Internal Application

(Business Activity Monitor)

For this project, I designed a crucial internal application that forms the core of our business operations. The platform was specifically built for our mid- and back-office staff and consultants, with the goal of centralizing the management of all incoming client requests. This project was crucial for optimizing our teams' workflow and improving the overall quality of our service delivery.

The platform facilitates essential tasks such as screening job descriptions, proposing the right candidates, and providing direct support for client issues. By centralizing and streamlining these processes, the application helps our employees work faster and more efficiently while providing a seamless experience for our clients.

Project overview

Product Team: Product Owner (1), Business Analist (1)

Dev Team: Outsystems Developers (2)

Close collaboration with: Senior UX Designer (1)

Duration project: 2-3 months

Tools: Figma

Soft skills: Collaboration & Presenting

✅ Problem Statement

Mid- and back-office staff currently manage incoming client requests across multiple disconnected tools, leading to inefficiencies, duplicated work, slow turnaround times, and inconsistent service delivery. Critical tasks such as job-description screening, candidate proposal, and client support require significant manual effort and lack a centralized workflow, making it difficult to track progress and collaborate effectively.

To improve operational speed and service quality, the organization needs a unified platform that streamlines request intake, decision-making, task execution, and communication across teams.

Phase 1: Research & Discovery

The goal of this phase was to gain a deep understanding of employees’ daily workflows, challenges, and the tools they used to manage client requests.

🔍 My Role

Conducted field observations of mid- and back-office staff
Led employee interviews to uncover pain points and needs
Documented workflows and system usage
Synthesized findings into actionable insights
Collaborated with another Senior UX Designer

🧠 Key Activities

Shadowed employees during daily tasks to understand real workflows
Interviewed staff to validate observations and uncover hidden frustrations
Analyzed existing systems and tools used across teams
Identified major bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement

💡 Research Outcomes

A clear understanding of how employees currently handle client requests
Identification of major pain points, inefficiencies, and unmet needs
Insight foundation that guided all future design decisions

These insights formed the blueprint for the application and enabled us to begin prototyping a new, streamlined system.

📦 Deliverables

✅ Personas (Mid-office & Consultants)
✅ User journey maps
✅ Task analysis

Phase 2: Prototyping & Setting the Foundation

After the research phase, my task was to translate the gathered insights into a concrete and technically feasible design. This phase revolved around the strategic decision of how the application should be built, taking into account the technical challenges and possibilities of platforms like OutSystems and the existing design library.

I started by designing a detailed prototype that mapped out the full user flow of the most crucial functionalities. In doing so, I carefully weighed which components from the design library could be used and where custom components were necessary for complex views, such as when screening job descriptions (approving, rejecting, and editing) and proposing candidates to clients. I also optimized and incorporated the flows for request insights, candidate details, and contract extensions into the prototype.

The foundation I designed focused on the scalability of the system. By adopting a modular approach, the design is ready for the future, and new functionalities can be easily built and implemented. This process resulted in a validated, technically-sound design that laid the groundwork for the next build phase.

Deliverables 👇

✅ 1. End-to-End User Flow Maps

Visualized flow of core tasks:

Screening job descriptions (approve / reject / edit)
Proposing candidates
Viewing request insights
Candidate details
Contract extension workflow

➡ Helps ensure clarity in task sequencing & system behavior.

✅ 2. Information Architecture (IA)

Navigation hierarchy
Page structure

➡ Ensures scalable and intuitive access to functionality.

✅ 3. High-Fidelity Prototype

Clickable prototype of core user flows
Optimized for OutSystems technical constraints

➡ Used for alignment, testing, and early validation.

✅ 4. Modular Design Framework

Rules for building and extending features:

Layout templates
Interaction patterns
Reusable modules
Naming conventions

➡ Ensures future scalability and consistent growth.

✅ 5. UI Patterns & Screen Templates

Form patterns
Cards
Task lists
Review screens
Status + feedback patterns
Detail panels

➡ Creates a stable, repeatable foundation for future features.

✅ 6. Interaction Specifications

Annotations defining:

Component states
Error/empty/loading states
Approve/reject logic
Status transitions
Validation rules

➡ Reduces ambiguity for development team.

✅ 7. Foundation Specification Package (for Development)

Link to prototype
Component references
Interaction flows
Screens & patterns
Notes for OutSystems implementation

➡ Smooth handoff to dev.

Deliverables 👇

Phase 3: Validation & User Testing

After creating the prototype, the next crucial step was to validate the design with the end-users themselves. My role in this phase was to organize and conduct user tests with our internal employees, including mid- and back-office staff and consultants.

During the sessions, I guided the employees through the clickable prototype and asked them to perform a series of their daily tasks. This gave me the opportunity to observe in real-time how intuitive the designed flows were and where users might encounter obstacles. The direct feedback from the users was indispensable for further refining the prototype.

This validation ensured that the design not only offered a solution to the identified problems but also that the application would be immediately usable and efficient for the people who would work with it every day after launch. It gave the team the certainty that we were on the right track before proceeding with the actual implementation.

Deliverables 👇

✅ 1) User Test Plan

A structured research plan describing:

Target users & recruitment
Methodology (moderated prototype testing)
Key tasks to test

➡ Ensures alignment and consistent execution.

✅ 2) Test Script / Scenario Tasks

Step-by-step instructions:

Scenario context
Tasks to complete (e.g., screen job request, propose candidate, extend contract)
Follow-up questions

➡ Ensures standardization across sessions.

✅ 3) Test Sessions (Moderated)

Recording & facilitation notes
Observational logs
Real-time behavior tracking

➡ Captures authentic interaction insight.

✅ 4) Findings Report / Insight Synthesis

Document summarizing:

Key themes & insights
Pain points
Usability issues
Opportunities
Quotes

➡ Synthesizes user feedback for decision-making.

✅ 6) Prioritized Recommendations / Action List

Issues ranked by severity + effort
Proposed improvements and rationale

➡ Supports roadmap & sprint alignment.

Phase 4: Iteration & Refinement

After validating the prototype with users, the next step was to refine and perfect the design based on real feedback.

🎯 My Role

Analyzed user feedback and testing outcomes
Prioritized usability issues and improvement opportunities
Translated findings into concrete design adjustments
Collaborated with the researcher and dev team to ensure feasibility

🔍 Key Activities

Reviewed all pain points identified during testing
Optimized user flows and micro-interactions for clarity and efficiency
Refined information hierarchy and layout consistency
Improved navigation and task visibility across modules
Conducted re-validation sessions to confirm the impact of design updates

🧩 Iteration Process

Analyze feedback and categorize issues
Implement design refinements in the prototype
Test the updated version with users
Validate improvements and ensure no new issues emerged

🚀 Outcome

Delivered a robust, validated prototype
Significantly improved task completion and user confidence
Created an application that is intuitive, efficient, and ready for implementation

Phase 5: Implementation & Design Oversight

The final phase of the project centered on the successful implementation of the design. In this phase, I worked closely with the OutSystems developers to ensure that the design vision was executed flawlessly.

My role was to oversee the entire build process and serve as the bridge between design and development. I guided the teams in correctly translating the interactions and flows from the prototype into the actual application. This guaranteed that the final product was not only functional but also offered the most intuitive and efficient user experience as it had been validated. The close collaboration resulted in the successful delivery of an application that is both technically solid and design-perfect.

🎯 My Role

Acted as the bridge between design and development
Ensured the prototype was accurately translated into the final product
Oversaw build quality and interaction fidelity

🤝 Collaboration

Worked closely with OutSystems developers
Provided clarification on flows, interactions, and UI patterns
Ensured technical choices aligned with the UX vision

🔍 Key Activities

Reviewed builds to confirm alignment with designs
Provided design specifications and interaction notes
Flagged inconsistencies and guided improvements
Conducted continuous QA on user experience during implementation

🚀 Outcome

Successful delivery of a platform that was:
- ✅ Technically stable
- ✅ User-validated
- ✅ Aligned with design vision
Resulted in an application that is efficient, intuitive, and ready for daily use