better meets users' needs.
Challenges and Lessons:‍

1. Communication with Stakeholders
The diverse needs of managers, team leaders, and line workers sometimes led to conflicts in setting priorities.
Lesson: Regular communication and the use of methods like MoSCoW helped align the team and achieve consensus.

2. Understanding the Real Needs of Users
Initial user feedback often didn’t reflect their actual problems. For example, the perceived “lack of communication” was rooted in inconsistent problem-reporting processes.
Lesson: Behavioral analysis and techniques like empathy maps help uncover users' true needs.

3. Balancing User Needs with Constraints
Prioritizing MVP features required making difficult decisions and deferring less critical functionalities to later phases.
Lesson: Collaborating with the technical team early in the process ensures realistic and achievable solutions.

If you’re looking for a collaborative designer to help bring your
vision to life, let’s connect

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chapter four: launch

Measuring KPIs

Future Development

This roadmap highlights the app’s evolution, starting with solving critical user pain points in the MVP and gradually adding features to enhance employee engagement and empowerment. Each phase balanced user feedback with business goals, culminating in innovative features like Exact Pay to boost employee satisfaction and organizational efficiency.
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