Sumtotal Core Navigation
My Role: Lead Designer | Research | Wireframing | Prototyping | Testing
Problem
Through discovery it was identified the core navigation for the product was a major pain point for users. They repeatedly reported tasks were difficult to find and complete and often lead to dead ends.
Goal
Establishing a flexible navigation that guides users through a complex core SaaS system quickly and efficiently.
Identifying the Core Problem
This project was not initially on the product roadmap, however during discovery for identified enhancements it became clear that many of the roadmap items identified to address were actually the result of a poor navigation structure.
Through a series of debriefs to shareholders and executive leadership, I was able to present our research findings that supported the solution to our user’s main pain points was to fix the troubled navigation opposed to a series of feature enhancements.
Since this was the core navigation for the entire product, a thoughtful phased approach was established to gracefully update the navigation that emphasized key change management opportunities with our users.
Main Pain Points
• Too many clicks
• Too much scrolling
• Confusing nomenclature
• No logical order of nodes
• A lot of screen real estate
Phase 1: Update the Nomenclature
The first step of the project was to focus solely on the naming conventions and organization of the node categories. During the initial discovery, users identified they were continually confused by the main level navigation terms. Through a series of card sorting exercises and tree jack studies, we were able to create a structure that was driven by how the user interacts with the product in their daily jobs.
Phase 2: Research, iterate, test
Phase 2 was the longest phase of the project and focused solely on conducting research and testing over an eight month period. This phase consisted of 36 moderated user interviews, 10 surveys, 5 prototype test and 1 POC validation with 261 participants. I also conducted crucial internal discovery with SMEs, engineering and QA to ensure the data collected during user discovery aligned with internal expectations and technical feasibility.
Phase 3: UI Implementation
Once research, iterating and testing were complete, I was able to put the findings to use to develop an updated UI. One challenge that arose during this phase was a rebranding by the company. We had tested with specific colors during phase 2 and this required us to realign the solution. As part of the overall change management process, the new UI was rolled out to select users for a beta testing period prior to full implementation into the product.
