A process ten years overdue for a
rethink

A process ten years overdue for a
rethink

Redesigning a decade-old, fragmented intake workflow — replacing scattered processes and third-party workarounds with one flow that cut processing time in half.

Role

Solo Lead UX Designer

Platform

Web App

Timeline

Aug 2024 – Apr 2025

Team

PM, Engineering, Business Analyst

Its a visual of the
Its a visual of the

The Problem

A workflow that outgrew its tools

The intake process hadn't been meaningfully updated in over a decade. Workers had filled the gaps with third-party tools and manual workarounds just to get the job done — and the business was losing ground to competitors with more modern solutions.

For the worker

  • A system built over a decade ago and never updated — the technology and design no longer matched how people actually work

  • Core parts of the workflow weren't supported by the system at all, so workers relied on separate tools to fill the gaps — creating extra switching and risk

  • Three different roles were involved at different stages, each with different needs the system wasn't built to handle

For the Business

  • A workflow that had grown more complicated over the years without ever being properly rethought

  • Workers using separate tools for core tasks meant the business had less visibility and control over what was happening

  • The business was losing ground to competitors with more capable, modern solutions

For the Client

  • Delays in processing meant slower access to the services they had been referred for

  • A confirmation call that felt as broken as the process behind it

Design Process

Eight months of continuous collaboration and iteration

Discovery and requirements

Regular sessions with the customer — alongside the business analyst and PO — to understand the existing workflow, surface what the new experience needed to do, and define scope across all three personas.

  • Weekly or bi-weekly calls with the customer throughout the project — for discovery, review, and requirements

  • Mapped the existing intake flow end-to-end to understand where the gaps and friction were

  • Worked with a business analyst to turn complex requirements into clear design criteria

Iterative design across a complex flow

Different parts of the flow were designed and refined in parallel across sprints — while making sure the individual pieces always worked together as a whole.

  • Designed across personas at once, making sure each stage handed off cleanly to the next

  • Regular feedback from the customer, PM, engineering, and BA shaped each sprint

Navigating change

Technical constraints and regulatory requirements both shifted during the project — requiring design changes that didn't break what had already been built.

  • Adapted designs when technical constraints changed what was possible

  • Kept the overall design coherent despite requirements changing throughout

Collaborating through the build

With a flow this complex, small deviations during the build could easily break the experience. Staying closely involved with engineering meant the product users actually received matched what had been designed.

  • Reviewed implementation regularly against the intended design

  • Flagged and resolved discrepancies before they became permanent

The Solution

One flow. Every persona. End to end.

One flow, from receiving a referral all the way through to scheduling. Each role gets a view built around what they actually need to do — and everything that used to require a separate tool or workaround now happens in one place.

Client list

Two screen states of the Smart Onboarding UI — the initial state showing 8 items to review, and the completed state confirming all items have been reviewed.

Your queue, nothing else. Workers see only their own clients — so it's immediately clear what needs attention and in what order.

Status at a glance. Each referral shows where it is in the flow without needing to open it, helping user make faster decisions.

Manager view built in. Managers see the same list with assignment visibility added — no separate system, no extra mental model to learn.

WORKING VIEW

Two screen states of the Smart Onboarding UI — the initial state showing 8 items to review, and the completed state confirming all items have been reviewed.

Structured but flexible. The referral is broken into clear sections with visible completion indicators — so whether they work through it in order or not, nothing gets missed.

Edit in place. Information can be updated directly within the flow — no navigating away or switching between tools to make a correction.

CONFIRMATION CALL

Two screen states of the Smart Onboarding UI — the initial state showing 8 items to review, and the completed state confirming all items have been reviewed.

Built for the conversation. Information is shown in the order it needs to be confirmed — so the caller can move through the call naturally without jumping around the screen.

Update as you go. Changes can be made in real time during the call — no separate step needed to log updates after the conversation ends.

Impact

The difference it made

50%

faster processing

3 roles

one cohesive flow

Why it works

  • Things that used to require a separate tool now lives in one place — no third-party tools, no compliance gaps

  • Years of accumulated complexity replaced by a flow designed around how people actually work

  • Each role gets a view built for what they need to do — nothing more, nothing less

  • Customers who were close to switching to a competitor now had a reason to stay

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