UI/UX Designer
Enhancing Management Practices for Fairness
2018
Role
Led the design of the end-to-end experience. I also conducted research, and usability tests, determined metric indicators to understand the impact of the solution(s) proposed, and gave workshops to train staff on how to use the system.
Outcome
Calls from participants to staff during their application process were reduced by 63%. That allowed the staff at the company to better keep up with their daily tasks and the levels of frustration were reduced significantly.
Team
- Jenny Garcia - Team lead
- Rubén Zarzuela - Lead Developer
- Luis Miguel - Full stack Developer
- Myself - UI/UX Designer
Context
Punta Catalina
Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Power Plant is a big industrial project in the Dominican Republic during the administration of ex-president Medina and was administrated by CDEEE. For this project, the company needed to create a platform where other companies could contest to acquire the project.
The plant features integrated Gas Emission Quality Control equipment, ensuring that its emissions align with those of natural gas thermoelectric plants. This system significantly reduces gas emissions, aiming for up to a 98% reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur trioxide (SO3), and heavy metals like mercury.
Seawater is used for cooling the power plant. The used water is cooled through open channels and sent back to the sea via offshore pipes without disturbing the marine ecosystem.The plant can meet up to 35% of the total power demand of the Dominican Republic.
Problem
It's hard to keep up
The staff was having a hard time managing the supporting documents of applicants when there were large volumes of applications.
Note: This was the conclusion we got to after going through the research phase, I will explain it a little bit more on the discovery phase, so keep reading please 🙆♀️.
Goals
At first our primary goal was to reduce the fatigue levels of the staff that was working on the project while keeping or improving the satisfaction of the contestants.
1. Study and improve the internal processing of the application process to help the staff go through their tasks with less frustration.
2. Build a web platform that would enable the contestants to apply to the projects.
3. Create a dedicated space for Punta Catalina.
Research & Discovery
The portal is not the only problem
The request from the IT director was clear. They wanted a dedicated web platform for all the solicitations published by the Thermoelectric plant (Punta Catalina). Their reasoning behind it was that we could improve the application process for the contestant by having a “branded” portal and that the staff needed to use fewer external applications because it could get messy with large volumes of applicants in 1 project.
All of that makes sense and it’s valid but I still felt like there were some issues that we probably weren’t aware of that might be even more significant. Moreover, I felt like I didn't agave a full grasp of the actual process, and the people involved even though we were briefed with diagrams and all.
To understand the internal process better and also to find opportunities for good change we kicked off the discovery phase by mapping the process:
Personas
There were three main roles within the company that were in charge of the application process. The manager, the supervisors and the analysts.
Opportunities
After a few rounds of sketching and bouncing ideas, we found opportunities to add more value and impact the staff the levels of stress in a positive way.
1. Avoid using external apps as much as possible.
2. Reduce the calls during the the solicitations.
Final Design
We created a web portal, but also a robust service design flow that had almost immediate positive impact in everyone involved in the journey. Here is how the visual language of the final design looks like:
Karen Acosta 👌 2024