Hi there! I am Smitha.
I am a Content Designer based in Dublin, Ireland. I have spent around 5 to 6 years, honing my skills of leveraging content as a problem-solving tool. My aim is to deliver value through clear, simple and engaging digital experiences and the strategic alignment of business goals and user needs. In this portfolio, you will explore the redesign projects I undertook for QuickBooks Online Advanced at Cognizant and the content strategy crafted at Dell Technologies.
Projects
Cognizant
Re-designed Manage Users Feature for QuickBooks Online Advanced
Problem
Manage users is a feature that lets admins manage user access by giving them the controls they need for their roles. However, admins could not add more users or roles. This limited functionality meant users were not able to create custom roles. This also meant that all users had access to different areas of QuickBooks like banking, reports, payroll, expenses and more.
Problem Statement
This feature was up for a re-design because many users wanted more intuitive functions. The current feature is limited in terms of access and role creation. The 2 main pre-set roles of Standard user and Admin lacked granularity in terms of access. Providing custom access was difficult. Users found it difficult to navigate across the flow, and the use of complex sentences added to the frustration users were experiencing. New users often did not see or use this feature as it was not easily discoverable. The lack of explainer videos compounded the problem. It had a high bounce rate and adoption of the feature had been reducing rapidly. How could we redesign the existing content and design on the tool so that users could add more roles and provide only required access to users?
Challenges
● A highly sought out feature - information has to be clear and understandable
● Time limitation - feature release date was aggressive with a tight and quick timeline
Approach
● Requirements gathering
● 1:1 interviews with stakeholders to understand the ecosystem in its entirety, from a systems thinking lens
● Organisational research, understanding and identifying user pain points clearly
● Redesigning content to leverage it for a more powerful impact
User Research
Data from user interviews and surveys showed that users were not able to easily discover the Manage Users feature. The navigation in the page added to their frustration. Multiple steps to navigate to the feature and within it made users abandon it. The complex sentences made users' problems worse.The adoption of the feature stood at 3% in January 2020.
Content Design
I simplified the complex language to make it simpler, clearer and accessible to users. By closely collaborating with Marketing teams, I added explainer videos about the feature for new users. Contextual content discovery points for user guidance were also added. Feedback from usability tests confirmed that the redesign met user needs.Users stated that the new content has made it easier for them to understand the feature itself and use it. Some said that they felt more in control of user access; others said that it even simplified their work. Users used descriptive words such as "straightforward way to manage users" and "easily assign roles and permissions."
Result
With the implementation of this feature, the adoption rate increased from 3% in January 2020 to 16% in March 2021.
Dell Technologies
Crafted a content strategy for uploading a purchase order in the quote process
Problem
Dell Sales Application (DSA) is an internal quote to order sales tool used by Dell sales representatives. It helps sales representatives to create a quote for end customers to buy Dell products.
Problem Statement
The process of uploading a purchase order in DSA was cumbersome and ridden with multiple steps for sales representatives. Additionally, legacy designs and content did not make it any easy for them. Users had to navigate through 10 steps and sift through complex-sounding copy. The copy that was used in messaging and navigation was lengthy and unclear. This resulted in users abandoning the process midway. How could we redesign the existing content and design on the tool so that users could easily navigate, understand the steps to create purchase orders and create them?
Challenges
● Inertia on the part of product engineering and management teams
● Siloed working styles of teams
Approach
I started with a content audit of the entire tool, followed by user research and alignment of business goals and user needs. Then, I started to,
● introduce clear, simple, consistent, human and understandable language
● align microcopy (labels, headers, sub headers, CTAs, etc.) in accordance with in-house designs systems and style guides
● bring consistency in the alignment of visual design elements
● craft content guidelines for warning messages, error messages and information tooltips
User Research
Data from user interviews and surveys showed that users were not able to understand the process of uploading purchase orders. The number of steps (6) added to their confusion. They also found it difficult to understand the order of the steps for uploading purchase orders. New users were confused by different terminologies used for the same term or action (for example, 'purchase order' and 'PO' were used, 'link' and 'associate' were used in CTAs.) Dense and complex language further increased users' frustration, resulting in them abandoning the flow.
Content Design
I simplified and designed the information in such a way that the steps to upload a purchase order became clearer and fewer. 6 steps got reduced to 3 steps.
Additional information that was not important was added in drawers and tooltips. Generic headers were revised to be more specific to the flow the user is in. Labels, headers, sub headers, etc., were all aligned to in-house content guidelines. Users reported that the redesign met their needs and that the new design and content helped them understand the process of uploading purchase orders in a systematic way. "No more complexity," "just 3 steps and that simple," and "a cleaner look and a relief" were some of the comments from users.
Result
Within 5 months, users started using the feature actively. The dropout ratio of users reduced drastically.
