Onvio Documents

Client: Thomson Reuters

Project Type: UX Design & Research

Skills: Axure prototyping, brainstorming, collaboration, design specifications, mockups, project management, sketching, stakeholder interviews, and wireframing

What and Why

Part of my Firm Management focus included Onvio’s document-management application, called Onvio Documents.

The navigation of the existing Onvio Documents was too cumbersome and was causing a 50% return rate of the Onvio suite. I was tasked with redesigning the Client Documents section and fixing the navigation issues.

Redesign: Before & After

Original design of Onvio client documents screen

Redesign of Onvio client documents screen

Problem

Previous research showed that navigation in the Documents application forced users to drill down too many levels to access previews. They wanted to have a tree navigation side-by-side with the document preview, similar to the functionality of the legacy desktop software.

Approach

Stakeholder Interviews

I interviewed relevant stakeholders to determine the priority of features and figure out what we could reasonably build in the scope of the project, and what needed to be done in future projects.

Icebreaker Activity

I scheduled some time with the whole development team to break the ice and have a little fun at the beginning of our time together. We did a sketching activity.

Brainstorming

I met with the team again to brainstorm feature ideas and then group them by theme and prioritize what needed to get done first, giving me the necessary context for the project. We broke the project into individual features and planned to tackle them one at a time.

Sketching

I started with simple sketches to generate a lot of ideas.

Wireframes

I translated these into wireframes to get feedback from the development team.

High-Fidelity Mockups

I instituted a bi-weekly UX Review to give the team a chance to provide feedback and ask questions about the designs. I then iterated based on their feedback.

Axure Prototype

I made a clickable prototype from the finalized mockups for the purposes of testing.

Usability testing

I collaborated with the UX Researcher to test my final designs, once remotely and once in-person at our annual users’ conference.

Design Specifications

As designs were finalized after testing, I created interaction notes and specifications to hand off to the developers.

Struggles and Successes

This was the first time this particular development team worked with a UX Designer so some trust had to be built. I was embedded in the team and participating in most of their ceremonies. By the end of the project, I felt like an integral part of the team.

This was my first completely independent project at TR so I had to learn what was most effective. This boosted my confidence as a designer.

Outcome

My designs were regularly described as clean and easy to use. I worked with our dedicated researcher to test my designs twice and they tested well both times. They were implemented on a feature-by-feature basis. The following quote is an example of some of the feedback from customers:

“This definitely will be of great help. The whole nesting of the folder and then not knowing what’s inside each folder, and if you have a file or not, was very time-consuming. Now, here, we can see as it opens, on one screen, without having to jump to another, see the breakdown of what’s nested inside that tax return file and be able to actually click and see it in the next screen, when it was modified, etc. This is a great feature.”

Final Designs

Colleague Testimonials

“After researching findings from our sales team's customer contacts, and synthesizing results from user feedback and user survey, it became apparent that improving the flow of work in Onvio Documents was a high-value improvement that our users desired.Kristen accepted this large-scale challenge head on. She approached it both qualitatively and quantitatively, gathering information needed to make informed design decisions. This included reviewing user comments, setting up user interviews, setting up stakeholder interviews, and iterating prototype designs. Each of these steps is a multi-faceted process involving design expertise and knowledge.What this means is that she has created real value and improvement in Onvio. Users have had excellent feedback on this design and it will be part of a post-filing-season release. These user-workflow improvements will be a lasting change in Onvio and will help users work in a more effective style.”

“I worked with Kristen on 2 different projects this year - Onvio Firm Practice and Onvio Documents - besides our daily interactions on the UX team. As the User Researcher for the team, I tested iteratively prototypes that Kristen created for Firm Practice and Onvio Documents. In both cases, the products are very complex and, in the latter case of Onvio Documents, Kristen was asked to come on the project to reverse a 50% return rate. Onvio Documents had never had a UX designer on the team before being launched and both of us were brought on the team to help the abysmal return rate. Kristen came on the team as designer and, based on my interviews with users, she re-designed major functionalities and got the users excited again about the product. Working with Kristen on all these projects, but especially on this very difficult and high-pressure project, was a pleasure because she is disciplined, hard-working, has an eye for detail, and knows exactly how to turn user feedback into deliverables. Her deliverables for the team and her good rapport with the Onvio team put the UX in a great light, adding to the overall work we all do here to evangelize UX."

“The work you have done for Onvio Documents this year is incredible. We've needed the research and direction you have provided for us for so long. I appreciate your attention to detail and quick turnaround time on our projects and requests. You fit in really well and we enjoy having you as a part of our team. Your personality makes it easy for everyone to be comfortable and open with their ideas and questions. I'm glad we got to know each other this year and work on project Accio together! I'm so thankful you've been able to stay on to help with scanning and future features we plan on implementing going forward. The work you do is critical for our product's success.”

“Kristen has provided a tremendous amount of guidance to our team this year. It has been wonderful to have a UX-knowledgeable person dedicated to assisting with the prototypes on new features as well as providing guidance on questions on which buttons, icons, etc to use in each situation that arises. Kristen has really become a part of our Onvio Documents team. She attends our daily huddles, iteration reviews, and organizes meetings with us to present her ideas and prototypes. She is excellent at taking feedback and coming back to us quickly with changes. She is great at meeting deadlines that we agree on as well. We love having her as a part of our team!”

Tagged Thomson Reuters