“Build a modernized, mobile-optimized customer portal, providing the best possible user experience and offering no less functionality than what is available today.”
Overview
This product serves as the central hub for most background screening clients, tools, and integrations. While several sub-products function seamlessly with this core platform, it is essential to view the Background Screening Services and extensions as both standalone solutions and as components that work in conjunction with the core platform.
The company's founders had a great vision, but the current system is outdated and features an old-fashioned interface designed by developers. While it has some benefits, such as fostering customer loyalty, the system poses challenges for new users trying to navigate it. Its outdated look and steep learning curve make it difficult to attract new clients.
Design Team
Syndel Klett - Lead UX + Design PM
Oleksandra - Senior UI/UX Designer
Igor - UI Designer
Oleh - UI Designer
Oleksandra - Senior UI/UX Designer
Igor - UI Designer
Oleh - UI Designer
Additional Project Details
Initial Project Scope: TBD, Kick-off Sept 2021
Actual: Still in progress - Beta Mid 2024
Tools: Figma, Webflow, Confluence
Actual: Still in progress - Beta Mid 2024
Tools: Figma, Webflow, Confluence
Discovery Process Deliverables
The deliverables from the discovery process include site maps, content inventories, user flow diagrams, event taxonomy flows, documentation discovery, artifact discovery, and internal interviews to gather key information.
We faced several challenges due to the outdated technology on which the platform was initially built. The platform, launched 20 years ago, has relied on developer-driven updates since its inception. This has resulted in obsolete logic and connections to outdated systems. Although updates have been made over time, the platform still fails to meet modern technology and usability standards.
We realized that we did not have validated user personas or direct access to our product's users. Our organization had recently adopted a focus on user experience, but we were not equipped to conduct user interviews or surveys or to engage directly with customers. At that time, our company was primarily focused on rebuilding its platform. As an experienced UX designer, I recommended that we reach out to users; however, we had to work with the resources we had available: our internal knowledge and tried-and-true UX design best practices.
As we were building our platform, we took a thorough look at all the components that were put together and logically organized them. We also made sure to create a seamless flow to make navigation easier across the platform. This will allow users to access every point with more convenience and less need for help from internal teams.
Throughout the process, we had to make continuous efforts to refine our information architecture. Even after conducting a thorough content audit, we kept discovering new content that we were previously unaware of. However, we eventually reached a point where we were able to establish a flexible and adaptable user experience strategy that could easily accommodate any future additions or changes to the platform. This approach allowed us to introduce new features and functions without any difficulty.
User Feedback
In November 2023, the company was finally ready to conduct user interviews after dedicating significant effort and adopting a strategic approach. I conducted 14 individual interviews with various client segments and categories who use our product. During these interviews, I asked a range of questions about their user experience and expectations, which sparked discussions about what was working well and what required improvement.
This provided us with valuable feedback before we showcased any of our work. After the interviews, we shared our progress with the participants and received an overwhelmingly positive response. Several early adopters expressed interest in joining the beta list for our new platform, which is scheduled for release in Q2-Q3 of 2024.
