Internal facing, Salesforce-Integrated Finance and L&D App
Internal facing, Salesforce-Integrated Finance and L&D App
Internal facing, Salesforce-Integrated Finance and L&D App
The company needed a robust, internal-facing platform that integrated with Salesforce and supported both Finance and Learning & Development (L&D) operations. The platform required a seamless expense management system and a comprehensive Learning & Development tool that laddered employee objectives to corporate goals. Usability, security, and responsiveness were critical, as employees would use the platform globally on various devices.
The company needed a robust, internal-facing platform that integrated with Salesforce and supported both Finance and Learning & Development (L&D) operations. The platform required a seamless expense management system and a comprehensive Learning & Development tool that laddered employee objectives to corporate goals. Usability, security, and responsiveness were critical, as employees would use the platform globally on various devices.
The company needed a robust, internal-facing platform that integrated with Salesforce and supported both Finance and Learning & Development (L&D) operations. The platform required a seamless expense management system and a comprehensive Learning & Development tool that laddered employee objectives to corporate goals. Usability, security, and responsiveness were critical, as employees would use the platform globally on various devices.
team
Agencies: Fuel Media
Creative Director: Deborah Sauvé
Product Designer: Alison Woodliffe
UX Intern
Process
Extensive Expense, L&D, Ticketing Platform Research
Branding, Wireframing, Design System, Design
User Feedback and Usability Testing Maintenance and Changes
Tools
Information Architecture: Airtable
User Stories: Airtable
Project Management: Asana
Design: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Figma
Dev Hand Off: Zeplin
The Challenge
The primary challenge was designing an intuitive, mobile-friendly platform that catered to diverse user roles—ranging from basic users to admins, managers, and the finance department—while integrating complex functionalities like expense management, OKR tracking, and action item ticketing. The previous system, which used Salesforce directly, led to user frustration due to redundant data entry and poor usability. Our goal was to streamline these processes, reducing the time spent on expense submissions and improving overall employee-manager alignment through the L&D tools. Ensuring top-tier security for sensitive financial data and user authentication was also essential.
The primary challenge was designing an intuitive, mobile-friendly platform that catered to diverse user roles—ranging from basic users to admins, managers, and the finance department—while integrating complex functionalities like expense management, OKR tracking, and action item ticketing. The previous system, which used Salesforce directly, led to user frustration due to redundant data entry and poor usability. Our goal was to streamline these processes, reducing the time spent on expense submissions and improving overall employee-manager alignment through the L&D tools. Ensuring top-tier security for sensitive financial data and user authentication was also essential.
The primary challenge was designing an intuitive, mobile-friendly platform that catered to diverse user roles—ranging from basic users to admins, managers, and the finance department—while integrating complex functionalities like expense management, OKR tracking, and action item ticketing. The previous system, which used Salesforce directly, led to user frustration due to redundant data entry and poor usability. Our goal was to streamline these processes, reducing the time spent on expense submissions and improving overall employee-manager alignment through the L&D tools. Ensuring top-tier security for sensitive financial data and user authentication was also essential.
The Solution
Collaborating closely with my creative director, a UX intern, and several software developers, we took a user-centered approach, leveraging live UX research and feedback to adjust the platform’s design and functionality. The product design focused on creating intuitive user flows for submitting expenses, tracking OKRs, and managing action items.
For the expense management system, we designed forms for submitting expenses with features like receipt attachment, note-taking, and automated rules for recurring expenses. The user experience was further enhanced with dashboard visuals like financial reports, expense statuses, and actuals vs. budget comparisons. By eliminating redundant fields and unnecessary complexity, the new design drastically sped up the expense submission process, allowing users to work more efficiently from any device, anywhere in the world.
For the Learning & Development (L&D) platform, we developed a double-blind employee-manager review system that facilitated transparent feedback, ensuring alignment of OKRs with department and corporate goals. Employees could submit detailed OKRs, track their progress, and participate in quarterly reviews with their managers. This system fostered a feedback loop that supported both employee growth and organizational objectives.
Collaborating closely with my creative director, a UX intern, and several software developers, we took a user-centered approach, leveraging live UX research and feedback to adjust the platform’s design and functionality. The product design focused on creating intuitive user flows for submitting expenses, tracking OKRs, and managing action items.
For the expense management system, we designed forms for submitting expenses with features like receipt attachment, note-taking, and automated rules for recurring expenses. The user experience was further enhanced with dashboard visuals like financial reports, expense statuses, and actuals vs. budget comparisons. By eliminating redundant fields and unnecessary complexity, the new design drastically sped up the expense submission process, allowing users to work more efficiently from any device, anywhere in the world.
For the Learning & Development (L&D) platform, we developed a double-blind employee-manager review system that facilitated transparent feedback, ensuring alignment of OKRs with department and corporate goals. Employees could submit detailed OKRs, track their progress, and participate in quarterly reviews with their managers. This system fostered a feedback loop that supported both employee growth and organizational objectives.
Collaborating closely with my creative director, a UX intern, and several software developers, we took a user-centered approach, leveraging live UX research and feedback to adjust the platform’s design and functionality. The product design focused on creating intuitive user flows for submitting expenses, tracking OKRs, and managing action items.
For the expense management system, we designed forms for submitting expenses with features like receipt attachment, note-taking, and automated rules for recurring expenses. The user experience was further enhanced with dashboard visuals like financial reports, expense statuses, and actuals vs. budget comparisons. By eliminating redundant fields and unnecessary complexity, the new design drastically sped up the expense submission process, allowing users to work more efficiently from any device, anywhere in the world.
For the Learning & Development (L&D) platform, we developed a double-blind employee-manager review system that facilitated transparent feedback, ensuring alignment of OKRs with department and corporate goals. Employees could submit detailed OKRs, track their progress, and participate in quarterly reviews with their managers. This system fostered a feedback loop that supported both employee growth and organizational objectives.
Other key features included:
A ticketing system for IT issues, allowing users to submit and track tickets with notes, images, and priority levels.
A ticketing system for IT issues, allowing users to submit and track tickets with notes, images, and priority levels.
A ticketing system for IT issues, allowing users to submit and track tickets with notes, images, and priority levels.
A high-level dashboard providing quick access to holidays, expense items, manager check-ins, and action items.
A high-level dashboard providing quick access to holidays, expense items, manager check-ins, and action items.
A high-level dashboard providing quick access to holidays, expense items, manager check-ins, and action items.
Comprehensive security features, including two-factor authentication (2FA), secure data storage on AWS, and robust user management tools with role-based access controls.
Comprehensive security features, including two-factor authentication (2FA), secure data storage on AWS, and robust user management tools with role-based access controls.
Comprehensive security features, including two-factor authentication (2FA), secure data storage on AWS, and robust user management tools with role-based access controls.
The Results
Upon launch, the platform received an influx of positive feedback, with users praising the ease of expense submissions. The platform’s intuitive design allowed users to bypass the need for training videos, saving both time and resources. The switch from Salesforce to this custom solution significantly sped up the submission process, reducing the time staff spent on expenses and ultimately saving the company money.
The Learning & Development tool facilitated clearer communication between employees and managers, helping track progress on OKRs more effectively. The double-blind review system enhanced transparency and promoted stronger alignment with corporate goals.
The new platform transformed both the financial and development processes, offering a flexible, secure, and responsive system that met the needs of users across all levels—from field employees submitting expenses to admins overseeing the entire system.
Upon launch, the platform received an influx of positive feedback, with users praising the ease of expense submissions. The platform’s intuitive design allowed users to bypass the need for training videos, saving both time and resources. The switch from Salesforce to this custom solution significantly sped up the submission process, reducing the time staff spent on expenses and ultimately saving the company money.
The Learning & Development tool facilitated clearer communication between employees and managers, helping track progress on OKRs more effectively. The double-blind review system enhanced transparency and promoted stronger alignment with corporate goals.
The new platform transformed both the financial and development processes, offering a flexible, secure, and responsive system that met the needs of users across all levels—from field employees submitting expenses to admins overseeing the entire system.
Upon launch, the platform received an influx of positive feedback, with users praising the ease of expense submissions. The platform’s intuitive design allowed users to bypass the need for training videos, saving both time and resources. The switch from Salesforce to this custom solution significantly sped up the submission process, reducing the time staff spent on expenses and ultimately saving the company money.
The Learning & Development tool facilitated clearer communication between employees and managers, helping track progress on OKRs more effectively. The double-blind review system enhanced transparency and promoted stronger alignment with corporate goals.
The new platform transformed both the financial and development processes, offering a flexible, secure, and responsive system that met the needs of users across all levels—from field employees submitting expenses to admins overseeing the entire system.
© 2024 Alison Woodliffe - All rights reserved.
© 2024 Alison Woodliffe - All rights reserved.
© 2024 Alison Woodliffe - All rights reserved.