Loan Workflow Manager
For this project our team worked with the commercial loans department of a major global financial organisation to optimize and browser enable their thirty screen plus end-to-end loan process workflow while improving usability.
To add to the challenge the team were globally distributed only coming together for initial research activities. We learnt quickly, video conference calls involving post-it note walls or any paper based sketching was not easy
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Overview
The Project
The team were tasked with optimizing and web enabling their field and backend teams end-to-end loan process workflow while improving usability using a new enterprise system our company had implemented earlier. Essentially, we were to deliver wireframes to our Bangalore based development teams upon approval by the client.
My Role:
Acting as the primary UK contact with the client working with a team of two and account manager who resided in North Americas.
The Problem
In addition to showcasing the capabilities of our enterprise system and moving to a web client, the existing desktop application used over thirty wizard style screens to capture, authorize, monitor and manage loans from its clients. Field and back office staff completed their tasks using multiple systems and tools of differing usability, poorly designed interfaces and less efficient workflows. This resulted in teams resorting to using spreadsheets and email in the most extreme cases bypassing controls and making it difficult to manage resources in times of demand.
The Opportunity
Allow Users, within specific roles, functions and permissions:
- To move from the desktop to web application for loan origination and deal tracking to accounting and settlement with improved performance.
- Improve their workflow working with less screens and systems.
- To view and be alerted for tasks that need to be actioned.
- View several weeks ahead, loan tasks due for completion to assist with resourcing and allocation
- To make less mistakes through a simpler easier user interface.
Research
Domain Research
“our account manager, walked through the solution hoping we would go away and derive screens from his vision with no user engagement.”
Initially, over several video conference calls, our account manager, walked through the solution hoping we would go away and derive screens from his vision with no user engagement. However, we pushed for in-person meetings with the client and account manager to better understand the domain and pain points in the existing solution. Working with the account manager initially, helped our team pose less obvious questions and focus on key pain points and the finer details with the client ultimately formulating a research plan with them.
On meeting the client, we became better aware of the thirty plus screens pus affirmations and error messages the field and back-office users faced daily – something not originally mentioned by our account manager, as he explained the loan process through the new enterprise software they were implementing.
User Research
Observing users in context
Over one session lasting a morning and working in pairs, with one person capturing feedback, using an adapted version of the Tim Robinson (1993) framework, we firstly observed users from a distance, on location, at the client’s loans department to understand:
- What is the physical space like?
- Who is involved?
- What are they doing?
- What objects are present?
- What are individuals doing?
- What kind of event is it?
- What do they to accomplish?
- What is the mood of the group and of individuals?
Due to the location we were unable to record or capture visuals and relied on notes and sketches.
During this time, we also took note of seating plans and key resources such as in out boxes, the team worked with.
User Interviews
In addition to performing ethnographic type studies we also interview several field and back-office staff, identifying candidates from our observations, roles they performed and recommendations from the client.
Each walked through their common tasks, pre- and post actions out loud.
We elicited and drew associations informing us how they worked, what worked and what did not for the roles they performed.
Persona
We derived personas for the key roles involved through the corporate loan cycle, these were a Processor, Authorizer and Settlement Administrator. These were primarily used by the team and account manager to validate and understand the roles we were designing for. In addition, we were building a pattern and research wiki online and added these to our persona profiles accessible to the whole company.
Design & Testing
UI Paper Sketches & Testing
Mid-Fidelity Design & Testing
