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Increased task efficiency by 62.5% for CCIDC’s application flow and created a higher retention rate for interior designers
I designed for the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC), a non-profit organization that administers the Certified Interior Designer Title Act, allowing interior designers to become Certified Interior Designers (CIDs) and achieve the highest standard of qualifications.
Context
Why did CCIDC need help converting interior designers into applicants?
Our client at CCIDC discussed the organization's needs with us, highlighting a concerning trend: a decreasing number of applicants each year. She attributed this decline to competing organizations offering more streamlined application processes for interior designers.
CCIDC turned to us because they needed to understand how to build a network of certified interior designers who could effectively connect with their clients and complete essential projects.
Timeline
November 2023 - May 2024
Role
Lead UX Designer
Team
3 UX Designers
8 Developers
1 PM
Problem
Confused users meant no applicants
Fewer and fewer applicants were choosing to apply for certification through CCIDC because the lengthy application process featured several different methods of submission, confusing instruction, and a time limit.
Since CID’s are essential to satisfy CCIDC’s network of clients, they needed to improve the application process quickly to ensure their business model stayed strong.
The final designs (a sneak peak)
The CCIDC website concerning the application for interior design certification….
01
Explaining the application process.
Redesigning the landing page to intuitively guide users towards understanding the benefits of applying and the differences between the four pathways.
02
Sorting and saving the applicants.
Adding a prescreening questionnaire to ease applicants' cognitive load by automatically sorting them into the correct pathway and prompting them to sign in, creating a dedicated space in the system.
03
Simplifying the application itself.
Consolidating links, document uploads, and personal information so that both user and employee can include the information all at once.
Keep reading for a detailed look at my process!
Problem Discovery
Exploring pain points with the stakeholders
To prepare for my first meeting with our client, I put together exploratory questions to augment my second-hand knowledge from the PM.
| Who are your primary users? What is your knowledge of their needs?
| How does improving the application flow directly correlate to your business goals?
| From an administration perspective, are there any struggles that you face with the application flow?
Opportunity areas identified from exploratory questions
💡
Enhancing the application flow is crucial for CCIDC, as the organization's success depends on users easily accessing a list of qualified Certified Interior Designers, generated from applicants who navigate through CCIDC’s application process.
💡
Administrators frequently face challenges in efficiently guiding applicants toward the most suitable pathway for their needs. They often spend considerable time answering candidate questions and manually verifying that applications meet the pathway requirements.
💡
The primary users, interior designers, often struggle with the process, finding it difficult to submit their documents and struggle to gain visibility of system status after completing their applications.
Understanding our user’s perspective during the application process
Now that we had determined what stakeholders needed to support their business, it was time to understand what the users were struggling with
To better understand the problems users were facing while going through the application, I led a discovery session where we noted potential pain points and instances of broken flows.
A few examples of issues we catalogued are detailed below.
Product discovery survey for end users: interior designers
Based on our audit of the existing application flow, we structured a survey with questions specifically engineered to draw out both qualitative and quantitive insights.
We sent the survey to 30 CID’s who applied through CCIDC in the past and received responses from 9 users.
Qualitative Data from Users ->
Extracting themes ->
Poor organization
Lack of design appeal
Unclear submission requirements
No visibility of system status
Determining Insights
There is a lack of an application process with clear requirements and an easy to understand submission process.
Users lack a comprehensive flow state while going through the application.
How did our competitors approach their application flows?
We analyzed four competing websites that also featured certification applications, focusing on specific features informed by user research insights. Our goal was to understand their problem-solving approaches and measure user satisfaction with these websites.
This competitive analysis helped us determine how to proceed with our redesign and what features would be best to prioritize during the design process.
Minimum Viable Product
Prioritizing user and business needs
After sharing insights from the discovery phase with the Product Manager and Engineering manager, we collaborated on planning our first shippable iteration, prioritizing the client's business needs and development feasibility.
PRD gave rise to features
Our PM had begun putting together a Product Requirements Document based on a discussion of needs with the client. Based on my user research and revisions of the existing website, I explained my reasoning behind the need for an account creation feature and converting to a single submission process.
*red = features derived from user research
Home
Explanation about application process
FAQ’s
distinctions between pathways
Sorting applicants
Automatic sort of applicants
Gauge qualifications for relevant sort
Account creation
Create account at beginning of application process
Login/ Signup
Single submission process
Organize information so documents are submitted in conjunction with entering information
User flow to visualize 'how to apply'
How would the process of users attempting to apply for certification look like?
Solution ideation to explore feature implementations
I then went about exploring design choice through ideation methods such as Crazy 8’s to find what aligned with our findings from user research and client expectations.
After conducting A/B user testing on 8 users, I found what design explorations resulted in the highest likelihood of adoption by my target user group
Homepage Explorations | How best to present the application process?
❌
This 1:3 column layout doesn't accommodate expanded FAQs, leading to uneven columns and visual imbalance.
The lack of visual attention also leads to a higher likelihood for user abandonment.
✅
This single-column format ensures that FAQs scale effectively while maintaining a clear and logical hierarchy in the presentation of information.
‘Sorting Applicants’ Explorations | What is the best strategy to guide users to the correct pathway?
❌
Sorting applicants by having them select all relevant requirements.
Moderate cognitive load for users.
✅
Sorting applicants using a questionnaire that aligns with requirements and accommodates those who haven't met any requirements.
Minimal cognitive load for users.
Single Submission Explorations | How best to present the application process?
❌
6 step process that follows the original application.
Documents submitted not when expected
(a different tab).
❌
3 step process adapted from original application with longer combination of all forms to fill out.
Documents still submitted seperately.
✅
4 step process with document upload supported within each stage.
Distributes information requirements evenly across all four steps.
❌
5 step process with document upload supported within each stage.
Payment information easily condensable - doesn’t warrant extra page.
Prioritizing sustainability and scalability while crafting a design system
Accessible colors
We built upon CCIDC’s existing color scheme while ensuring our color selections met AA-level accessibility standards using a WCAG checker.
Scalable navigation
We prioritized scalability from the outset, beginning with the design system, to ensure that the site adapted seamlessly to any screen size.
Linking a design system for consistency and standards
At Triton Software Engineering, where we collaborated with CCIDC, I contributed to developing a comprehensive design system. This system included a UI component library tailored with CCIDC-specific elements. We also adapted typography and styling from CCIDC to ensure consistency across all the nonprofit projects undertaken by TSE.
User tested final deliverables
Sorting Applicants
After users have filled out the prescreening questions, we found it important to provide the user with an informed decision and feedback on how to proceed.
Centralized Submission
Creating a space for users to upload their documents immediately after filling out the associated fields and/or receiving the appropriate forms.
Submission Process
At the end of the submission process, it was important to provide clear action items and next steps to keep users engaged and informed in the process.
Version two
Meeting with engineers and our PM to address deferred features
There was still one important insight gleaned from user research that we were not addressing. Ensuring users had control of their application and stayed informed about its progress. We tackled this by addressing the scope and delineating features.
Addressing the rest of the PRD
After reviewing our PRD, we identified certain features that were determined to be lower in priority on our first revision. Upon revising these and aligning them with the scope of V2, we decided to move forward accordingly.
Although an applicant status page existed on CCIDC’s website, there was no clear path for the user to access it after their application had been submitted. We wanted to accent and augment that page with the following features to give users a clearer mental model of their application
Application Status
Provide users with a preview of their application status
Upgrading the applicant’s pathway based on changing circumstances
Account Information
Automatic sort of applicants
Gauge qualifications for relevant sort
Update Application
Create account at beginning of application process
Login/ Signup
V2 Final Screens
Application Status
Giving users a place to check on their application and requirement and make an informed decision on how to proceed.
Account Information
Users maintain control of their account and are able to edit their information accordingly for future use.
Update Application
Realize you’re ready to proceed to the next pathway? No problem. Easily communicate updated information without having to redo the entire application.
An unexpected pivot from implementing V2 features
Due to an expected delay from development regarding the back end of the application, developers did not have time before our final deadline to implement the V2 features we had discussed. Although this threw a wrench in our original plans, I quickly adapted by adjusting the designs to ensure the end of the application lead to the existing ‘Applicant Status’ page.
Additionally, I held several meeting with our client and provided complete walkthroughs and recordings of our V2 features. I wanted to ensure she had the relevant documentation in case she had the chance to continue working with a development team in the future.
Wrapping Up
What's next?
The development team is currently finishing the application flow. While they are on a temporary break right now due to summer vacation, development is expected to resume in September. I maintain frequent communication with the team to ensure progress is smooth.
Overall impact as a result of this product
There was a 62.5% increase in task efficiency (filling out the application form) as measured from user testing. When the site goes live, I plan on working with CCIDC to gain access to more analytics from the published website.
Reflecting on my cross-functional journey as a lead designer
I learned how important it is to maintain constant communication with all members of the team and the client no matter what phase of the product you are working on. Being on the same page is essential to creating a wonderful project. Also getting to know my team members well and their skill level made the design process smoother as I had an understanding of what was feasible before starting this project.